Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens and Nationals.

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team to serve as the Community Outreach and Public Affairs Specialist for the United States Attorneys' Office (USAO) for the Northern District of New York administering programs to inform and educate the public and district, state, and region-wide audiences consisting of various special interest, social, economic, community, legal, and law-enforcement groups, associations, organizations, and agencies. In addition, you will devise and implement programs to support the District's mission, goals, and objectives to include sensitive and controversial matters, which occasionally draw national media attention. Typical work assignments will include:

• Planning, initiating, and implementing community outreach and public affairs campaigns to enhance understanding of the District's initiatives.
• Responding in writing and/or orally to information requests from the media, specialized groups, and general public.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with media representatives and groups interested in District programs through the use of various social media platforms.
• Organizing and coordinating media interviews with staff and developing and providing supporting materials as needed.
• Analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of the information, media relations, and community relations programs used to achieve greater understanding of the District's mission, goals, and objectives.
• Arranging and conducting special events, workshops, seminars, and other meetings with various organizations to stimulate program participation, identify concerns, and motivate groups to conduct similar programs.
• Advising and assisting other departmental components or federal agencies on carrying out community relations activities involving District programs.
• Evaluating program effectiveness, advising District leadership, and recommending modifications when appropriate.
• Developing articles for distribution and publication.
• Organizing press conferences and other media events to enhance the District's law enforcement message.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

To be qualified at the GS-12 level, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least work at the GS-11 level in Federal service, which has equipped you with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing the following types of duties: planning and directing a comprehensive community outreach and public affairs program to educate the public on an organization's initiatives, programs, and operations; coordinating an organization's information program, responding in writing and orally to requests from media and various publics and special interest groups; establishing and maintaining effective and cooperative working relationships with media representatives, general public, and specialized groups; organizing and coordinating media interviews, press conferences, and presentations to organizations to enhance understanding of significant issues; developing and disseminating new information materials using a variety of formats, including news releases, fact sheets, and articles for publication and various social media platforms; arranging and conducting community relations activities and other special events, workshops, seminars, and meetings with various organizations to stimulate program participation and identify audience concerns; and collecting and analyzing views and opinions of various publics to evaluate program effectiveness and recommend modifications as needed.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be evaluated and rated using DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions): Attention to Detail; Customer Service; Flexibility; Influencing/Negotiating; Integrity/Honesty; Interpersonal Skills; Learning; Self-Management; Stress Tolerance; Teamwork; Reading Comprehension; and Reasoning.

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.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
• Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
  • Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade);
  • Employer name and contact information;
  • Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year);
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time; and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
  • 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 experience.
• Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibilityfor priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal).
• Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming in your application and submit the appropriate documentation, as specified below.

In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows military service was performed under honorable conditions.

In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" dated October 2013 and all the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you must submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Next steps