Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

Full Job Description

The Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist is located in the Communications Office of the Electronic Health Records Modernization Integration Office (EHRM-IO) which is located within the Office of the Deputy Secretary of VA (DEPSECVA).

EHRM-IO is responsible for ensuring that VA successfully prepares for, deploys, and transitions to a new electronic health record (EHR) system.

This position will be physically located in the EHRM-IO Washington, DC office and require up to 25% official travel.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/09/2026.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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.

Selective Placement Factor: One year of experience in advanced mastery of strategic communication principles, methods, practices, and techniques.

This includes demonstrated experience in directing internal and external communication programs, developing outreach strategies, coordinating stakeholder engagements, and utilizing various forms of media (verbal, written, digital, social media) to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

In addition to these skills, candidates must have at least one year of experience with the VA Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office (EHRM-IO) and/or the EHRM (Electronic Health Record Modernization) Program.

This experience is essential as it enables candidates to align communication strategies with the goals of the EHRM initiative, ensuring that all messaging is not only coherent but also reinforces the program's objectives and values.

This selective factor is crucial to ensure that the incumbent can effectively lead and manage the EHRM-IO communications program.

You may qualify based on your experience: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Work that involves supervisory mastery of communication principles, methods, practices and techniques; analytical methods; interpersonal relations practices to develop and apply new approaches; develop, manage, or evaluate large information and public affairs programs; and analyzing public reaction to enhance understanding of programs.

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: The work requires moderate level of physical activity including, walking, climbing stairs and conducting on site evaluations. The position requires periodic overnight travel.

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:

Major Duties: This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Electronic Health Record Modernization- Integration Office (EHRM-IO), within the Office of the Deputy Secretary of VA (DEPSECVA), Office of Communications where the incumbent serves as the Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist.

The incumbent oversees all internal and external communications and stakeholder activities for EHRM-IO.

S/he directs and manages strategic objectives of EHRM-IO communication activities and engagements both within the Department and with external stakeholders, while providing expert direction and oversight to communications staff.

Guides communication activities within the EHRM-IO program office to include cross-division/ directorate collaboration, information sharing, and cascading messaging.

Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of EHRM-IO communications program and presents balanced recommendations for improvements to executive leadership.

Serves as the senior media engagement specialist for the matters related to the EHRM-IO program.

This requires training, planning, coordinating and evaluating the dissemination of information relating to the EHRM-IO program's objectives and functions through the news media.

Develops and writes well written information materials designed to reach national internal and external audiences through the news media such as wire services, radio, television, newspaper, web and social media.

Written materials include: news releases; spot radio and television announcements; fact sheets; feature stories; talking points, background statements, photographs, opinion editorials, scripts, web outreach, speeches, etc.

Directs and facilitates the planning, acquisition, development, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of communication and stakeholder engagement-related components of the EHRM-IO program to include ongoing review of scope and schedules, acquisitions, project guidelines, requirements and deliverables; and active, independent problem solving, including requirement refinement, corrective action and plan modification.

Contributes significantly to the management decision-making process through team work, innovation, consultation and coordination with other senior leaders to ensure goals are met within EHRM-IO.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm ET Compressed/Flexible: Available at manager's discretion. Telework: As determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist/PD184380 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.