TITLE 5 PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST GS-1035-11 Job in Martinsburg, WV

Vacancy No. WV-12843759-T5-25-063 Department Air National Guard Units
Salary $84,601.00 to $109,975.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/16/2025 Close Date 1/16/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Martinsburg, WV


Summary

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION

WEST VIRGINIA ARMY OR AIR NATIONAL GUARD
167TH AW, MARTINSBURG, WV
SELECTING SUPERVISOR & DUTY LOCATION:
Col Christopher Sigler, 167th AIR WING, Martinsburg, WV

This is not a bargaining position.

Please read the entire announcement, as important/legal guidance is throughout. To view the entire announcement, hit the print button.

Please see Required Documents tab for important information.

This job is open to

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

National Guard and reserves

Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.

Clarification from the agency

Areas 1 and 2; please see "Additional Information" section of this announcement for Area definitions.

Duties

Position Description #: T5804100

This position is located in the Public Affairs Function of a State Air National Guard (ANG) Wing, under direct supervision of the Wing Command. Performs other duties as assigned.

MAJOR DUTIES:

1. Coordinates the planning and development of complex, high level public affairs assignments in support of commander's programs and priorities.

2. Researches, drafts, coordinates, produces, and reviews public affairs products such as, web-based content, photographs, videos, news and feature articles, news releases, talking points, fact sheets, briefings, speeches and scripts, newsletters, and other materials.

3. Maintains effective working relationships with officials of various senior wing leadership, civic, news media, community groups, Department of Defense personnel, as well as local, state and national government officials, and the general public.

4. Manages audio visual equipment for section. Appointed as the Wing Visual Information Manager per current DoD directives. Stays abreast of current visual information methodology and technological developments.

5. Creates new, adapts, or modifies accepted communication campaign formats to reach a target audience with a specific message. The selection of a communication campaign format is based on an analysis of targeted audience demographics and message content.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation. Selectee will not be appointed untill investigation is complete.
  • Will be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Required to obtain and maintain a satisfactory security clearance, AND, as a minimum, a completed National Agency Check (NAC) prior to assignment.
  • Direct Deposit is mandatory.
  • Must have a valid driver’s license.
  • May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; overtime may be required.
  • The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate 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.
  • Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the 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.
  • Selectee is required to complete SE1-260 requirements within six months of employment.
  • Selectee must complete the DoD Public Affairs Qualification Course within two years of employment; or, for on-board personnel, complete the course within two years from the appointment date to this position description.
  • This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration.

Qualifications

YOU MUST FULLY SUBSTANTIATE IN YOUR OWN WORDS THAT YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED BELOW. WHEN EXPLAINING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE YOU MUST GIVE EXAMPLES. DO NOT COPY FROM THE VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT OR THE POSITION DESCRIPTION. EXPLAIN IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS AND GIVE EXAMPLES TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS VACANCY.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE
: 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience, education, or training involving a thorough knowledge of writing and communication principles, methods and techniques that relate to public affairs of the military. Experience developing new information materials including news releases, fact sheets, brochures, booklets, broadcast spots, etc., that increase communication with the agency's audiences. Experience making on-the-spot presentations to audiences with opposing points of view or erroneous understanding of agency positions. Experience responding timely and appropriately to requests for information concerning agency programs and services.

Education

Preferred that applicants have completed the Defense Information School


If choosing to certify based of the education substitution option, you must upload a word document stating you are using the education substitution option, your degree and transcript OR the Military Courses completed. If these are not uploaded you will not be referred to the selecting Supervisor.

Additional information

Definitions for Areas of Consideration:

Area 1: Current On-board Title 5 Employees and Title 32 Technicians (Tenure: 1- Permanent, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite) and Permanent AGR's in the West Virginia National Guard.

Area 2: WVNG Army M-Day and Air Force DSG (Drill-Status Guardsmen,) Temporary Title 32 Technicians and Title 5 Employees, Temporary AGR (OTOT), and national guardsmen serving on Full-time National Guard Duty - Operational Support Orders (ADOS).

Area 3: Current On-board Federal Employees (Tenure: 1-Career, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite) from another Federal Agency nationwide.

Area 4: Federal re-employable eligible employees, National Guardsmen outside of the WVNG, and U.S Citizens willing to join the West Virginia National Guard as a condition of employment.

Area 5: All U.S. Citizens.



TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Title 5 Excepted Service - Permanent

Permanent Change of Station: PCS funds are not available for this position.

Incentives: Relocation and Recruitment Incentives may be authorized for this position.

All WVNG positions are pending availability of resources and funds.

The WVNG is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Selection of this position will be made without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, non-disqualifying disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership or non-membership in an employee organization or any other non-merit factor.

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).

Veteran's Preference: Veteran's preference must be validated by formal submissions of necessary supporting documentation. You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility. Failure to submit all supporting documentation WILL result in the claimed veteran's preference not being adjudicated, and could possibly impact your placement on the certificate sent to the selecting official. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are 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 must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" AND required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference of any kind. An SF-50 is NOT sufficient to adjudicate preference. For more information on Veteran's Preference, please visit: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx https://eee.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf?

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.

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 documents 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. If you are found eligible, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Required Documents

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

THE FORMS BELOW ARE REQUIRED. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT THESE FORMS YOU WILL BE DEEMED INELIGIBLE AND YOUR NAME WILL NOT BE REFERRED TO THE SELECTING OFFICIAL:

- Your Resume.
- Your SF50 if applicable

-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 http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

ALL applications and supporting documents MUST be submitted through www.usajobs.gov electronically and must be submitted prior to midnight of the closing date. Mailed, e-mailed, hand-delivered, and faxed applications will NOT be accepted or considered. Missing required documents will prevent you from being found eligible for this position and will prevent you from being referred to the selecting official.

DO NOT SUBMIT MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION.

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/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this announcement. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12843759

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. No documents will be accepted after 11:59 PM (EST) of the closing date of the announcement. If you are experiencing system issues,
with the USA Jobs website, please follow the directions found at https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/Contact/ ; you must also contact your HR Representative prior to the close date for guidance.


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 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

Christopher Sigler
Phone
(304) 616-5167
Email
christopher.sigler@us.af.mil
Address
WV 167th AW
222 Sabre Jet BLVD
Martinsburg, WV 25405
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. 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.

In the event you receive a non-eligible notification and you believe this decision was made in error; you have 5 working days from the day it was received in your inbox to send an appeal to the servicing Human Resources Office. The appeal will be sent via email to ng.wv.wvarng.list.hrostaffing@army.mil and must include the following information: Announcement number, Announcement title, reason of non-eligibility that you received from USA Jobs, and your justification as to why this decision was erroneous. New documentation cannot be accepted after the closing date of this announcement and will not be used in an appeal request. The appeal process is APPLICANT driven. HRO will not accept appeals from selecting officials on the applicant's behalf and will not communicate with the selecting official regarding the appeal processes status.


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