Communication Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General employees serving under competitive, permanent appointments. Current U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General employees serving under temporary appointments with reinstatement eligibility. This position will be filled in one of the duty locations listed in the vacancy announcement.

Fraud doesn't stop, and neither do we. We're the Office of Inspector General, an independent oversight office within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness within ED programs. If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America's students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you! We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for rapid and substantial salary increases and career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more.

Often referred to as America's watchdogs, it's our job to help ensure that the hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients.

The OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K-12 schools, charter schools, special education, vocational education, adult education, and more. When our work identifies problems, we propose solutions. Our work has resulted in improvements to ED programs and changes to some of the most important Federal education laws in our country.

We conduct criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials-any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding. Through our work, we have unraveled multimillion-dollar fraud schemes by people placed in positions of trust to educate our children. We're also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, using the latest technology and techniques to discover and defeat current and emerging threats from cyber and economic crime.

We tackle new and emerging issues head-on and continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities. We consistently expand our expertise by training and developing our staff. This dedication has enabled the OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime.

Whether you are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, if you're looking for a career rather than just a job, and shaping the next generation of American's tackling tomorrow's challenges, consider joining our team.

As a Communication Specialist GS-0301-12, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Assists in the development of content and communications plans and executes strategies aimed at increasing the scope and reach of OIG information to the public and other stakeholders across various communications channels.

Conditions of employment

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week.

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).

Key Requirement - Relocation will not be paid.

Key Requirement - Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.

Key Requirement - Must be a US Citizen

Key Requirement - May be required to complete a background clearance and fingerprint check.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements

You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-12, if you possess the specialize experience.

Specialized Experience for the GS-12: One year of experience in federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-11 performing the following duties or work assignments:

1. Ability to and experience in coordinating multiple assignments simultaneously and meet deadlines.

2. Experience analyzing, selecting, and organizing the information to present considering (1) OIG policy; (2) OIG or other governmental style requirements; (3) consistency with other information presented by the OIG and (4) the level of knowledge and expected reaction of the intended internal or external audience.

3. Knowledge and experience in creating and writing a variety of materials and products in a manner suitable for the intended audience and consistent with requirements of OIG standards and guidance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1. Strategic thinking to help develop and carry out an organization's messaging and align communications efforts with organizational goals

2. Experience with writing different communications and knowledge of, familiarity with social media.

3. Knowledge of and experience with the methods used to gather, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information concerning Federal audit, evaluation, and inspections programs or practices.

4. Familiarity with of writing styles, editorial quality, readability, and appropriate presentation of materials.

You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialize experience.

Specialized Experience for the GS-13: One year of experience in federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience in coordinating multiple assignments simultaneously and meet deadlines.

2. Ability to and experience in analyzing both the subject and the audience and presenting the material interestingly, clearly, accurately, thoroughly, and convincingly.

3. Experience writing, creating, and reviewing draft and final materials.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1. Skill in envisioning and implementing strategic internal communications plans, and selecting the appropriate communication tools for specific outcomes and audiences.

2. Knowledge of and experience in producing content for different communications vehicles while maintaining a consistent brand voice.

3. Ability to convey complex information regarding the OIG's mission to the public as well as internal policies that affect employees.

4. Skill in conveying information and policies orally and in writing in clear, concise, well- structured, and persuasive ways.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):
- A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points. If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination.

• If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit: - A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility. To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34). Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments. If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential. Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions. - A Copy of your most recent Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable. Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?
  • If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
    • Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required): 1. Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.
      • SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing:
        • RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B)
        • Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2)
        • Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1)
        • Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced. This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
        • Duty location
      • Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.
  • Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement. The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy. To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.

Next steps

Additional locations