Duties

Summary

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WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? Visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov
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Responsibilities

WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICE DIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS) DO? As a Public Affairs Specialist you will be responsible for managing and developing all aspects of broad-based communication. In this position you will serve as an advisor and technical authority by providing guidance and expertise to employees and successfully leverage strategic communications expertise and leadership skills in helping employees understand and accept the business goals and objectives, and to effectively share the information with all parties.

As a Public Affairs Specialist (Marketing and Communications) you will:

• Serve as a single point of contact on the Communications, Stakeholder Liaison & Online Services (CSO) staff responsible for national media activity.
• Respond to sensitive media inquiries potentially including tax law, TAS activities, policies, and procedures
• Research, write, edit, and, in some instances, customize national news releases and statements on behalf of TAS, and places news releases and statements with media
• Arrange and attend media interviews for the National Taxpayer Advocate and other TAS officials and, in some instances, prepares the TAS official for the interview; prepares talking points and/or briefing papers; and/or acts as interviewee.
• Build effective working relationships with members of the media to develop effective ways to communicate the tax law, regulations and TAS and IRS policies, procedures, and programs.
• Advise on and recommend specific communications events and activities designed to meet challenges of diverse internal and external audiences with varying levels of information requirements and interests.
• Develop effective communication programs that support the organization's goals. Work on all phases of communications plan execution including delivery, measurement, reporting, and results.
• Develop content designed to achieve organization-wide and department-level business goals.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with communications counterparts.
• Assist in the development of plans by considering such items as specific topics or aspects to emphasize the most effective media to use in communicating with intended audiences.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD):
PD94890
Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

-Relocation expenses: NO

OTHER INFORMATION:
-We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
-This is a non- bargainingunit position.
-Tour of Duty: Monday- Friday- 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
-Must meet IRS telework eligibility requirements
-Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-14 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:
- Experience with communication practices and techniques to be able to function as the technical authority, direct complex programs and develop communication materials designed to promote the mission, programs, goals, and objectives within the organization.
- Experience establishing and maintaining effective relationships to facilitate communications with counterparts.
- Experience applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to shape program development and evaluating program effectiveness.
- Experience with organization objectives to recommend policies, programs, services, and procedures and evaluate alternatives.
- Experience with development and disseminating of designed communication materials.
- Experience in analyzing and developing recommendations from a wide array of conflicting and divergent information.
- Experience with media relations using written and verbal communications, to allow the position of senior leaders to be communicated to the organization's employees, the public and all forms of media on the local and national level.
- Experience developing media strategies and delivering responses to media inquiries on the local and national level.
- Experience with writing and speaking techniques to write and converse on complicated and/or sensitive laws and regulations; such as organizational policies and procedures; and conveying such information in plain language to help various publics understand the organization's positions and recommendations.
- Experience with relationship building techniques and interpersonal relations practices to establish and build an effective working relationship with media representatives; executives, managers, and technical experts; and others representing diverse points of view.
- Experience with evaluation techniques and methods to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of Media Relations activities

MEET TIME IN GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT: For positions above the GS-05, applicants must meet applicable time-in-­grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for.

- Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.
- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards .

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

One (1) position is located inMarketing and Communication in any of the following 1111 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC (DC0022), 575 N Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, IN (IN0133), or 1222 Spruce, St. Louis, MO (MO0106)

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated on the following competencies: Oral Communication, Writing, Self-Management, Customer Service, Media Relations. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. You will also be required to provide two writing samples which will also be considered during the hiring process. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/ . Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. IRS employees may obtain their most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/ . Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: You will be assigned to one of three quality groups. Each group represents a quality level (i.e., Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, Qualified). Candidates will be considered in quality group order. If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview/assessment (telephonic and/or in person), which will further evaluate your writing and oral communication skills. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) , you must receive a score of category HIGHLY QUALIFIED or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) , you must receive a score of Highly Qualified or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application for this Public Notice:

Resume - For qualification determinations your resume (uploaded or created in USAJOBS) must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn ), inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. ( Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips.

Online Application - Questionnaire

Submission of TWO WRITING SAMPLES. WRITING SAMPLES: You are required to submit two written products for which you authored within the past 5 years. Samples must not exceed two pages in length and should be examples of your best work. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

Proof of Enrollment or Education - For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Registration/License (IF APPLICABLE) - active, current registration/license

Veterans' Preference (IF APPLICABLE) - If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15 , along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information on veterans' preference view FedsHireVets.

Current and Former Federal Employees Documentation - Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade. Failure to provide a copy may result in you not receiving consideration for priority programs you may be entitled (e.g., CTAP/ICTAP), but will not eliminate you from consideration as a non-priority applicant.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) (IF APPLICABLE) - IRS CTAP eligibles can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area. Treasury CTAP eligibles can apply for jobs within the commuting area. Find required documentation at: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP).

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) (IF APPLICABLE) - If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).