Communication Specialist

About the role

This position is located in Office of Inspector General, External and Enterprise Affairs, Congressional and Communications Services.

The incumbent is responsible for creating and disseminating communications tailored to both internal and external audiences, utilizing a variety of formats and channels, including social media and newsletters, to ensure effective engagement and outreach.

What you will do

• Fraud doesn't stop, and neither do we.
• We're the Office of Inspector General, an independent oversight office within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness within ED programs.
• If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America's students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you!
• We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for rapid and substantial salary increases and career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more.
• Often referred to as America's watchdogs, it's our job to help ensure that the hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients.
• The OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K-12 schools, charter schools, special education, vocational education, adult education, and more.
• When our work identifies problems, we propose solutions.
• Our work has resulted in improvements to ED programs and changes to some of the most important Federal education laws in our country.
• We conduct criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials-any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding.
• Through our work, we have unraveled multimillion-dollar fraud schemes by people placed in positions of trust to educate our children.
• We're also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, using the latest technology and techniques to discover and defeat current and emerging threats from cyber and economic crime.
• We tackle new and emerging issues head-on and continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities.
• We consistently expand our expertise by training and developing our staff.
• This dedication has enabled the OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime.
• Whether you are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, if you're looking for a career rather than just a job, and shaping the next generation of American's tackling tomorrow's challenges, consider joining our team.
• As a Communication Specialist GS-0301-12, the incumbent will perform the following duties: Assists in the development of content and communications plans and executes strategies aimed at increasing the scope and reach of OIG information to the public and other stakeholders across various communications channels.
• Creates content for external and internal products (newsletters, brochures, videos, etc.), writes articles, reports, and other web and social media content, creating materials on a broad range of topics, including those of a sensitive nature.
• Manages individual or serial publications from initial conception and content determination through distribution.
• Assists the OIG Managing Editor in enforcing guidelines for the editorial tone and style of communications content.
• As a Communication Specialist GS-0301-13, the incumbent will perform the following duties: Proposes and executes content and communications strategies aimed at increasing the scope and reach of OIG information to the public and other stakeholders across various communication channels.
• Creates content for external and internal products (newsletters, brochures, videos etc.), writes articles, reports, and other web and social media content, creating materials on a broad range of topics, including those of a sensitive nature.
• Translates complex information into narratives easily understandable by the general public.
• Assists the OIG Managing Editor and audit teams to develop report messaging, including developing outlines and determining finding elements and relevant supporting evidence.

Requirements

• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
• If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
• To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents.
• To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week.
• 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).
• Key Requirement - Relocation will not be paid.
• Key Requirement - Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Key Requirement - Must be a US Citizen Key Requirement - May be required to complete a background clearance and fingerprint check.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.

How you will be evaluated

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants: 1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors.

You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. 2.

Rating and Ranking If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and supporting documentation.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement (if applicable). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the USA Hire Assessment(s) (if applicable) required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel.

If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration. 3. Referral and Selection If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official.

As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Documents you must provide

• - A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
• Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points.
• If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination.
• If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit: - A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility.
• To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34).
• Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments.
• If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential.
• Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions. - A Copy of your most recent Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable.
• Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?
• If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
• Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required): 1.
• Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.
• SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing: RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B) Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2) Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1) Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced.
• This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
• Duty location Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.
• Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement.
• The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy.
• To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.

Benefits

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service.

Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position.

To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

What to expect next

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1.

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received. 2.

After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official. 3.

Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email *** to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures. Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized.

We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision.

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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (***)