Public Affairs Specialist

Duties
As a Public Affairs Specialist at the GS-1035-14, some of your typical work assignments may include:
Answering media questions and responding to interview requests and written data and information.Coordinating and evaluating a wide range of communications and multimedia-related products.Coordinating across the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience (DR&R) organizational structure to gather background and develop written and visual materials (as necessary) for internal and external audiences during the cycle of disaster declarations.Maintaining awareness of policies, procedures, regulations, and legislative actions relevant to the agency's disaster assistance program.Writing news releases, feature, and photo caption material concerning the SBA disaster loan program that is consistent with SBA's Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) guidelines.Acting as a spokesperson for DR&R in supporting public appearances. This includes a wide range of multimedia content including preparing talking points for speeches as necessary.
IMPORTANT NOTES:

This is a Permanent position, which is a competitive service position with a full-time work schedule.If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.A valid driver's license may be required.By applying for this position with SBA's Disaster Public Affairs and Communications Division, you can enjoy challenging but satisfying work and join a highly motivated and diverse team that helps families and businesses rebuild their lives after a disaster.Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.This position is not included in a bargaining unit.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentU.S. citizenship is required.You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.Favorable background investigation and credit check are required.You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.You must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date, if applicable.This position is not included in a bargaining unit. QualificationsExperience:
To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer. Average work hours must be stated on the resume to quantify each period of work experience or that experience will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement.
You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.
GS-14: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector:
Explaining an agency/organization's programs, policies, and/or procedures (1) either to the public as a member of the media (print, radio and/or television), or (2) to the media (print, radio and/or television) as a representative of an organization; ANDCommunicating directly to the public by written or broadcast reporting; ANDCreating content using video editing software (such as Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, or similar applications); ANDUnderstanding and/or using social media metrics for campaigns or other promotional activities; ANDManaging X (formerly known as Twitter) or other social media platform(s) to engage in online conversations, chats, webinars, and/or live events.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications website:Public Affairs Series 1035 (opm.gov)
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; religious; 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.
TIME-IN-GRADE: If you are a current career or career-conditional federal employee applying for promotion under Merit Promotion you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in positions at the next level lower than the position being filled.All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 08/16/2024.EducationThere is no educational substitution at this grade level.Qualification Standards: Public Affairs Series 1035 (opm.gov)Additional informationCareer and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).
Interagency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency).
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit .
Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefitsEligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies::Communications and MediaExternal AwarenessOral CommunicationPartneringTechnical CompetenceWriting
Structured Resume Review. Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Applicants passing the structured resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Once all the qualifications and eligibility determinations have been made, the People Operations Disaster Division will refer qualified applicants for consideration.