Summary Northport Medical Center is seeking a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist for the Director's Office. The role oversees the VHA public information program, presenting the Medical Center's mission, services, and activities to staff, volunteers, media, the public, veterans, and government officials. The position supports the VHA's goals while promoting understanding and support for Veteran care. Responsibilities Plans and conducts the Medical Center's public affairs program and supports key initiatives aligned with the Medical Center mission. Acts as the Medical Center spokesperson and primary point of contact for local and national media. Serves as liaison to veterans' service organizations, community groups, and professional organizations. Develops and directs all public information, internal communications, liaison efforts, and community relations activities. Represents the Medical Center Director at public, civic, and social events to strengthen the Medical Center's reputation within the community and government. Interacts with senior officials in public and private sectors to enhance understanding of VHA programs and strengthen relationships. Make presentations to audiences with differing or opposing viewpoints to promote clearer understanding of Medical Center positions. Evaluates the effectiveness of internal communications, media relations, and community relations programs to improve understanding of Medical Center missions and services. Establishes and maintains professional relationships with news media representatives and responds promptly to information requests. Plans and implements comprehensive public affairs activities to promote understanding of the Medical Center's programs among the public and specialized groups. Supervises subordinate staff which support the public affairs program at the Medical Center. Performs the administrative and personnel management functions relative to staff supervised, including work assignment and review. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist/PD03280A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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) 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, 04/15/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: overseeing day-to-day public affairs activities, including internal communication, media relations, and community outreach; managed staff responsible for delivering public affairs activities; developing and producing a range of informational materials and publications using a variety of communication techniques and methods (print, web-based, multimedia, etc.); developing and implementing public affairs policies and procedures; serving as a spokesperson for the facility; advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; and communicating with media outlets and the general public. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Creativity and Innovation Leadership Public Planning 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: Work is generally sedentary with walking required during visits and tours of the Medical Center. Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring in other than normal duty hours. Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other required materials. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
