Public Affairs Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/11/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to Plans, develops, and produces a variety of materials and publications including print, web-based, multimedia and video material to convey information about the VA Actively pitches and places stories with media outlets Conducts workshops, seminars, and other meetings with different levels of staff Presents ideas in new ways, increasing understanding of medical facility customer, service standards, programs, and policies Makes on-the-spot presentations and/or conducts focus groups OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degreeor3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related?. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 or have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related. Transcripts Required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications and Media Multimedia Technologies Oral Communication Web Technology Writing Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary, with walking required during visits and tours of the Medical Center. Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring in other than normal duty hours. Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other required materials. Some lifting may be required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
This position serves as the Deputy Public Affairs Officer (PAO) at VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS), a level 3 health care system, Danville IL, Office of the Director. The Deputy PAOs primary responsibility is all matters related to internal communications and employee engagement as outlined in the major duties of this position description. In additional to their primary responsibilities, the Deputy PAO support some of the departments administrative responsibilities.