Public Affairs Specialist

The Office of Public Affairs (PAO) guides and coordinates the federal law enforcement public information programs of certain Department of Justice organizations, including legal divisions, Bureaus, and U.S. Attorneys' Offices. PAO provides a large variety of important and critical information having nationwide and international impacts concerning the activities of various bureaus, divisions, boards, services, and field offices.

The Office of Public Affairs (PAO) guides and coordinates the federal law enforcement public information programs of certain Department of Justice organizations, including legal divisions, Bureaus, and U.S. Attorneys' Offices. PAO provides a large variety of important and critical information having nationwide and international impacts concerning the activities of various bureaus, divisions, boards, services, and field offices.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The Public Affairs Specialist is responsible for preparing, composing, and disseminating informational materials that explain and interpret the work of the Department's federal law enforcement initiatives. The basic duties and responsibilities include:

• Serves as a point of contact for the news media.
• Provides recommendations and analysis concerning communications matters and information production.
• Drafts a variety of written materials, including press releases, talking points, and fact sheets, designed to reach national audiences through the traditional and non-traditional news media.
• Provides informational materials on DOJ's federal law enforcement programs and activities to a wide range of internal and external Department stakeholders, including members of the news media, representatives of government agencies, state/county and city organizations, industry groups, and community groups.

Salary

• $55,924 - $88,926/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year trial/probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required, see the announcement for full details.
• Under Pathways Recent Graduate regulations, you are eligible only if you have graduated from an academic program of study or earned your degree within the last two years (or longer for certain veterans).
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.
• If you are appointed to a position under this program, you will need to complete a requisite number of work and training hours, based on the agreement you will complete with the hiring office and the agency Pathways program coordinator.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.

Qualifications This vacancy is open to R ECENT GRADUATES , who have completed an academic program of study or degree program from a college, university, or vocational school within the two years (or longer for certain veterans) from the date of this announcement. If you are appointed to a position under this program, you will need to complete a requisite number of work and training hours, based on the agreement you will complete with the hiring office and the agency Pathways program coordinator. After completing the required number of work and training hours, and meeting all other program requirements, you may be eligible for a conversion to a term or permanent appointment.
To learn more about the specific requirements and conditions of the Pathways Recent Graduate program, please see the USAJOBS Students & Recent Graduates page, or the OPM Pathways Program site.
To qualify for the position of Public Affairs Specialist (GS-1035-7/9), you must possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade.
For the GS-07
Specialized Experience: For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Assisting staff with media events; AND Assembling news clips from a variety of sources.
OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on my official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies ( Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.
For the GS-09
Specialized Experience: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Responding to requests for public affairs information; AND Writing informational materials for dissemination to targeted audiences via print or on-line news sources.
OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.
After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (10/28/2024) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024.
Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. Education If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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.For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.Other Information

• Preference Eligible Veterans and Military Spouses : If you are entitled to veteran's preference due to your military service or the service of a qualifying spouse or family member, you must provide the appropriate verification documents, which may include a DD-214 Member Number 4 Copy, an SF-15 Application for 10pt Veterans Preference, a VA Disability Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. The specific documents you need to provide depend on whether you are claiming a 5- or 10-point preference for yourself or as a qualifying family member. Please see USAJOBS Veterans Preference for more details.
• DOJ EEO Statement/Policy:
• REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: DOJ policy can be found at: . If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:
• Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: .

This position is excluded from the Bargaining Unit.Required Documents

The following documents are REQUIRED for this vacancy.
You must submit these documents with your application to be considered.

• Resume
• Transcript

IMPORTANT RESUME INFORMATION: Your resume must contain detailed information about your past employment, education, and qualifications. You should also include unpaid work experience (volunteer work) as well, we may be able to credit you for this experience. If you're unsure about what to include in your resume, please review the USAJOBS Resume Writing Tutorial on YouTube.At a minimum, your resume must list each of the following items for every employment referenced: 1) position title,, 2) employer name and contact information, 3) start and end dates (including month and year ), 4) a detailed list of duties performed, accomplishments, and your highest salary (or grade/step) achieved.
The following documents are ACCEPTED for this vacancy:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other Supporting Documentation
• Peace Corps/VISTA NCE Documentation
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

These are documents that may be required for some applicants, based on what eligibility you are applying for or if you are using education to qualify. The list below provides additional information describing common documents that are accepted and provides a link to learn more about the specific details of that type of documentation.

• Veterans Preference : When claiming a veteran-related preference eligibility, you must submit specific documents based on the type of preference claimed. You may need to submit any of the following forms: SF-15 (Application of 10-point Veterans Preference), DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), and a VA Disability Letter. If you're a military spouse, you may need to submit these documents from your qualifying spouse, and you may also have to submit PCS orders (Permanent Change of Station) for the spouse. Please see VETERANS or MILITARY SPOUSES on USAJOBS for more information...
• Transcripts & Education : When using education to qualify, please submit an official or unofficial transcript from your institution that shows full credit hours and course information. Avoid submitting protected PDF files as these may contain security features that prevent DOJ from viewing the document.

NEED HELP?
If you need help submitting your documents, please review the Applicant Help Site, Documents page. If you need help understanding document requirements, contact Kana Hyman at or 202-340-6360 during normal business hours. If you're having difficulty with your application or document submission, don't wait until the last minute, contact us right away so we can help you before the announcement closes. How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/01/2024 to receive consideration.
If you would like to preview the assessment questionnaire, please see:

• Click "Apply Online" to get started.
• If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one.
• You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous.
• You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS.
• Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options.
• After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device.
• If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format .
• Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments.
• Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit.
• If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required.

If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side). Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: If you are unable to apply online due to a disability or overseas active duty deployment, you must request an alternative application, which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Kana Hyman at or 202-340-6360 to discuss your situation. Accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits .

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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