Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Office of Program Support. The duty location for this position is in Rockville, MD.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

MAJOR DUTIES:

As a Health Communication Specialist, you will serve as a content expert and advisor for the development, implementation, and evaluation of communication and marketing plans and strategies used to inform stakeholders about the Bureau's programs, policies, and related health issues.

Your major duties and responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the management and oversight of state, regional, or national public health communications and marketing projects and campaigns.
• Planning, applying, and evaluating various communication science and marketing techniques to achieve optimal program results and promote positive health outcomes.
• Providing advice, technical assistance and leadership in planning and developing communication and marketing priorities, campaigns; strategies, and practices for effective communication and marketing directed toward professional and lay audiences, including underserved populations and populations at risk for poor outcomes.
• Developing messages and materials that are valid and consistent with health program objectives and are based on communications and marketing theory and principles, as well as audience research, including concept, message, and web-usability testing.
• Conducting and managing audience research and program evaluation activities for health communication and marketing, including researching formative, process, and impact evaluation and qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Analyzing the current context or situation (including Web analysis) to identify gaps in knowledge about audiences, collect feedback from consumer/audiences; monitors channel use, such as website and public system inquiry systems, as well as the use of communication materials and media coverage.

NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Travel Required

25% or less - Expected travel may be up to 25% for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship is required.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Position is in the Bargaining Unit.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 05/12/2021

Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

GS-12: In order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-11 level in the federal service.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-11 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

Interpreting health communication and marketing topics into formats for both lay and professional audiences; using health communication and marketing channels to increase the impact of health program information and interventions; and, gathering data to assess the effectiveness of health communications and marketing efforts to reach their targeted audiences.

GS-13: In order to qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-12 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

Developing and implementing strategic health communication and marketing plans and campaigns for both technical and non-technical audiences; conducting assessments or evaluations of strategic communication plans/programs to determine the effectiveness of health communication and marketing efforts for an organization; and, advising leadership on effective communication and marketing approaches to formulate an organizational strategy targeting health issues.

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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS: Knowledge of the practice, methods and techniques of communicating and disseminating health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy via written, oral and visual media.

STRATEGIC PLANNING: Supports organizational goals and objectives in accordance with strategic and/or operations plans.

MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY: Uses writing skills and editorial judgment to strategically develop messages for various audiences; and delivers them by evaluating the most appropriate media channel(s) for the particular needs of the target audience.

DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS: Seeks or collects and synthesizes information from a variety of stakeholders and sources in an objective, unbiased manner to reach a conclusion, goal, or judgment, and to enable strategic and leadership decision making.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11097087

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Click here for information on " Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities ".

Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees . Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here .

HRSA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified or Qualified.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

• • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher).

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/ Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): Must be found to be well-qualified to exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Click here for more information on ICTAP/CTAP .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact either HRSA's Office of Human Resources at (301) 443-3780 or by email: askhr@hrsa.gov or HRSA's Reasonable Accommodation programs at (301) 443-2538 or by email: RA-Request@hrsa.gov . You must contact the Reasonable Accommodations Program prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM EST (except Federal holidays).

Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

1. A current Resume - For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center or view their video tutorial. Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builde r.
If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title

Name of employer

Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)

Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.

Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)

Your resume must show the series and grade or equivalent for all federal positions you have held. (if a federal position)

You must also ensure that the duties performed are clearly matched to each period of employment.
Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire

3. Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:

• If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 Copy), or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. Click here for more information on veterans' preference .
• Personnel Orders: PHS Commissioned Corps Officers must submit a copy of latest personnel orders in lieu of SF-50.
• If you are currently serving in a pay banded position, please include a copy of your pay band chart with your application.
• College Transcripts or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for this program, as described in the "Qualifications and Evaluations" sections of this announcement. (if the position has a positive education requirement, or you are qualifying on the basis of education).

For Résumé and Application Tips visit the USAJOBS Resource Center .

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/12/2021.