Duties
The Chief, Strategic Communications (CSC), is tasked with developing, implementing, and monitoring, a comprehensive strategic communications program designed to inform and educate general and specialized groups about the vision, mission, functions, programs, and services offered by the Perry Center. CSC oversees the content and format of WJPC's strategic communications efforts to ensure conformance with established mission and strategic goals. Incumbent oversees the management of all strategic communications activities to ensure both quality and content in developing the organization's guidelines. CSC provides leadership for internal and external projects to meet WJPC's communications needs. Prepares and presents briefings on organizational mission and strategic initiatives through meetings and training sessions. Serves as the primary Perry Center spokesperson and is the first point of contact for the outside media and other DoD and government agencies' Public Affairs and Congressional Offices. The CSC travels as part of the Perry Center team to WJPC events or activities in CONUS and abroad.
The CSC advises the Associate Director for Outreach and Communications, the Chief of Staff, and the Director on all current strategic communications program initiatives and objectives designed to meet the goals established in the Perry Center's strategic plan. Participates in Department of Defense and Inter-Agency conferences concerning long-range planning efforts and strategic communications matters. The CSC collaborates with senior leadership to ensure the organization's strategic and business goals are linked to current performance standards and evaluations of key WJPC programs. Analyzes conflicting views and seeks resolution by presenting sound recommendations, giving equal consideration to various points of view. Incumbent serves as the responsible party, consultant, and advisor for any issues or implications resulting from any strategic communications effort that could impact the organization. As the authority, the incumbent reviews changes to federal PAO/communications policy, procedures, schedules, and other related information, provides input and makes recommendations on behalf of WJPC through appropriate channels for consideration and/or adoption.
CSC provides continual analysis concerning ongoing initiatives to identify areas for improvement and makes recommendations for adjustment in both short- and long-range communications planning and programs. Incumbent advises senior leaders on metrics development, feedback process management, customer focus, and strategic performance indicators. Incumbent works to develop new ways of gathering meaningful input to develop more effective communications strategies and improve understanding of the agency's mission, activities, available products, services, achievements, and accomplishments. Facilitates those processes and assists the Associate Director of Outreach and Communications, the Chief of Staff, and the Director in evaluating the results of that feedback related to Perry Center operations and develops a plan to change, improve, or enhance current efforts. The CSC is also sensitive to balancing security concerns with what information should and should not be publicly available.
The CSC leads and/or participates in executive leadership teams and ad hoc committees or coordinates with other organizations providing public affairs and media program support to conceive, design, and implement communications campaigns, strategic communications programs, publications, and other media activities. Orchestrates or performs communications activities in English and Spanish to include but are not limited to speeches, briefings, and presentations delivered by the Director to wide and varied audiences, but also written material, publications, brochures, and electronic information in various forums or social media platforms. As the leader of public information dissemination for the Perry Center, responds to information inquiries from stakeholders, foreign governments, or the general public, routing questions to appropriate staff and ensuring suitable responses are provided according to the requestor in a timely manner. As required, prepare and deliver lectures in Spanish and/or English for Perry Center programs in strategic communications and media relations. Instruction and assistance contribute to the student's capacity to contribute to the defense and security sectors. Coordinates pre-publication security review of material with appropriate authorities as well as the development of internal strategic communication products. This role includes supervising a Public Affairs Specialist to create graphics and multimedia products and designing, developing, and promulgating quality products to be incorporated into the agency website and utilized in other initiatives, publications, or advertising campaigns.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or be exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.ssa.gov/)
- Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit
- The position is governed by 10 USC 1595 and NDUI 1416.0l dated March 2017.
- Must be able and willing to travel both domestically and internationally. Travel is seldom required. 20-30% of the time.
- The incumbent must be able to successfully obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must:
- B.A. or B.S. required; degree in journalism, marketing, or public relations preferred. Master's degree in communications or a related field desired.
- Minimum ten years experience in strategic communications, public affairs/communications in U.S. government, or relevant private sector work; thorough understanding of Defense Department public affairs regulations and practices.
- Demonstrated skills, knowledge, and experience in the design and execution of strategic communication and public relations activities.
- Demonstrated successful experience writing press releases and other public communication products, making presentations, and managing media engagements.
- Fluency with Associated Press writing style.
- Experience overseeing the design and production of print materials and publications.
- Computer literacy in word processing, database management, social media, and page layout.
- Outstanding written and oral communication capabilities in English and Spanish.
- Knowledge of the Western Hemisphere region and issues affecting regional security.
THE FOLLOWING SELECTIVE FACTOR IS REQUIRED: Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
Education Requirement: Must possessB.A. or B.S. required; degree in journalism, marketing, or public relations preferred. Master's degree in communications or a related field desired.
Official Transcripts: Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if the position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified PRIOR to appointment, if selected for the role.
* An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence PRIOR to appointment.
-
- Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation upon request. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.
- For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education.
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
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Résumé: The latest resume submitted will be used to determine qualifications. All conferred degrees and certifications should be included in your resume for full consideration
- Complete Assessment Questionnaire
- Cover letter with narrative responses answering hiring criteria questions listed in the "How you will be evaluated" section of this announcement. Failure to submit will result in an ineligible rating.
- Other Supporting Documents - Refer to the eligibilities section for documents to submit.
NOTE: Transcripts are not required at time of application submission. Your resume and narrative answers to the hiring criteria will be reviewed by the NDU screening panel to evaluate your qualifications for the position. If selected for an interview, official transcripts will be requested at that time to verify educational requirements are met.
Eligibilities Information: The following supporting documents are REQUIRED to verify your individual eligibility status. Not all will apply for each applicant. They MUST be received by the closing date of the announcement.
- SF-50 - (If applicable) Notification of Personnel Action for current or former federal employees- with the exception of current permanent NDU employees, please provide your most recent SF50 or the SF50 reflecting Career/Career-Conditional tenure and the highest grade held on a permanent basis.
- If you claim Veteran's Preference:
- You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be.
- If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability
- If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
- Other documents identified in the announcement.
WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by the closing date of the announcement at 11:59 EST, or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application.
It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered or uploaded is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents below.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
2. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
3. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking Application Status, then More Information for this position. Return to an incomplete application by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job. ALL eligible applicants will be referred to NDU which will convene a board to review all of the applicants. NDU will contact the applicants directly they would like to interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will no longer need to call the HR Office to determine your application status. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status updates notification for applicants. You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process to sign-up for automatic alerts when there are status changes for jobs to which you have applied.