Public Affairs Specialist

Duties Responds to requests for information, materials and support; and plans and conducts community engagement activities with community officials and groups. This includes providing and/or clearing material concerning controversial unit activities such as hazardous operations, costly acquisitions, and equal opportunity issues upon request by media representatives. Researches, drafts, coordinates, produces, and reviews public affairs products such as, web-based content, photographs, videos, news and feature articles, news releases, talking points, factsheets, briefings, speeches and scripts, newsletters, and other materials. Determines appropriate recommendations for unresolved issues and performs follow up. Participates in special assignments and projects. Maintains effective relationships with DoD personnel, National, State and local officials, to include their respective State PAOs, who are critical target groups, needed to maintain effective working relationships and ongoing communications between the Wing and State. Appointed as the Wing Visual Information Manager per current DoD directives. Stays abreast of current visual information methodology and technological developments. Performs other duties as assigned. Requirements Conditions of Employment NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED. This is an excepted service position that requires military membership in the Rhode Island Air National Guard. Selectee is required to complete SE1-260 requirements within six months of employment. Selectee will be required to wear the military uniform. Acceptance of an excepted service position constitutes concurrence with these requirements as a condition of employment. Males born after 31 December 1959 must be registered for Selective Service. Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Participation in direct deposit is mandatory. Selectee must complete the DoD Public Affairs Qualification Course within two years of employment; or, for on-board personnel, complete the course within two years from the appointment date to this position. Qualifications MILITARY GRADES: E5 through E7 GENERAL EXPERIENCE : Experience, education or training in administrative, professional, investigative and/or technical work. Experience evaluating information and/or using analytical skills to disseminate effective communication. Experience in compiling reports, letters, memoranda, etc., and required person-to-person contacts to convey information. Experience using computers and automation systems. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE : Must have 1-year equivalent to at least next lower grade. Experience, education, or training involving a thorough knowledge of writing and communication principles, methods and techniques that relate to public affairs of the military. Experience developing new information materials including news releases, fact sheets, brochures, booklets, broadcast spots, etc., that increase communication with the agency's audiences. Experience making on-the-spot presentations to audiences with opposing points of view or erroneous understanding of agency positions. Experience responding timely and appropriately to requests for information concerning agency programs and services. Education N/A Additional information If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency ( Register Selective Service System : Selective Service System (sss.gov) ). Benefits Help 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. Opens in a new window 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. How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Applies research skills to locate archived subject specific print and broadcast media materials and utilizes this as historical background material for developing current articles on the same subject or issue. Applies general and specializes statistical methods to the analysis of communication campaign surveys to assess communication campaign effectiveness in reaching the desired target audience. Applies interpersonal communication skills to the building of effective relationships with media representatives, community groups and other internal/external audiences, to insure open lines of communication between the state's ANG PA office and potential audiences. Utilizes personal judgment and knowledge of wing level ANG programs and their issues to determine if controversial information should be released for internal/external public use. Skill in identifying the information needs of various audiences and the most effective methods of assessing their reactions to information provided. Skill sufficient to provide print and broadcast media, trade associations, veteran's organizations, and National Guard associations with timely and accurate explanations of agency policies and activities. Benefits Help 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. Opens in a new window 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. Required Documents As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies. To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Required Documents: Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed. All resumes must be written in your own words. Online Questionnaire Other Supporting Documents: (Optional) Related Professional Certificates SF 50 (current or prior federal service, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action SF50) OF 306 DD214 Cover Letter Failure to submit mandatory documentation will result in automatic disqualification. Please ensure your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Be sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total hours worked each work week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a credible qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education . Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. How to Apply To apply for this position, you must complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded doc