Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

About the role

This position is located in Region 9, Regional Administrator, External Affairs. Seeking a crisis leader with ESF-15 & NRF expertise to direct emergency communications, advise disaster leadership, manage austere deployments, and lead regional preparedness, response, & recovery outreach. Ready to deploy 24/7.

What you will do

• What will I do in this position if hired?
• In this position, you will provide communications strategy, message coordination, analyses and guidance, relationship-building and decision-making support on Agency policies, plans, programs, key initiatives and actions that affect stakeholders.
• Typical assignments include: Developing, overseeing, and maintaining operational readiness for ESF 15 (External Affairs) within the region and field offices, serving as the senior advisor for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Designing the Public Affairs, Congressional, Intergovernmental, Private Sector, and Outreach sections of the Regional Supplement to the National Response Framework, and participating in training exercises to test and refine these protocols.
• Planning and leading regional communication campaigns targeted at critical preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts.
• Executing mandatory emergency response tasks, which requires remaining on call around the clock and deploying directly to physically challenging disaster environments with minimal notice.
• What else do I need to know?
• At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management.
• Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites.
• All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description.
• Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Requirements

• To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy.
• To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust - High Risk as a condition of placement into this position.
• This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information).
• For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.
• 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
• Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.
• Key Requirements: You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• Selective Service registration required.
• Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
• You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
• Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the "requirements" section of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.

If you meet the basic qualifications, your experience, education and training will be rated using a Subject Matter Expert - Structured Resume Review that is based on the following competencies needed to perform this job: Communication Customer Service Representing the Agency Teamwork & Collaboration Technical Proficiency Leadership Assigning, Monitoring, and Evaluating Work Human Resources Specialists and Subject Matter Experts will review your two-page resume (starting with your work experience) to determine your qualifications for the position based on the required competencies and specialized experience statements.

In describing your experience, be clear and specific and include start and end dates for each position. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. Based on the review of your resume for the specialized experience required for this position, you may be referred to hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility (see "Required Documents" section of this announcement).

Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants who are rated with a minimum score of 80.00 for this position.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories: Best Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.

Well Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPF's and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview.

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. *** Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher.

This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference.

Interview Requirement: Interviews may be required for this position.

Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

Documents you must provide

• Do not include photos, personally identifying information (PII) (including birthday and social security numbers), or personal information such as age, sex, medical history, etc. Resumes that include any of this information will be disqualified.
• You must provide the following supporting documentation for your application package, including: Resume.
• Limit your resume to no more than two pages.
• The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire - You will be directed to the online job questionnaire once you begin the application process for this position.
• Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or other acceptable documentation such as a certification letter from your Command reflecting rank, dates of service, and type of discharge, which verifies veteran's status and type of discharge prior to the closing date of this announcement.
• Those applying for 10-Point preference may fill out the SF-15 and/or provide documentation that demonstrates preference eligibility.
• If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions, within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant.
• This must indicate your dates of service, expected release dates, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable or general conditions.
• View more veterans' information.
• (Note: for the purpose of verifying length and character of service, a letter from the VA will not suffice.
• A letter from the VA can only be used to determine disability rating.) Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)?
• Submit: a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location Are you a current or former federal employee?
• Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held; your current promotion potential and proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.
• Note 1: Examples of applicable SF-50's for submission include appointment, promotion, and with-in-grade/range increases - award SF-50's will not be accepted.

Benefits

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.

For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service- connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

What to expect next

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer.

If you fail to respond, fail to meet the conditions of employment, or fail any other pre-employment requirements (such as the background investigation), we may rescind a tentative job offer. For information on the Federal employment application process, please visit the USA Jobs Help Center.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Additional information

If selected for this position, you will be required to attend a three-week, in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland within six months of onboarding. FEMA will cover all travel expenses.

Failure to participate may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty.

False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to ***.

DHS uses E-verify, an internet based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707.

Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.

To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

A one-year probationary period is required for new Federal competitive service employees and new supervisors and managers.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions.

Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.

If this position has been identified as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) because of its security, public health, and/or public safety sensitivity, you are subject to random drug testing under FEMA's Drug-Free Workplace Plan (DWP). Refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.