Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

DutiesYou will:Exercise supervisory personnel management responsibilities.Plan, organize and direct activities of the organizational unit, ensuring they comply with requirements and meet customer needs.Serve as advisor and assistant to the office director and senior leaders.One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentYou must be a U.S. citizen.You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.#LI-OnsiteIf you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period if appointed as Competitive Service or a two-year trial period if appointed as Excepted Service.This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program. This development program is designed to enhance leadership skills and abilities and meet the Agency's goal of providing new leaders with the skills and tools you need to be successful.You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement. QualificationsNOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level defined as providing leadership, oversight and technical expertise in environmental public affairs policies and procedures, including media and congressional/intergovernmental relations; coaching, mentoring or leading others.Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:Skill in communication principles, methods, practices and techniques; analytical methods; and interpersonal relations practices to provide supervision and oversight to a staff of Public Affairs Specialists.Ability to lead staff by evaluating work performance and giving advice, counsel, and instruction.Skill in developing and applying new approaches to the most difficult and complex public affairs problems by developing or evaluating information programs.Skill in analyzing public reaction to agency programs and policies in developing recommendations to significantly modify environmental protection programs and policies.Skill in oral communication.Skill in written communication.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.*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional informationAre you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): EPA Announcement Policies and ProceduresNOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information:  EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.Although the Service type indicated in the Overview section is Competitive, you may be appointed as Excepted Service based on your eligibility to be hired under certain appointing authorities.This position is not in the bargaining unit.If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA.  Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section. 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.
Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF):  As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more:  pslf.govThis position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.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.We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.  Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications section.  If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated based on your answers to the online assessment.  Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position and an applicable score assigned.We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire.  If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.  We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements.  If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).NOTE:  We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).  However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.You may preview questions for this vacancy.