Public Affairs Specialist

Summary
The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/
This job is open to

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

Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens
Duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Office of Public Affairs in New Orleans, LA or Camarillo, CA.
At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Develops and coordinates Public Affairs strategies to secure public understanding and support in reaching bureau objectives. Frames issues of national significance related to bureau's environmental policies and programs.
2. Plans, orchestrates, facilitates, develops, and communicates the organization's programs, policies, and activities of interest to the public, states and local governments, Native American Tribes, stakeholders, etc.
3. Develops responses to information requests from the news media, special interest groups, elected officials and tribes, other regional staff, and the general public, providing responses in written and verbal form, often requiring detailed explanations describing BSEE activities and actions.
4. Designs, organizes, and executes various program or project specific events on-site and throughout the OPS to highlight and amplify regional operations and BSEE/DOI goals and objectives.
5. Designs, develops, and implements programs for internal communication of DOI and BSEE special Public Affairs programs, i.e., Secretarial initiatives, volunteer programs, etc. Facilitates the accomplishment of these programs and assures full participation of all interested parties.
BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
Salary Range Information:
New Orleans, LA
GS-12: ($82,830 - $107,680) per annum.
GS-13: ($98,496 - $128,043) per annum.
Camarillo, CA
GS-12: ($95,905 - $124,677) per annum.
GS-13: ($114,044 - $148,255) per annum.
First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
This vacancy is also announced as BSEE-EEAA-24-JB-040(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying.
Specialized Experience:
GS-12
To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Assisting in the development of communication plans. 2) Presenting information orally and in writing, AND3) Developing outreach materials (i.e. exhibits, newsletters, social media posts, etc.) for public distribution from an organization. Must Meet All.
GS-13
To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Developing communication plans. 2) Presenting information orally and in writing. 3) Developing outreach materials (i.e. exhibits, newsletters, social media posts, etc.) for public distribution from an organization; AND 4) Editing information strategically to ensure products and their distribution are responsive to or considers public reaction/understanding. Must Meet All.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

• 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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.
To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12206543

• 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.
  To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
  1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
  2. Other supporting documents (if applicable):
  
  • College transcript for verification of qualifying education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable
  • Certificates, license, etc.
  • Form DD-214 OR VA letter and Standard Form 15
  
  If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
  Your resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement and OPM qualification standards for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. It is strongly recommended that you use the USAJobs Resume Builder as it was designed ...