Director of External Affairs (Public Affairs Specialist)

This position is with the Office of Inspector General, Office of Chief of Staff in Washington, District of Columbia. This office directly supports the Inspector General, the Deputy Inspector General, the Chief of Staff, and other senior OIG leadership on the full range of OIG activities, including legislative, strategic, and risk management matters. As the Director of External Affairs, you will be responsible for leading the OIG's overall strategy for external communications, including planning and executing Congressional and public affairs strategies representing OIG in high-level meetings with Congress, DOI leadership, and other external stakeholders, and maintaining cooperative relationships to advance OIG's mission.

Major duties include: Oversee responses to congressional inquiries and monitor legislative developments; provide expert analysis and make recommendations to senior leadership. Address internal communications on an as-needed basis. Formulate and implement policy and procedures governing external communication strategies and address similar responsibilities regarding internal communications on an as-needed basis.

Manage wide-ranging and influential audiences, including Congress, other Federal agencies, State and Local governments, media, as well as potentially foreign organizations, consumer and special interest groups, the public, professional associations, and academic institutions. Provide expert support and insight into congressional relations and requirements.

U.S. citizenship is required. Successful completion of a background investigation. May be required to complete a one year probationary period. Initial appointments to the competitive service will be subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary period, and in the absence of agency action to retain, such appointments will terminate the day before the anniversary date of the individual's appointment (or sooner), if the certifying official determines that finalizing the appointment would not advance the public interest, meet the organizational goals and mission of the OIG, and/or otherwise does not promote the efficiency of the service.

Time-in-grade requirement - Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for the Selective Service. OGE-450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report is required.

Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-15 level.

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If your resume exceeds two pages, your application will not be considered. See Required Documents section for more information.

Applicants will be evaluated based on how well they meet the qualifications as listed in this announcement.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their possession of the following competencies: Stakeholder Engagement Program Communication Policy Awareness and Trends Oral Presentation After the closing date of the announcement, we will review your resume per Category Rating procedures to ensure that qualification and eligibility requirements are met. If it is determined that you meet the minimum qualification requirements, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel will conduct a review of eligible and qualified applicants. The SME will consider your short answer responses and resume initially.

Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified based on the degree that your application demonstrates possession of: Congressional Engagement Strategic Communication Information Dissemination With emphasis on: Experience serving as the lead organization strategist for high-visibility, sensitive or complex Congressional engagements, including advising executive leadership in preparation for testimony, oversight engagements, or crisis-driven inquiries. Experience directing organization-wide media strategy and serving as an authorized spokesperson or senior media advisor during high-impact or crisis situations, including managing reputational risk and advising executive leadership.

Note: If a determination is made that qualifications and/or experience have been inflated, your score will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. You are required to select eligibility and submit supporting documents. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Applicants must meet initial and periodic suitability determinations based on favorable background investigations and updates. Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

To apply for this job opportunity, you must submit a complete application package including a resume and an on-line application through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) application system, USAJOBS. This information will be transferred to the DOI OIG's Automated Application System. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to complete the following application process: To begin, click Apply to access the online application.

You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.

You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.

Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

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 online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.

Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account and all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.

For assistance with creating an USAJOBS account and for information on viewing your Application status, please visit: (https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started) AND (https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to). To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application.

This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started).

There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

All documentation applicable to you must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to submit the required documents will disqualify you from further consideration for this position. Resume (required) - No more than two single-sided pages with minimum 10-point font and 0.5-inch margins. Resumes exceeding two pages, or using supplemental pages disguised as extensions, will not be reviewed. For more information, click here.

Your resume must clearly show how your experience meets the specialized experience for each grade level and must align with your assessment questionnaire responses. Both paid and unpaid experience may be credited, but duties cannot be assumed based on job titles or education alone. Using the USAJOBS Resume Builder is recommended.

If using your own format, each position must include: job title, employer name, start/end dates in MM/DD/YYYY format, hours worked per week, detailed duties and the series and grade or equivalent for Federal positions. Web links will not be accessed. Do not include photos, videos, or sensitive information.

SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action (required for current or former Federal employees) - Submit your most recent SF-50 showing career or career-conditional status (box 24 = 1 or 2; box 34 = 1), title, series, and grade. Do not submit award SF-50s. Include the SF-50 showing your highest permanent grade or your current position's full performance level, whichever is higher.

Failure to provide the required SF-50(s) will result in an ineligible rating. Bureau of Land Management -You must submit an SF-50 and performance appraisal showing eligibility. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please click here.

Performance Appraisal and Awards - Optional. May be considered during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager but not for determining experience requirements. CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility - Provide documentation such as RIF separation notice, certificate of expected separation, SF-50 showing RIF separation, or an agency letter verifying priority consideration.

Veteran's Documentation for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) and Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) - DD-214, SF-15, and a VA letter, or a certification showing discharge or release from active duty within 120 days.

Your DD-214 must be legible and show both service dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Active-duty members may submit a certification from the armed forces confirming an expected honorable discharge within 120 days; it must be on official letterhead from branch of service and include (1) service dates, expected discharge/release date, and (2) character of service. If selected, you must also provide terminal leave documentation if applicable.

Former Peace Corp and VISTA volunteers - Indicate eligibility on your application and submit proof. For more information, click here. Eligible individuals will be considered non-competitively for this vacancy.

Interchange Agreements - In order to be eligible based on an OPM-approved interchange agreement, you must submit the most current Notification of Personnel Action (Form SF-50) or equivalent personnel action that shows that you are eligible under the interchange agreement; AND any other required documents as outlined in interchange agreement for your agency. For a list of current interchange agreements, visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=InterchangeAgreementsWithOtherMeritSystems Miscellaneous Authorities Not Regulated by U.S. OPM/Special Hiring Authorities - If applying under Miscellaneous Authorities Not Regulated by OPM or other special authorities, select the correct eligibility and submit required proof.

For a list of authorities, visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=MiscellaneousAuthoritiesRegulated and https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/special-authorities Military Spouses - If applying using the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointment Authority (5 U.S.C. 3330d) and you are a spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty, the spouse of a 100 percent disabled member of the armed forces, and/or the spouse of a deceased member of the armed forces you must submit acceptable documentation of your appointment eligibility. To learn more, click here.