PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST Job in Camp Murray, WA

Vacancy No. WA-12794984-AF-25-0429 Department Air National Guard Units
Salary $68,686.00 to $89,290.00 Grade 9 to 9
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/4/2025 Close Date 9/19/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Camp Murray, WA


Summary

This is a Washington Air National Guard Title 32 Excepted Service Unit Technician position:
PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST
Location: 194th Wing
Camp Murray, Washington 98430
Air National Guard Units
Appointment Type: Permanent, excepted service
Advertised as: ENLISTED/OFFICER
Announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
***Ensure you read this announcement in its entirety, complete all application requirements and USA Jobs profile name is accurate, before applying***

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Washington Air National Guard Permanent Indefinite Employees of the 194th Wing. Washington Air National Guard Traditional Guard members and Washington National Guard Active Guard Reserves (AGR) of the 194th Wing

Duties

A GS-1035-9, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST:

  • Prepares internal and external public affairs products for distribution through social media, DVIDS, wing website, and release to civilian media, as applicable.
  • Researches and writes stories/articles and rewrites material intended for distribution.
  • Shoots related photos and video, as required.
  • Edits and revises products for style, format and content; and, reviews and edits photography and artwork for quality and composition.
  • May design overall products.
  • Accesses public affairs' products to DVIDS per current DoD procedures.
  • Responds to requests for information, materials, and support; and, plans and conducts community engagement activities with community officials and groups.
  • Maintains an active web/social media presence; provides visual information services for documentation and/or publicity purposes; and, plans and arranges news media coverage.
  • Coordinates support of requests from community and community groups, schools, news media organizations, and others to include requests for interviews, speakers, tours, bands, honor guards, and aviation support and support of local observances and celebrations.
  • Prepares and ensures distribution of customer satisfaction/opinion surveys on internal information products.
  • Evaluates feedback to determine customer needs and uses comments to improve future output.
  • Makes positive suggestions to the supervisor for changes in approach and adoption of new techniques.
  • Performs work for the production/management/maintenance of electronic and web-based information products.
  • Implements and ensures the quality of the Hometown News Release program.
  • Publicizes the programs, monitors, logs, and disseminates releases.
  • Writes draft and final versions of news releases, feature articles, speeches, fact sheets, and brochures for internal and external audiences.
  • Updates unit mission briefings and develops additional informational briefings as needed.
  • Confers with program specialists, action officers, and other subject matter experts to obtain the latest and most accurate information and imagery approved for public releases.
  • Prepares requests for photographer or graphic support; takes photographs; and, selects and edits photographs and electronic images to accompany articles and media releases.
  • Provides historical documentation support.
  • Provides photographic and video support for alert mission to include mishaps.
  • Performs security reviews on information placed on the unit's public web-page and social media feed(s).
  • Assists in the overall design of unit's web "home-page".
  • Organizes, coordinates, publicizes and conducts periodic events with local organizations such as, community councils, local governments, Chamber of Commerce, and, state and national legislative offices.
  • Assists with organizing and conducting larger events such as, Civic Leader Tours, Base Open-House activities, and Armed Forces Days, which are designed to promote positive relations between the base and surrounding communities.
  • Responds to and processes requests from community organizations and individuals for military support and/or participation in various events such as, orientation flights, PA travel on military aircraft, flyovers, parades, fairs, and conventions.
  • Assists in evaluating the events' primary purpose, potential risk factors, and benefits to the ANG.
  • Recommends speakers and assists in training unit members for speaking engagements.
  • Provides speech materials, topics, and objectives used by wing personnel.
  • Organizes, coordinates and conducts wing tours for civic groups, media representatives, students and distinguished visitors.
  • Ensures tour itineraries focus on improving ANG image and furthering base community relations and involvement activities.
  • Prepares and monitors materials for the commander's civil leader/distinguished visitor program.
  • Briefs visitors on the ANG and Wing's mission, impacts and contributions to DoD, the Air Force, and the community.
  • Responds, in a timely manner, to media queries concerning special events, mobilizations, exercises, aircraft incidents, or accidents.
  • Clears responses with appropriate authority before releasing information.
  • Confers with subject matter experts to obtain latest and most accurate information for use in news releases on social media, radio, TV networks, newspapers or other public forums.
  • Coordinates and responds to news media inquiries on the mission, capabilities, impacts, and contributions of the base.
  • Assists the PAO in advising wing leadership on DoD, Air Force, and ANG policy concerning release of information to the public.
  • Provides media training on a just-in-time basis for wing personnel.
  • Assists PAO in establishing and maintaining positive relationships and on-going contacts with local news media representatives.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

MILITARY REQUIREMENTS:

Military Grades: E3 (A1C) - E5 (SSgt)

Desired Military Assignments: 3N076

- Applicants need not be assigned to the position or possess the AFSC to apply or be considered for selection. Selected applicant must be assigned to a compatible Military position and attain AFSC within 1 year of appointment action.

- Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.

- Males born after 31 December 1959 must be registered for Selective Service.

- Must maintain membership in the WA Air National Guard for continued employment.

- Must be able to obtain and maintain within one year of appointment, a SECRET security clearance of the position.

- This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.

- Position requires ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.

- Must have a valid state driver's license for the state in which they live or are principally employed.

- Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.

- The duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.

- Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.

- May be required to successfully complete a trial period.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Progressively responsible experience that demonstrates the ability to:
  1. Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions;
  2. Plan and organize work; and
  3. Communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Experience, education or training in administrative, professional, investigative and/or technical work. Experience evaluating information and/or using analytical skills to disseminate effective communication. Experience in compiling reports, letters, memoranda, etc., and required person-to-person contacts to convey information. Experience using computers and automation systems.

Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or other responsible work may be qualifying as long as it provided evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) necessary to perform the duties of the position. Experience of a general clerical nature (typing, filing, routine procedural processing, maintaining records, or other nonspecialized tasks) is not creditable. Must have had work experience that demonstrated KSA's in addition to those identified above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
Must have 24 months experience or 12 months equivalent to at least GS-7 involving knowledge of writing, communication principles, methods and techniques that relate to the public affairs of an agency. Experience in applying and adapting knowledge of strictly controlled situations of an agency. Experience writing articles on routine events of non-controversial subjects. Experience responding timely and appropriately to requests for information concerning agency programs and services. Experience participating in meetings with specialized groups to listen to and understand feedback on agency programs that are of particular interest to public. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Education

Education Requirements:
master's or equivalent graduate degree

or

2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

or

LL.B. or J.D., if related

Substitution of Education for Specialized Experience:
Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.)

To receive credit for Education, you must provide transcripts or other documentation of proof to support your Educational claims.

Additional information

- Certain incentive(s) may be available pending funding and approval but are not guaranteed.

- If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).

- Military Technicians are ineligible for enlistment, retention, and student loan repayment bonuses. Acceptance of a Technician position will terminate these incentives.

- Military Technicians in the excepted service will wear the appropriate uniform while performing as a Technician.

- Veteran's preference does not apply to National Guard Technician positions in accordance with Title 32 USC 709 (f).

- May be required to successfully complete a trial period.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:
The WA National Guard is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

If you are unable to upload a document online please send the document via email to our WA HRO Distro Box.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. You may also be excluded from consideration if you indicate that you are unwilling to accept the lower grade and a determination is made that you are not qualified at the higher grade. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, as well as the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed above. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics). NOTE: You do not have to respond to the KSA's separately but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the KSA's.

  • Knowledge of public affairs concepts, principles, practices, and techniques including internal, social media, community, and media relations to establish, implement, and maintain a proactive program.
  • Knowledge of the principles and methods of mass communication media and skill in applying principles and using methods in conducting an internal information program providing all unit members with relevant news and necessary information.
  • Knowledge of the practices and techniques in planning and developing news stories and feature articles in laying out a newspaper.
  • Skill in using DSLR cameras for static and video usage.Skill in utilizing Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, and MS Office programs.
  • Skill in evaluating the news value or communication potential of visual material including photographs and illustrations.
  • Skill in writing and editing news and feature articles.
  • Skill in public relations, interpersonal and mass communication for developing effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and organizations interested in, or affected by, wing/base/ANG programs and policies.
  • Skill in evaluating the appropriateness of information to be released.Knowledge of written and oral communication principles, concepts, and techniques.
  • Knowledge and skill sufficient to analyze the organization's information program materials and offer recommendations for improving the delivery of program information to affected individuals.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you are required to submit a complete application package. If you fail to provide this documents/information, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and will not be considered any further. A complete application package includes: Resumes must be in your own words. Resumes that are verbatim, from this announcement, will not be considered.

  1. Resume must NOT exceed two (2) pages, IAW Merit Hiring Plan and must include:
    • Contact information
      • Full Name
      • Email Address
      • Phone Number
    • Relevant work history that demonstrates specialized experience for the position you are applying to
      • Position Title
      • Organization/Department/Unit
      • Hours worked per week
      • Dates (format should include Month and Year) of employment
      • Duties performed
      • Series and grade for federal positions, if held
    • Resumes exceeding 2 pages will not be considered. For more guidance please see new resume guidance.
    • If your resume includes the below listed content, it will not be used to make an eligibility/qualification determination, and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
      • Classified or government sensitive information
      • Social Security Number (SSN)
      • Photos of yourself
      • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  2. Mil Form 174 Mil Form 174 is required. Applications without the Mil Form 174 will not be considered
    • If you do not have prior military service, please indicate so on the form. (This position requires Military membership in the Washington State Air National Guard).
  3. Other support documentation (optional or required based on the vacancy announcement)
    • Cover Letter
    • DD-214
    • SF-50
    • Transcript (s)
***For current Guard/Reserve members, please document your military work experience as follows: (You may adjust the format, so that you do not exceed the two (2) page resume limit, as long as your resume clearly reflects your military employment history.)

List month joined (to/from) based on your enlistment contract (DD4) or (Oath) for Officers. If you have gaps in service, list them separately.
Example:04 Sep 2019 to 03 Sep 2023
Washington Air National Guard
Traditional Member
20 hours per month
POSITIONS TITLE MOS/AFSC
Personnel Superintendent 3S091
Duties

Military Orders During this period: (list multiple periods if everything else is the same: Order Type, Duties, & Purpose)
04 Nov 2019 to 03 Dec 2019, 40 hours per week
15 Mar 2020 to 14 May 2020, 40 hours per week
Type of Order: ADOS/AT/ST/AGR
Order Purpose:
Duties:

***If there are multiple purposes on a single order (ie. BMT then Tech Training/AIT), list specific periods. Example: Order cover 02 Sep 2020 to 12 Mar 2021:

List 02 Sep 2020 to 01 Nov 2020 as BMT and 02 Nov 2020 to 12 Mar 2021 as Tech Training/AIT

For access to Required Documents please refer to: http://mil.wa.gov/federal-human-resources

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 complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/19/2025 to receive consideration. Failure to submit all required documents by the closing date will result in disqualification.

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 (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), 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 information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

Agency contact information

WA HRO Staffing Section
Address
194th Wing
Bldg 54 Sergeant Major DR
Camp Murray, WA 98430
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. You are encouraged to reach out to our office to verify that all required application materials have successfully been uploaded prior to the announcement closing. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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