Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all status eligible candidates.

• Advises the executive management staff on all issues relating to community awareness, and public information regarding FNCVACHCS, especially regarding sensitive local, regional and national media issues and is the official spokesperson to include crisis situations, media interviews and events.
• Responsible for managing, supervising, and evaluating the entire Public Affairs Program for a large complex health care system.
• Serves as the Program Leader for Public Affairs, Community Relations, Outreach, Medical Media, and Reproduction Services and as the Public Affairs Officer for the FNCVACHCS responsible for managing all marketing, internal and external communication, branding, social media, and web content creation.
• Serves as the reviewing official to subordinate staff responsible for managing internet and intranet websites, as well as social media forums with a thorough understanding of national and local web and social media policy and the laws, regulations and memorandums that govern privacy rules.
• Serves as a liaison with Public Affairs staff members of related health and educational organizations, services and civic organizations on behalf of the FNCVACHCS, to maintain goodwill and to facilitate joint projects or information gathering.
• Independently determines goals for strategic communications program encompassing all sites of care and setting goals and assignments for subordinate public affairs staff.
• Writes or supervises the writing of all speeches for the executive management staff and service chiefs for special events, town halls, VA initiatives, community programs, congressional hearings, city forums, patient activities, and service organization conventions. Serves as congressional affairs alternate when necessary.
• Responsible for the production of the FNCVACHCS publications and final approval authority for all Medical Media and Educational brochures, the annual report, videos, and all other PR and marketing brochures for the health care system.
• Leads communication efforts in day-to-day operations as well as during crisis and emergency situations. Serves as the Public Information Officer under Hospital Incident Command System. Plans and executes events and ceremonies and supports outreach to Veterans not enrolled in VA health care system.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0800 - 1630
Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Ad-hoc telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Officer/PD082380
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Selectee will be required to operate a government vehicle to travel as part of their assigned duty. Must possess a valid and current state driver's license.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/30/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to supervise, plan, design and maintain a Public Affairs Program for a large organization and its associated locations that fosters effective and efficient external affairs and ensures that coordinated messages and services are achieved; Knowledge of organizational program operations, national data bases, interrelationships, customer service principles, public relations concepts, policies and practices and work life improvement initiatives in order to effectively produce reports and relay critical information in a variety of formats; Ability to provide leadership, support and resources to staff to enable them to carry out the organizational mission; ability to inspire, motivate and guide others toward goal accomplishment; Skill in developing new insights into situations and applying innovative solutions to make organizational improvements; skill in designing and implementing new or cutting-edge programs/processes; Knowledge of how social, political, organizational, and technological systems work and experience operating and managing an effective Public Affairs program within those systems; Ability to express information orally and in writing to multiple audiences; apply logical thinking when describing facts and concepts; and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communication
• Compliance Inspection
• Influencing/Negotiating

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Assignments regularly involved extended periods of walking, standing, bending, and stooping to execute logistics for special events or to accompany media cress or other special groups. Considerable standing and walking throughout the main medical center and the grounds of each facility under the health care system umbrella is required. Driving or riding in a vehicle is also required on a routine basis to attend outside meetings, interviews, and special events. The incumbent travels to numerous community events to promote the FNCVACHCS, which involves carrying, lifting and erecting display panels.

Incumbent is also required regularly to pick up loads of up to 15 pounds such as boxes, newspapers and other literature and pushcarts of supplies. The incumbent also regularly travels to various sites of care to provide public affairs assistance.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Miscelleneous
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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