Duties

Summary

This position is located in EPA, Office of Inspector General (OIG); Office of the Chief of Staff; Congressional and Public Affairs Directorate in Washington, DC. For more information on this office, visit their website: www.epa.gov/oig.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Public Affairs Specialist (Congressional Media Relations Liaison) you will:

• Serve as a liaison between the OIG and congressional committees, members, and staff, which involves responding to a high volume of inquiries and requests and communicating matters of concern.
• Research congressional positions on major OIG and EPA issues and legislative initiatives, related concerns in their districts, and other relevant information to prepare briefing materials for the inspector general and other senior managers.
• Prepare responses to congressional correspondence, testimony, speeches, press releases, and other materials.
• Represent the OIG at congressional meetings and hearings of interest to the OIG and prepare summaries for distribution within the OIG. Develop strategies for increasing congressional awareness about the OIG's mission and work.
• Develop policies, procedures, and protocols relating to interactions with Congress, the media, and the public.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the OIG in responding to inquiries from and presenting OIG activities to news outlets. Arrange and staff interviews, as appropriate, with OIG subject matter experts. Develop and present media training to OIG staff.
• Establish, maintain, and expand effective relationships with other government agencies, including OIGs, and with the OIG's customer base, including congressional members and staff and press.
• Establish and maintain a familiarity with EPA programs and emerging environmental issues that appear in news outlets that may affect OIG work and relations with Congress.
• Recommend to senior managers strategies for addressing or resolving concerns arising from congressional, media, and public communications.
• Research, write, and edit materials on a variety of established subjects for a range of materials, including digital venues. Ensure correct use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as conformity to official style.
• Obtain transcripts of congressional hearings and meetings, and compile Daily News Clips based on keyword searches.
• Respond to inquiries from members of the general public.
• Plan and lead special events and presentations for stakeholder groups.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - 1-5 Nights Per Month

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• Position has portable work and selectee may be eligible to telework.
• If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required.
• You must submit resume and required documents(See How to Apply)

This position is designated as High 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.

Qualifications

We are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

GS-12:

You must have at least one year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-11 level in the Federal government. The work experience described in your resume must clearly reflect that you have performed work that meets the specialized experience requirement for this position, as defined below, or your application will be rated "Ineligible." Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• (1) Serving as the liaison between a government agency and Congress: (2) working knowledge of the day-to-day activities of an Inspector General's Office, reviewing and evaluating congressional inquiries related to audits, evaluations, and investigations involving waste, fraud, and abuse; and (3) preparing briefing materials and/or people to brief Congressional members and staff, and news outlets.

GS-13:
You must have at least one year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal government. The work experience described in your resume must clearly reflect that you have performed work that meets the specialized experience requirement for this position, as defined below, or your application will be rated "Ineligible." Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• (1) Serving as the liaison between a government agency and Congress on administrative and criminal investigation issues; (2) working knowledge of the day-to-day activities of an Inspector General's office, reviewing and evaluating congressional inquiries related to audits, evaluations, and investigations involving waste, fraud, and abuse; (3) analyzing the impact of pending legislation on OIG equities; and (4) preparing briefing materials and/or people to brief Congressional members and staff, and news outlets.

You cannot substitute education for experience at the GS 13 level.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas. Your resume must support your responses to the questionnaire.

• Knowledge of the U.S. Congress (legislation process, hearings, correspondence, and communications) sufficient to serve as an Agency liaison to Congress.
• Knowledge of the wide range of communication principles, methods, practices, and techniques sufficient to advise on the formulation, and implementation of communication policies, programs and strategies for maximum impact when communicating with the public directly or through various media.
• Ability to analyze organizational programs to facilitate communication between an agency and its publics on program-related problems, activities, or
• Ability to advise management on the formulation and articulation of agency policy, programs, and actions to various publics.
• Skill in developing written materials that effectively transmit complex information about programs, initiatives, activities and functions to leaders, internal and external audiences and stakeholders.

NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.

Education

You do not need a degree to qualify for this position.

Additional information

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents and visit the EPA website for additional information: http://www.epa.gov/careers/epa-job-vacancy-announcements-policies-and-procedures

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: http://www.epa.gov/careers/epa-job-vacancy-announcements-policies-and-procedures

This information is used to determine your qualifications for employment. The use of this information is authorized under Title 5 USC, Sections 3302 and 3361.

If you have part-time work experience, read this: (http://www.epa.gov/careers/epa-job-vacancy-announcements-policies-and-procedures)

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You 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 on-line assessment. Your responses to the on-line assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position. You are being evaluated under the category rating method which means, if you are determined to be qualified, you will be placed into the 'Best Qualified', 'Well Qualified,' or 'Qualified' category.

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. Your resume must support your responses. 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.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

Documents to be submitted on-line:

-Resume clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties Section and Qualifications Required Section. In describing your experience, you need to be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience.

-Responses to the on-line assessment questionnaire.

-Veterans' Preference Documents - DD-214 Member 4 copy, VA Letter, and SF-15, if applicable; active duty military submit statement of service from commanding officer documenting dates of active duty and any campaign medals/badges; include character of service.

-Displaced Federal employees under ICTAP/CTAP - copy of your most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and your most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station.

-Performance appraisal - You are required to submit your most recent completed annual performance appraisal, dated within the last 18 months (if it is not dated within the last 18 months, or you have not received a performance appraisal, you must upload a signed/dated explanation why). NOTE: You only need to upload the page that shows the overall rating and signature, not the entire document.

-Current and Former Federal Employees: You are required to submit a Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) indicating your status eligibility. This SF-50 should include your Position Title, Pay Plan, Occupational Code, and Grade or Level. If you are a current temporary/term employee who previously held a status Federal position, you need to submit your SF-50 which shows your eligibility to be considered. If your eligibility for consideration cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.

-If you are applying for a noncompetitive appointment, you'll need to submit additional documents to prove your eligibility to apply to this vacancy announcement. If you want to learn more about noncompetitive appointments, visit OPM's web site: http://www.opm.gov/employ/students/fedhire.asp#authorities

If you want to know more about submitting documentation to our office, visit EPA's web site: http://epa.gov/ohr/ezhire/vacancy_requirements.htm

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.