Public Affairs Specialist
About This Position
As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will serve as a key advisor to agency leadership on legislative and congressional matters, providing strategic counsel and coordinating communications with Members of Congress, congressional committees, and their staff.
This position ensures the agency's activities, priorities, and concerns are effectively communicated to legislative stakeholders while fostering positive relationships and promoting transparency.
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized Experience for the GS-13 grade level is one year (52 full weeks) of experience at the GS-12 level, or equivalent, that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes: - Planning, designing and executing a Congressional/Legislative program to convey information on Agency or Organization programs; AND - Establishes and maintains working relationships with congressional committees and staff; AND - Manages agency response to congressional requests and agency participation in congressional hearings pertaining to Agency or Organization's program; AND - Monitors and reports on pending legislation and keeps informed on all matters affecting agency programs and analyzes new developments for Congressional and Legislative affairs implications.
Time-in-Grade:
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable: For the GS-13, you must have been at the GS-12 level for 52 weeks. Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.
Major Duties
As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will: Manage agency responses to congressional requests and TIGTA's participation in Congressional hearings. Conduct extensive research and coordination with the Office of Chief Counsel regarding analysis of laws, proposed legislation, major policy questions, and controversial issues. Prepare agency directives, Manual issuances, memoranda, TIGTA-wide policy statements, and other written guidelines and recommendations relating to Congressional or media relations.
Ensure timely delivery of audit and evaluation reports and other public released materials to relevant congressional stakeholders. Interpret and communicate complex and political sensitive issues and to develop communications, plans, policies, methods, and strategies for resolution.
Conditions of Employment
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.
Key Requirements: Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying. Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period.
During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated.
You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period.
Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding.
How You Will Be Evaluated
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., résumé, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination. 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. Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must meet the following "well qualified" definition below as well as any basic/education requirements to receive special selection priority.
To be found well-qualified for this position, and
in addition to meeting specialized experience, the applicant must have documented the following experience: Having a solid and comprehensive understanding of the position. Can perform the required tasks efficiently and is proficient in applying the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the job.
Additional Information
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. This is a non-bargaining unit position. We offer opportunities for telework. We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules. During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact on your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED): A probationary or trial period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period. A one year probationary period may be required. Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
You will be required to regularly report to the Duty Station listed above. While teleworking is an option, approval is at management's discretion based on duties, business needs, performance, etc. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position is conditioned upon review/check of the candidate's tax compliance. Further, all TIGTA employees are subject to an employee tax compliance program to ensure that employees fulfill their personal tax responsibilities.
This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).
How to Apply
Are you unsure how to write your federal resume? We are here to help. The Treasury Recruitment Service regularly offers Writing Your Federal Resume training sessions, and other career-related information sessions, to assist you in your career search journey. To register for a session, click here to go to our Career Information Sessions webpage. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date. The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.
Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email.
The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link.
Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments.
You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date.
The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.
Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position. For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.
In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Treasury by email at, [email protected].
To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact. To preview the online questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12927350
Required Documents
A complete application includes
- A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, 3. Submission of any required documents, and
- Completion of your USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if applicable. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.
All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) Please limit your resume to two-pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé.
We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment: Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status.(The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".) If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that.
Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc. Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Provide a copy of your most recent rating of record (i.e., final annual performance appraisal issued and signed by appropriate management official). If the rating of record you submit is not dated within the last 18 months, you must provide an explanation in your application as to why one has not been issued within the past 18 months.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible. VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS: - A list of awards received while employed with the Federal government.