Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

Full Job Description

Northport Medical Center is seeking a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist for the Director's Office.

The role oversees the VHA public information program, presenting the Medical Center's mission, services, and activities to staff, volunteers, media, the public, veterans, and government officials.

The position supports the VHA's goals while promoting understanding and support for Veteran care.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/15/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: overseeing day-to-day public affairs activities, including internal communication, media relations, and community outreach; managed staff responsible for delivering public affairs activities; developing and producing a range of informational materials and publications using a variety of communication techniques and methods (print, web-based, multimedia, etc.); developing and implementing public affairs policies and procedures; serving as a spokesperson for the facility; advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; and communicating with media outlets and the general public.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Creativity and Innovation Leadership Public Planning 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary with walking required during visits and tours of the Medical Center.

Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring in other than normal duty hours.

Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other required materials.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

Plans and conducts the Medical Center's public affairs program and supports key initiatives aligned with the Medical Center mission.

Acts as the Medical Center spokesperson and primary point of contact for local and national media.

Serves as liaison to veterans' service organizations, community groups, and professional organizations.

Develops and directs all public information, internal communications, liaison efforts, and community relations activities.

Represents the Medical Center Director at public, civic, and social events to strengthen the Medical Center's reputation within the community and government.

Interacts with senior officials in public and private sectors to enhance understanding of VHA programs and strengthen relationships.

Make presentations to audiences with differing or opposing viewpoints to promote clearer understanding of Medical Center positions.

Evaluates the effectiveness of internal communications, media relations, and community relations programs to improve understanding of Medical Center missions and services.

Establishes and maintains professional relationships with news media representatives and responds promptly to information requests.

Plans and implements comprehensive public affairs activities to promote understanding of the Medical Center's programs among the public and specialized groups.

Supervises subordinate staff which support the public affairs program at the Medical Center.

Performs the administrative and personnel management functions relative to staff supervised, including work assignment and review. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist/PD03280A