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Public Affairs Specialist GS 09 - 11

U.S. Small Business Administration
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Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is urgently hiring Public Affairs Specialist to support disaster recovery for Hurricane Helene and wildfires out west. Your work will aid recovery and economic stability in affected areas. We seek dedicated individuals who can start immediately and travel to disaster zones. Successful candidates will undergo accelerated onboarding to begin ASAP.

Duties


As a Public Affairs Specialist at the GS-1035-9/11, some of your typical work assignments may include:

  • Assists with planning, organizing, and preparing press releases, photos, flyers, presentations, etc. directed to specific targeted audiences within the public, the media or government.
  • Participates in the coordination of social media campaigns and strategies for driving engagement and building brand awareness.
  • Participates in creating correspondence for ODR&R/Center management addressed to public officials and private organizations about individual loan cases or the disaster program.
  • Monitors newspaper, radio, television and internet coverage of the disaster program and provides supplemental information to correct any irregular or inaccurate media information.
  • Uses advanced computer skills, including skill in using automated functions such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access databases and desktop publishing to serve as a disaster program information link providing explanations and written materials as necessary.
  • Acts as a spokesperson for ODR&R by making public appearances, preparing presentations, talking points or speeches as necessary to convey information about the disaster program, objectives and ongoing activities.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • This is a temporary appointment in the Excepted service with an intermittent (on call) work schedule. This means that employees are in a pay and duty status only when activated to respond to workload needs, especially in response to heightened disaster activity. When no longer needed, employees return to a non-pay status until the next event necessitates additional staff.
  • You are required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
  • Your primary residence is considered your official duty station.
  • However, depending on the workload and/or level of disaster activity, your work schedule may be changed to full-time. Subsequently, if the workload decreases, your work schedule may be changed back to intermittent.
  • Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required while on assignment (up to seven days a week and twelve to fourteen hours a day).
  • A valid driver's license may be required.
  • By applying for this position with SBA's US Small Business Administration, you can enjoy challenging but satisfying work and join a highly motivated and diverse team that helps families and businesses rebuild their lives after a disaster.
  • Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.
  • This is not a bargaining unit position.

RequirementsConditions of Employment

  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
  • Favorable background investigation and credit check are required.
  • This position is not included in a bargaining unit.
  • A valid driver's license may be required.
  • U.S. citizenship is required.
  • Favorable background investigation is required.

Qualifications

 

Generally, time in Non-Pay status is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed below.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You may qualify based on experience, education or a combination of both.

Experience: To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer or that experience will not be credited for meeting the specialized experience requirement.

GS-09: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This experience may have been gained in a Non-Federal service position. In addition, this Specialized Experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Assisting with preparing, disseminating and coordination of new releases and articles using digital and social media; AND,
  • Attending and communicating program information at local events, (such as press conferences, town hall meetings, or meetings with other targeted audiences); AND,
  • Experience utilizing mobile and desktop productivity applications such as web browsers, email, spreadsheets, and word processing.

GS-11: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-09 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This experience may have been gained in a Non-Federal service position. In addition, this Specialized Experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Acting as a spokesperson by making public appearances, preparing presentations, and/or preparing talking points or speeches, etc. AND,
  • Attending and communicating program information at local events, such as press conferences and town hall meetings or other targeted audiences; AND
  • Preparing, disseminating, and coordinating news releases and articles at local events, (such as press conferences, town hall meetings, or meetings with other targeted audiences); And
  • Utilizing video editing equipment and or software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, or Final Cut Pro; AND,
  • Experience utilizing mobile and desktop productivity applications such as web browsers, email, spreadsheets, and word processing.

Education

 

If qualifying based on education, you must submit transcripts by the closing date of this announcement or you will not be found eligible.

GS-09: Must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field or 2 full years of related progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D degree, if related.

GS-11: Must have a doctorate or equivalent graduate degree in a related field or 3 full years of related progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M degree, if related.

OR

A combination of experience and education as indicated above.