Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist (Direct Hire)

NASA is seeking Communication Deputy Directors at various locations. The scope of the agency’s communications entails a broad, diverse, and integrated set of efforts including news and media engagement, digital communications and products (including web, television, video, photography, and social media), non-technical publications, exhibits, as well as speaking and public engagement activities and events.

This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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Duties

• Manages change within and outside the organization. Establishes an organization vision and implements the vision in a continuously changing environment.
• Leads people toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals. Provides an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
• Achieves organizational goals and customer expectations through decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
• Assists the director in managing human, financial, and information resources strategically to meet organizational goals and objectives.
• Assists the director in formulating, preparing, and defending budget and manpower requests to ensure that future objectives of NASA communication goals can be obtained within allocated resources.
• Builds coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
• Oversees the official Agency spokespersons routinely engaged in live television commentary and crisis communications and exercises technical oversight of the management of high-end audiovisual equipment for an active newsroom/television auditorium
• Assists locational Center organizations in developing and implementing comprehensive communication plans that comply with NASA Procedural Requirements, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements.
• Responsible for compliance with standards, orders, rules, and regulations applicable to occupational safety, health, environmental, and energy within the area of responsibility.
• Leads employees in the areas of media relations, public affairs, stakeholder relations, executive communications, internal relations and digital communications and can act as an expert in these areas.
• Performs a full range of supervisory duties which includes assigning and evaluating work; recommending personnel actions; taking disciplinary actions; and identifying training needs and developing employees.
• Fosters a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and innovation. Champions NASA’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to create an environment that promotes a commitment to safety, integrity and teamwork.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/Directorate/Division/Branch requirements.
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, Bargaining Unit and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/Directorate/Division/Branch requirements.
• A one-year supervisory probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:

• Planning and/or managing an outreach project with expertise in strategic messaging, client management, internal communications, public affairs/media relations, digital communications, and community relations and public engagement;
• Planning a diversified program of public information, using external media outlets, digital media, social media, and stakeholder relations;
• Coordinating with other public affairs employees to implement media relations and projects.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA’s guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Education

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

– Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.

– Meet the minimum qualifications requirements for the position

– Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in ‘Required Documents’

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here – https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

• Benefits
  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 windowLearn 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.

Direct Hire Authority: These positions will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management’s Direct Hire Authority. Category rating and veterans’ preference will not be considered in evaluating applicants. For more information on Direct Hire Authority, please see: OPM Direct Hire Fact Sheet.

Veterans: Under the provisions of Direct Hire Authority, veterans’ preference does not apply. However, applicants who are eligible for veterans’ preference are encouraged to include that information in their application and submit supporting documentation (i.e. DD-214, or other substantiating documents). For more information please see: Veterans’ Preference information on the FedsHireVets website.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Skills
• Planning and Evaluating
• Written Communication
• Communications and Media

NASA considers 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: Agency-FCCJ[redacted]

• Benefits
  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 windowLearn 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.
  A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified:
  • Classified or government sensitive information.
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents.

  If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application.
  The following documents are required:

  • Resume

  There may be other supporting documents (licenses, certification, veterans preference, etc.), depending on your answers to the questionnaire and job announcement description, that you may have to submit, please verify your application. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application.
  If you are a surplus or displaced employee (CTAP and ICTAP), submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP. This includes copies of your agency notice, most recent Performance Rating and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
  Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.

• How to Apply
  Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration.
  To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
  The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
  1. To begin the application process, you will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application process. Once logged in to your account, click on the “Apply” link.
  2. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. We strongly encourage you to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder when creating your resume. Using the resume builder will help you ensure your resume includes important information related to your qualifications and eligibility for this position. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. During the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  3. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the ‘Include Personal Information’ section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the vacancy questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify all required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
  4. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
  NASA’s online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact NSSC-CONTACTCENTER[redacted] for assistance. Be advised – application materials faxed, emaile