Public Affairs Specialist Job in Saint Louis, MO

Vacancy No. MW-1544-JEFF-24-12506024-DE Department National Park Service
Salary $89,054.00 to $115,766.00 Grade 12 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/5/2024 Close Date 9/19/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Saint Louis, MO


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

This full-time permanent position is located in Gateway Arch National Park. For information on the duties or location of this position contact Jeremy_Sweat@nps.gov or 314-655-1610.

This announcement is concurrently open under announcement number MW-1544-JEFF-24-12506025-ST

Duties

Serves as Public Affairs Specialist and Partnership Coordinator to the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Gateway Arch National Park (JEFF). Serves as the Park's liaison and primary spokesperson with community leaders, the news media, Federal, state, and local officials, partners, and special interest groups essential to maintain or establish productive external relationships. Explains NPS policies and stewardship responsibilities and highlights the opportunities park and community programs make available to people in greater St. Louis Metro, MO. When requested by the Superintendent, incumbent coordinates many operational matters and complex special projects that cross Divisional lines. In the absence of the superintendent and deputy, assumes additional responsibilities and authority while representing the Superintendent's office to outside interests. Serves as a liaison between the park and its partners including non-profit and public agency partners, and elected officials, to inform and cultivate collaborative programming and projects, and to initiate and manage agreements and financial assistance mechanisms to achieve shared program objectives.

Physical Demands: Work is mainly sedentary in an office setting but involves some hiking to inspect facilities or escort visitors and media to areas of interest, which may expose the employee to hot, humid, or inclement weather and require movement over rough or uneven terrain. Incumbent is sometimes required to do extensive travel by vehicle or air. Must be able to travel on short notice to represent the National Park Service and the Superintendent.

Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday risks typical of office settings and vehicles such as planes, trains, buses, or automobiles and requires normal safety precautions. The regular work area is adequately lighted, heated/cooled, and ventilated. The incumbent will be required to work outside in all weather conditions to address emerging issues, support news gathering activities, and to support special events. In addition, the incumbent may be called to work unscheduled hours at all times of the day or night and may be expected to support events that occur on holidays and weekends.

Area Information
There is no government housing available.
The Gateway Arch National Park is located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The park memorializes the city's role in westward expansion through the 630 foot Gateway Arch and underground Museum at the Gateway Arch. The Old Courthouse commemorates the site where the slave Dred Scott began his freedom suit, ultimately leading to the divisive U. S. Supreme Court decision that polarized the nation and became a leading cause of the Civil War. "Whether you're single or have a family, a sports fan or connoisseur of the arts, a fitness fanatic or a film aficionado, St. Louis has something for you." -St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. A sports lover's paradise, fans are kept on the edge of their seats all year by a host of professional teams. With remarkable low cost of living for all the comforts and attractions it affords, St. Louis has a small-town feel, yet offers all the amenities you'd expect in a major metropolitan area, including top-notch health care and education resources. The City of St. Louis is relatively small, but the surrounding metropolitan area with nearly two million residents in both Missouri and Illinois offers many suburban and rural counties for easy commutes. Cultural institutions abound; in Forest Park alone, you'll find the Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center, the Municipal Opera and more. There are over 100 parks and some 200 miles of cycling, running and walking trails. Visit the website: http://www.stlrcga.org for more information.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/19/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all the following activities: (1) Creates communication products to meet agency communication goals; (2) Ensures all content meets policy compliance and 508 accessibility standards; (3) Develops messages, information, and materials for an agency's internal and public website and social media platforms; (4) Distills technical or scientific content for non-technical audiences; and (5) Organizes and coordinates information for senior staff and subject matter experts. You must include hours per week worked on your resume.

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 directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

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.

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., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Communications and Media
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication
  • Partnering
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Reasoning
  • Writing


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 successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/19/2024:

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and, indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
  2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
  3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
    • Veterans Preference Documentation:
      • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
      • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
      • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
    • If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
  4. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.

How to Apply

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/19/2024. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.

  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  4. Select documents you want included in this application.
  5. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
  6. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
  7. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
  8. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
  9. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
    • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
  10. Review and Submit Application.
  11. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
  12. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
    • To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
    • Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Agency contact information

Tara Sandoval
Address
Gateway Arch National Park
11 North 4th Street
Saint Louis, MO 63102
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

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 successful completion of an additional assessment. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel has been established to conduct a Structured Resume Panel Review of your application once determined to meet the minimum qualifications for this position. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments.

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.


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