Public Affairs Specialist

United States Attorneys' Offices; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Recruitment incentive

Job summary

The United States Attorneys' Offices in Phoenix seeks a Public Affairs Specialist to draft and review press releases, develop media campaigns, and build relationships with print and broadcast outlets to inform the public about office initiatives.

Responsibilities include coordinating press conferences, preparing articles and brochures for publication, arranging events, and delivering presentations to diverse audiences; federal employment rules apply.

Qualifications

• Draft and edit communications materials (news releases, fact sheets, brochures, blogs, web pages).
• Plan, organize, and execute communication strategies for office initiatives.
• Manage content and interactions on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Draft and review press releases regarding cases and initiatives.
• Create and execute media campaigns to enhance public understanding.
• Develop and maintain relationships with print and broadcast media.
• Prepare magazine articles, brochures, and news releases for publication.
• Arrange and coordinate press conferences and related events.
• Conduct workshops, seminars, and presentations to diverse audiences.

Skills

Press release drafting

Media relations

Public communications

Campaign development

Tools

Social media platforms

Job description

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-AZ-13055038-DE

Duties

• Working with Assistant United States Attorneys to draft and/or review press releases regarding cases, matters and other initiatives of the USAO in order to inform and educate the public.
• Creating and executing campaigns to enhance understanding of the United States Attorney's Office's initiatives.
• Developing and maintaining effective working relationships with print and broadcast media representatives.
• Preparing magazine and newspaper articles, brochures, news releases, booklets etc., for publication and dissemination.
• Arranging and coordinating for press conferences.
• Conducting special events, workshops, meetings and seminars.
• Creating and facilitating presentations to a variety of audiences.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must meet one full year of specialized experience at the GS-11 level.

Specialized Experience is defined as planning, organizing, and executing communication strategies to carry out affairs activities and to promote program or services of an organization; experience independently drafting, editing, and preparing communications materials (i.e., news releases, fact sheets, brochures, blogs, web pages, etc.); experience managing an organizations content and interactions on social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments

Education

Education is not qualifying for this grade and series.

Additional information

A recruitment incentive may be authorized.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

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/.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement:

Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement/Policy:

The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Political Appointees (Current or Former):

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.