Public Affairs Specialist (External Affairs Officer Type 1)

Federal Emergency Management Agency; Denton (TX); Remote; USD 91,000 - 129,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework eligible

Job summary

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking a Public Affairs Specialist (External Affairs Officer Type 1) for the Incident Management Assistant Team (IMAT) program. The position is a 2-year temporary appointment in the Excepted service, located on an ORR, Field, National IMAT Blue and White, with a starting rate of $65.51 per hour and a maximum of $94.48 per hour, including locality pay.

The role involves leading a large team of federal communications professionals and coordinating

Responsibilities

• Public Affairs Specialist (External Affairs Officer Type 1) with the IMAT General Staff as the External Affairs Officer.
• Coordinate communication efforts with Federal, State, Tribal, territorial and local agencies, political offices and private sector entities.

Job description

Public Affairs Specialist (External Affairs Officer Type 1)

• Department: Department of Homeland Security

This position is being announced under FEMA's Incident Management Assistant Team (IMAT) Program. This is a 2-year temporary appointment in the Excepted service. This position is located on an ORR, Field, National IMAT Blue and White and has a starting salary of $65.51 per hour; however, the maximum salary possible in this position is $94.48 per hour. Salary listed includes locality pay.

Key Responsibilities

What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will serve as an Public Affairs Specialist (External Affairs Officer Type 1) with the IMAT General Staff as the External Affairs Officer. Typical assignments include: Managing all response related to Federal external affairs Coordinating communication efforts with Federal, State, Tribal territorial and local agencies, political office and private sector entities.

Leading and managing a large team (ranging from 250-500 people) of Federal communications professionals. 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. This announcement is for a position as an IMAT CORE (Incident Management Assist Team, Cadre of Response/Recovery Employee).

IMAT CORE employees are full time employees hired to directly support the response and recovery efforts related to disasters. IMATs are the first FEMA personnel deployed to an incident and manage the field-level federal response and early recovery with a primary focus on critical infrastructure stabilization, especially life-saving and life-sustaining efforts. Appointments to IMAT CORE positions may be renewed based upon workload needs and funding availability.

Employees are hired under the Robert T. Stafford Act and are excluded from the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing jobs in the competitive service. They can be hired under a streamlined process instead of a competitive process. After 3 years of continuous service, Stafford Act employees may be granted competitive eligibility to apply for permanent full-time positions at FEMA. Appointments may be renewed based on workload, funding, and supervisory approval.

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.

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.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $65.51 – $94.48/hr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-23.

How many openings are available?

There are 2 openings for this position.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.