Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist (Communications Director)

Full Job Description

View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement. Organizational Location: This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Public Affairs, in Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; New York, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; Washington, District of Columbia.

This is a non-bargaining unit position. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Do not copy 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.

You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess the following: Experience: One (1) year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as: Managing media relations programs and advising management on media relations activities related to immigration and national security issues with significant public interest.

Experience supervising employees including assigning work, setting performance expectations, conducting evaluations, resolving complaints, and providing guidance to ensure effective team performance in high-profile public affairs environments.

Advanced knowledge and expertise related to U.S.

immigration and/or national security policies, laws, and enforcement practices to successfully communicate complex or sensitive topics in response to media inquiries.

Skilled at pitching and placing stories, negotiating with hostile or adversarial reporters, influencing editorial decisions, and mitigating or preventing unfavorable press coverage.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).

Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility.

The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

National Service Experience (i.e., 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 or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707.

Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission.

If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.

To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Major Duties:

As a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist (Communications Director), GS-15 you will perform the following duties: Oversee the development of media relations strategies and the implementation of media relations activities to support immigration law enforcement.

Provide administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Advise on potential media and public reaction to proposed policies and programs.

Respond to national and international media inquiries.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships in achieving understanding with groups indifferent to or having opposing points of view to programs and policies.

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries for this position.

The actual salary range will be based on the applicable locality pay for the selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.