Summary The incumbent of this position leads and directs the Coatesville VA Medical Center Office of Public Affairs, serving as both the public and community relations manager, as well as the public affairs officer. The Coatesville VA Medical Center Office of Public Affairs is also responsible for congressional relations, event promotion and planning, community relations, Veteran outreach, medical media, and crisis communications. Responsibilities Major duties include, but are not limited to: Manages, supervises and evaluates the entire public affairs program for the Coatesville VA Medical Center (VAMC) and Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Plans, implements, and analyzes public affairs activities which support Coatesville VAMC's' strategic mission. Makes changes as necessary to improve the public image of the facility and to improve media exposure of Coatesville VAMC programs and activities. Advises senior management on all issues relating to community awareness and public information regarding Coatesville VAMC, especially regarding sensitive media issues. Processes and coordinates all media queries submitted to Coatesville VAMC. Serves as the official spokesperson for Coatesville VAMC, for media interviews, events, or crisis situations. Prepares or directs the preparation of all news releases, media advisories, public service announcements, and feature articles about Coatesville VAMC and its programs and services. Actively pitches story ideas to local, state and national media outlets. Establishes and maintains proactive contacts with media outlets. Handles communication efforts when controversial, high level issues impact Coatesville VAMC, often during crisis and emergency situations. Serves as Public Information Officer under Hospital Incident Command System. Prepares, or supervises the preparation of, speeches, remarks and presentations for senior management for employee and Veteran town halls, special events, community programs, congressional hearings, patient activities, and more. Establishes performance standards and evaluates the performance of subordinate employees. Recommends training and approves leave of subordinates. Interviews candidates for subordinate positions; implements appointments, promotions, or reassignments to subordinate positions. Hears and resolves complaints from employees. Executes disciplinary measures, such as warnings and reprimands, recommending other action in more serious cases. Identifies, plans and coordinates all community outreach, direct mail and marketing activities. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Ad hoc telework may be available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist/PD065350 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) Supervisory probationary period may be required. 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-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. 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: experience where you were responsible for applying advanced communication and analytical practices, methods and techniques to the solution of complex public affairs problems; planning, developing, and producing a variety of materials and publications (including print, visual, Web-based, multimedia, and video materials) to achieve understanding of various points of view or concepts; advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with local media representatives and community groups; and coordinating and implementing special events, ceremonies, outreach campaigns, tours, and other activities to generate public awareness of organization's mission. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications and Media Human Capital Management Partnering Stakeholder Management Veteran and Customer Focus Preferred Experience: Applicants with at least 5 years experience as a public affairs specialist (or equivalent) and 1 year experience as a supervisor within the federal service is preferred. 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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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 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.
