Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys’ Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 27-MT-13104599-DE.

Overview

Location: Billings, MT

Telework eligible: Yes — as determined by the agency policy.

Remote job: No

Relocation expenses reimbursed: No

Salary: $74,678 – $97,087 per year

Pay scale & grade: GS 11

Promotion potential: None

Work schedule: Full-time

Travel Required: Occasional travel – You may be expected to travel for this position.

Appointment type: Permanent

1035 Public Affairs

Supervisory status: No

Federal service type: This job is in the Competitive Service

Represented by a union: No

Drug test: Yes

Security clearance: Other

Position sensitivity and risk: Moderate Risk (MR)

Background check type: Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required: No

Announcement number: 27-MT-13104600-MS

Control number: 891203400

Federal employees – Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s hiring rules and pay scales.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management
Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference.

Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Family of overseas employees
Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Special authorities
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.

Clarification from the agency
Well-qualified surplus/displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) in the local area and current/former Federal employees in permanent competitive service positions (status candidates). VEOA eligibles and those eligible for non‑competitive appointment under special hiring authority, e.g., Individuals with Disabilities, Military Spouses, former Overseas employees, VISTA/Peace Corps, some Land Management employees, and certain veterans, e.g., VRA, 30% Disabled.

Duties
Typical work assignments will include:

Arranges for press conferences on litigative cases of concern to the public by contacting appropriate representatives of local and national media.

Participates in developing news releases, briefs news media representatives, and prepares written material for dissemination and publication.

Plans, directs, and executes state‑wide and national campaigns to convey complex and controversial information concerning United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) initiatives, programs, and operations.

Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with members of the local and national news media, specialized groups interested in the USAO programs.

Advises personnel in other federal agencies and Departmental components on carrying out community relations activities regarding USAO programs.

Prepares magazine and newspaper articles for publication in national publications.

Develops articles for Departmental distribution and other media as well as organizes press conferences and other media events to enhance the program’s law enforcement message.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements
Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre‑employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.

If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.

Time‑in‑Grade: Federal employees must meet time‑in‑grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications
++GS‑11++ : To be eligible at the GS‑11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

++Specialized Experience:++ One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑9 level. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following: arranging and conducting special public affair events, workshops, seminars, and meetings with various organizations; developing and implementing programs to inform and educate state‑wide or federal audiences of various social economic group programs; speaking to law enforcement, the public, civil, and special groups of interest about law enforcement programs; applies media regulations to all press activities and handles media request inquiries; serving as a primary point of contact for a specific subject areas pertaining to law enforcement; providing or disseminating information orally (for example, responds to inquiries concerning claims status, law enforcement media inquiries, and provides job information).

OR

++Education:++ Completed one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Advertising & etc.): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher‑level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.M, if related. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

++Combination of Education and Experience:++ Have a combination of specialized experience and education described above that when combined equal 100% of the requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

++Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)-++ The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well‑qualified for this vacancy. To be well‑qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

++Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- ++ The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well‑qualified for this vacancy. To be well‑qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) - VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD‑214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration – Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service‑connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non‑competitive appointments. For further information, see links provided below. You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Education
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre‑accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov.

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

A recruitment or relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born 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. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non‑merit factor. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): 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, or Non‑career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF‑50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: position title, type of appointment, agency, and beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Agency contact information
Lindsey Piotrowski

Phone: 406-457-5276

Email: Lindsey.Piotrowski@usdoj.gov

Address: District of Montana, 2601 Second Ave N., Billings, MT 59101, US

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