Public Affairs Specialist - National Park Service

Summary This position is located in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, in the Office of the Superintendent. Open to the first 101 applicants or until 11/08/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities This position is assigned to the Superintendent's Office and includes the following major duties: Develops, writes, and implements communications plans for critical and complex park topics. Coordinates with communications colleagues and subject matter experts in the park and elsewhere in the NPS. Uses information to improve communication efforts. Develops and writes communications products including news releases, fact sheets, talking points, background materials, presentations, advisories, and key messages on park issues. Develops content for park website and social media platforms. Interviews and confers with subject matter experts. Establishes and maintains effective, proactive working relationships with internal and external contacts to implement communication strategies and foster understanding of the NPS's complex mission and responsibilities. Establishes relationships with members of the news media and with park partners as well as with park managers and staff. Provides support for special events at all levels (park, regional, national). Serves as the initial contact for the park in a public affairs or communications crisis situation. Apprises the senior leaders of the issue and works to respond to actual events quickly and decisively. Elevates issues to the NPS Office of Communications according to NPS policies and procedures. Organizes and coordinates media interviews for park subject matter experts. Evaluates the subject, develops briefing materials, and prepares qualified staff to participate in interviews. Coordinates responses to requests for information about park issues from the public, media, government agencies; federal, state, and local officials; and other stakeholders. Maintains tracking logs for news queries and contact lists. Gathers and reports media analytics. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel occasionally. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/08/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. GS-09 EXPERIENCE: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following: 1) writing and editing communication products (for example, news releases, fact sheets or briefing papers); 2) responding to media inquiries and facilitating media interviews with subject matter experts, 3) developing content for digital platforms (web and social media), and 4) developing and maintaining professional relationships with internal and external contacts. -OR- EDUCATION: Completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree related directly to the work of the position, such as MBA or a LL.B. or J.D. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take . Then take the number of months of full time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. GS-11 EXPERIENCE: To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following: 1) developing and implementing strategic communications plans for agency/organization issues; 2) writing and editing communication products (for example, news releases, fact sheets or briefing papers); 3) serving as a spokesperson, responding to media inquiries, and facilitating media interviews with subject matter experts, 4) developing content for digital platforms (web and social media), and 5) developing and maintaining professional relationships with internal and external contacts. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least Ph.D. or equivalent, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field of study that is directly related to the work of the position. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take 45 semester or 68 quarter hours of applicable graduate level education. Then take the number of months of full time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. Volunteer Experience: 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. Current surplus & current or former displaced Federal individuals, who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking I/CTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. Physical Demands: This work is usually performed at a desk; however, there are frequent visits to other indoor or outdoor sites for events or media interviews, which may expose the employee to hot or inclement weather and require movement over rough or uneven terrain. Long or unpredictable hours and stressful situations are common. Working Conditions: The work environment involves everyday risks typical of office settings and vehicles, which require normal safety precautions. The regular work area is adequately lighted, heated/cooled, and ventilated. The incumbent will be required to work outside in all weather conditions to address emerging issues, support news gathering activities, and to support special events. In addition, the incumbent may be called to work unscheduled hours at all times of the day or night and may be expected to support events that occur on holidays and weekends. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, submission of ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance (dates should match the dates on the SF-50s).