Summary
You will serve as a SUPERVISORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST for Small Business Administration (SBA), Field Operations Center East in Atlanta, GA and Field Operations Center West in Citrus Heights, CA. This position provides first level supervision to the Public Affairs staff and act as an advisor to the Public Affairs Manager.
This position is also being announced under Merit Promotion Procedures, MP-26-12816613, apply in order to receive consideration.
Duties
This not a Remote position, however, situational telework may be available. Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: http://www.telework.gov/
As a SUPERVISORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST at the GS-1035-13, some of your typical work assignments may include:
- Provide leadership support to the Public Affairs Manager to ensure effective planning, operation, and evaluation of an active well-balanced public affairs program for DR&R's internal and external customers (media, the public, business, and civic organizations, etc.) and Federal, state, and local government offices concerning the SBA Disaster Assistance Program.
- Ensure that the Center's plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, and work plans.
- Plan and produce digital and social media web content projects for publication and dissemination through multiple channels. Creates scripts, digital tiles, and videos, utilizing SBA disaster loan program material for social media promotion.
- Acts as a spokesperson for DR&R and supports the Center Director and Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist with making public appearances, preparing presentations, talking points or speeches as necessary.
- Answer media questions and respond to requests for interviews and written information. Proactively seeks opportunities to tell newspapers, radio, and television reporters about the SBA Disaster Program.
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the federal government's leading advocate for small businesses, we empower job creators with the essential resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. Our services reach communities nationwide through a robust network of SBA field offices and partnerships with both public and private organizations.
If you're seeking more than just a job - if you desire purpose, impact, and the chance to contribute to something truly meaningful - this is your opportunity. Small businesses are our nation's backbone, driving innovation, creating jobs, and fueling prosperity. At the SBA, you'll directly help empower these vital businesses and ignite economic growth under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
For over 70 years, the SBA has fueled America's small business success by providing crucial access to capital, federal contracts, and expert guidance. Beyond our critical disaster recovery efforts, where we deploy aid and expertise to help communities rebuild, your role will directly contribute to the start, growth, and expansion of businesses nationwide, creating jobs and strengthening the economic fabric of our communities.
Find your WHY working for Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience (ODR&R), Public Affairs Department. As a member of the Public Affairs team, the work you accomplish supports SBA's disaster work in the following:
- Rapid Relief: When disasters strike, the SBA mobilizes quickly to provide low-interest, long-term disaster loans to businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofits. These funds help repair damage, recover lost revenue, and preserve local jobs.
- Rebuilding with Resilience: We don't just rebuild-we help communities prepare for the next crisis. SBA disaster loans often include additional funds for mitigation improvements, such as storm proofing or elevating key infrastructure, to strengthen long-term recovery.
- Supporting America's Backbone: Whether it's a family-owned bakery in Texas or a childcare provider in Florida, SBA's mission is to empower those who power our economy, especially during their greatest time of need.
- Innovative & Adaptive: We're modernizing how we deliver assistance-embracing new technology, streamlining loan processing, and ensuring more access to every disaster survivor who needs us.
- Collaborative Culture: SBA works together with local and state governments, other federal partners, and community-based organizations to deliver coordinated recovery assistance when it matters most.
What You'll Gain:
- Impactful Leadership: Influence organizational structures and ensure the efficiency of SBA's disaster assistance programs.
- Professional Growth: Join a forward-thinking team that values innovation and continuous improvement.
- Mission-Driven Work: Your role will directly contribute to helping Americans recover and rebuild their businesses, homes, and communities after disasters.
- Field-to-Headquarters Impact: SBA deploys employees to support communities on the ground and manages national operations from its Washington, D.C., headquarters, and regional centers. Wherever you serve, your work matters.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. citizenship is required
- You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
- Favorable background investigation required.
- A one-year supervisory/Managerial probationary period may be required.
- You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period for non-supervisors if you fail to complete the one-year supervisory probationary period.
- This is not a bargaining unit position.
- Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required while on assignment (up to seven days a week and ten to fourteen hours a day).
- If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
Qualifications
Generally, time in non-pay status is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed below.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Experience: To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer. Average work hours must be stated on the resume to quantify each period of work experience or that experience will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.
GS-13: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This experience may have been gained in a Non-Federal service position. In addition, this Specialized Experience must demonstrate the following:
- Implement organizational mission, team strategies, goals, and work plans; AND
- Assess and lead a diverse team, establish work assignments, and manage workload balance; AND
- Explain an organization's programs, policies, and procedures (1) either to the public as a member of the media (print, radio and/or television), or (2) to the media (print, radio and/or television) as a representative of an organization. (e.g., Media experience must have communicated directly to the public by written or broadcast reporting; AND
- Oversee and monitor a social media engagement program to include the management and/or use of social media platforms, the posting of content, engaging in on-line conversations, chats, webinars, and live events, while ensuring agency and federal guideline compliance; AND
- Create engaging content using video editing software (such as Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, and Final cut Pro), understands social media metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns and adjust strategies.
Do not copy and paste the duties and specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications website:
Public Affairs Series 1035
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.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.
All
qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 11/03/2025.
Education
Education may not be substituted for experience for this position.
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.
If selected for this position, you will be eligible for benefits. The above link is provided for your reference to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees.
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.
Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on additional assessments.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. One of the required assessments for this position is an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your assessments. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. If you meet basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:
1. Best-Qualified: highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.
2. Well-Qualified: competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, training, and education as applicable, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.
3. Qualified: an overall basic level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.
Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.
Required Documents
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date/time of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
1. Your Resume - Resume length must not exceed 2 pages and must contain the following information:
- Name, address, telephone number, email address.
- Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade)
- If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy)
- If other than full-time you must provide hours worked per week.
- PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
- Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.
2. In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the occupational questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms,
if applicable. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all documents are legible:
- If you are claiming Veteran status, you must submit a copy of all required documents to support your claim (including a DD-214 showing character of service) --see VetGuide;
- Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD-214 (showing the character of service) or other proof of service to receive consideration for veterans' preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit FedsHireVets.gov.
- CTAP/ICTAP/RPL Applicants: Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (if applicable), your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330, and your most recent performance appraisal.
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) is a program that applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment; 3) the position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced; and 4) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
You MUST submit a copy of your separation notice or other proof of eligibility.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
- To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account, or you may need to create a new account
- You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application
- You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
- After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification.
- If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements
Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your
USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your
USAJOBS account at
https://www.usajobs.gov/All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. 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/
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/03/2025 to receive consideration.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation may be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
SBA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.