Duties

Summary

This announcement is for TEMPORARY, INTERMITTENT positions NTE 1 year/1040 hours located in various bureaus in the Department of State.The incumbent serves as a Public Affairs Specialist and assists Bureau officers in developing and executing public affairs outreach strategies to inform and help the American public gain understanding of American policy toward multiple countries and/or geographic locations.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop contact with Bureau officers and other individuals and organizations to promote the understanding, acceptance and implementation of administration policy toward the region where assigned.
• Explores media queries to determine advantages and disadvantages of providing comment to the media and recommending courses of action and wording.
• Assist and substitute for other staff members and carry out special tasks as required including monitoring the Department's daily news briefing and otherwise assuming responsibility for press operations.
• Organize and execute a series of meetings, seminars and conferences targeted at acquainting the American public with assigned geographic area policy and issues.
• Works with the Bureau of Public Affairs in providing Bureau speakers for interested groups in Washington and throughout the domestic U.S. including planning the itineraries, editing of speeches and talking points, and preparing briefing books.

Travel Required

50% or less - Overseas travel is required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

EXPERIENCE performing duties related with world or national events;
EXPERIENCE providing advice to the Spokesman and other senior officials;
EXPERIENCE in the media environment related to public affairs activities such as coordinating media interviews, developing communications plans, coordinating agency information programs, etc.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

KNOWLEDGEof U.S. society, foreign relations, and world events;
ABILITYto analyze and evaluate materials as they relate to public affairs issues;
KNOWLEDGEof public diplomacy;
ABILITYwork effectively with staff, senior officials, congress, foreign and domestic news media;
KNOWLEDGEof the media environment as well as the principles and techniques of journalism;
ABILITYto communicate orally.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click
here .

Qualified candidates are assigned a score between 70 and 100. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position and earn a score of at least 85 (when applicants are rated in a range of 70 to 100) to receive consideration for special priority.

If, after reviewing your resume and self-assessment questionnaire responses and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, a score will be manually determined that reflects your documented experience. This may result in a lower score, which may also eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this job opportunity. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

All required documents listed below must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department's automated system "Gateway to State".

3. Transcripts - if applicable, see the Qualifications section of the announcement. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you must submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application by the closing date.

5. Performance Appraisal - All current Federal employees and reinstatement eligible applicants must submit a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal that includes the final rating. If a performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, a Form DS-1812 (Applicant Appraisal) or equivalent form from another agency signed by the current supervisor is acceptable. Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.

6. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See links below:

ICTAP Considerations

CTAP Considerations

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.