Public Affairs Specialist

About the role

WHAT IS TAXPAYER SERVICES?

A description of the business units can be found at: *** Position(s) are to be filled in following area(s): TS - Communications and Liaison - Communications and Liaison REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS

What you will do

• The following are the duties of this position at the full working level.
• If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.
• Works directly with the Business Operating Division/Function Executives on highly sensitive issues dealing with labor relations impacts to employees, prior to public communication or release of information.
• Must be able to work confidentially with these executives.
• Works directly with the Business Operating Division/Function or the assigned area Executives, and their staffs, to develop the Business Operating Division/Function policies in a communicable format.
• Has input to, and revises policies issued to ensure their clarity and understandability.
• Plans, directs and executes national communication activities to convey complex information to the Business Operating Division/Function employees and to all IRS employees, through National C&L Internal Communication, concerning the Business Operating Division/Function programs, responsibilities, and activities, in coordination with National Business Operating Division/Function Communications Policy & Programs, as appropriate.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders through National Communications & Liaison (C&L) Media Relations, field offices, other Operating Divisions, and the Business Operating Division/Function employees at all levels.
• Responds to information requests in written and oral form from the news media through National Communications & Liaison (C&L) Media Relations and specialized and general public on the Business Operating Division/Function program and International operations.
• Responses may require detailed explanations of the organization's activities or performance in a particular situation.
• STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD): PD94890 Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

Requirements

• Probationary Period - A person who is required to go through a probationary period and then is transferred, promoted, demoted, or reassigned before he or she completes such period is required to complete the remainder of the probationary period in the new position.
• Government Credit Card - Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS SHOWN IN QUALIFICATIONS SECTION

Education

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements.

You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program.

It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

We recommend choosing an evaluator from a member organization of one of the following national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Customer Service Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Problem Solving Writing Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Rating: Your application will be evaluated in accordance with the Service's Merit Promotion Plan. A quality group rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates.

If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level groups, Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Referral: Eligible applicants rated in the highest quality group, may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.

Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

Performance Appraisal and Awards - Will not be used in determining your overall rating. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

IRS employees may obtain their most recent awards listing at *** If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of Highly Qualified or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Documents you must provide

• The following documents are required and must be provided with your application.
• All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.
• Incomplete or insufficient information may result in not being considered for the position, or not receiving special consideration for which you may be eligible.
• Please view Application Preparation or How to write a resume for federal job.
• Your resume should: Be limited to two (2) pages.
• Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration.
• We recommend utilizing a standard 8.5x11-inch document size, a sans-serif font such as Arial or Calibri with a font size no smaller than 10-point for the main text, and page margins of 0.5 inches.
• Applicants that attempt to circumvent the 2-page limit page limit, for example by materially reducing readability, will be deemed ineligible.
• If you update your application, only the most recent resume received (uploaded under the "Resume" document type) will be considered to determine qualifications.
• Include your name and contact information.
• Include relevant work experience - Employer Name, Job Title, Employment dates (start to end date or present), number of hours worked per week, and a brief description of duties that clearly demonstrate your qualifications.
• To receive full credit for work experience, you must include specific MM/DD/YYYY start and end dates for every position.
• Include pay plan, series, and grade (e.g., GS-0301-09) for all federal service jobs.
• Not include photographs, classified or sensitive information, SSN, encrypted/digitally signed documents, or other inappropriate content.
• Resumes containing prohibited information will be deemed ineligible.
• Not include embedded links as they will not be opened or considered when determining qualifications.
• Not include personal information such as age, sex, religion, race, or disability.
• Not include specialized experience copied from the announcement or position description, as this is not a demonstration of your experience.
• Education (if applicable) - Refer to Qualification and Education sections above for requirements For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position based on education or training, submit a copy of your transcript(s) or equivalent.
• An official transcript(s) will be required if you are selected.
• Registration/License (if applicable) - Current, active registration/license 4.
• Performance Appraisal/Awards (strongly encouraged) Submit the most recent completed annual performance appraisal.
• Submit copies of any incentive/performance awards received that may have an impact on the qualifications for the position to be filled.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) (if applicable) Selection priority program for displaced or surplus federal employees: Review and submit the required documentation as outlined under CTAP 6.
• IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP) (if applicable) Submit your RPP Notice and most recent performance appraisal.
• Appraisal must reflect Fully successful or higher overall rating.
• Current Employees Documentation (recommended if applicable) If applying for a higher grade and you met time-in-grade (TIG) at another agency, it is recommended that you provide an SF-50(s) (Notification of Personnel Action) (or equivalent) which demonstrates you meet the 52-week TIG requirement (e.g., Promotion with an effective date more than one (1) year old, Within-Grade-Increase at the highest grade held).
• Failure to provide an SF-50(s) that shows your eligibility may result in an ineligible determination.

Benefits

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at *** option #1 for ERC.

What to expect next

Once your application package and online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email. You are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you.

" Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. If your email mailbox is full or blocked (SPAM) you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

Additional information

Consider each location carefully when applying. If you are selected for a location, that location will become your official post of duty. In the event that a building is closed due to rent management, new hires may be placed in a local commuting location.

Additional jobs may be filled from this announcement or any other source to fill these vacancies. Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours may be available. Salary: General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Cost-of-Living Allowances (COLA): Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico include COLA. See COLA Rates 2026.