Summary The Public Affairs Officer for Department of Veteran Affairs, Veteran Health Administration in Loma Linda, CA will report to the Facility Associate Director of Operations, and is responsible for planning, directing, and executing the strategic communication plan for VALLMC, and must continually promote and expand the reach and impact of approved messaging and public education. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Functioning as the expert consultant to management for the development of communication plans and implementation strategies that broaden the reach and deepen the impact of the services provided by the VALLMC. Advising senior leadership on the potential public reaction to complex and controversial programs, policies, and plans, devising strategic stakeholder communications to maximize transparency and mitigate risk to the organization. Planning, designing, and executing a strategic vision and plan that brings together the approaches and messaging of VALLMC together in a cohesive branding and marketing strategy. Developing support materials for communication campaigns. Identifying emerging issues to capitalize on opportunities and minimize negative responses which may impact program management. Making recommendations regarding actions and relationships with other federal and state agencies, special interest groups, individuals, and various media. Managing the Network public affairs program, with responsibility for planning, designing, and executing all program activities to inform and education the general and specialized public groups regarding National and Network programs, activities, issues, and services. Planning, directing, and executing campaigns to convey complex information concerning the VA's programs, program related activities, responsibilities, and action. Acting as an advocate for Veterans in all written and verbal communications. Developing communication strategies in a wide variety of media to inform and education employees, visitors, citizens, elected officials, educational institutions, media, interest groups, promoting a message of mutual understanding and minimizing adverse reactions for VA policies, programs, and decisions. Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with members of the media, Congressional and legislative representatives, Veteran Service Organizations, and other specialized groups. Keeping stakeholders informed of VA activity. Coordinating news conferences, special media events, press releases, and facilitating feature stories as appropriate. Responding to requests for information from the news media, elected officials, special interest groups, and the general public. Managing all aspects of the VALLMC internet and intranet content including collecting material and updating web sites. Monitoring all facility web sites for compliance with VA national standards, providing feedback to the facilities as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist/PD14930-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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, 05/04/2026. 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 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: Develop and deliver multi-platform communication products (written materials, video, photography, web content, social media, internal/external messaging) to inform and influence diverse audiences. Manage high-visibility stakeholder relationships, including Congressional offices, media outlets, Veteran Service Organizations, and community groups, serving as spokesperson and liaison. Supervise and direct a multidisciplinary communications team, overseeing workload planning, performance management, training, and production quality across Public Affairs and Visual Information functions. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem Solving Communications and Media Customer Service External Awareness 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 of this position is mainly sedentary. 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. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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.
