Summary This position is located within the Director's Office at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Iowa Health Care System in Des Moines, Iowa. You will serve as spokesperson for the Medical Center, and as such is the point of contact for local and national media; is the liaison for veterans' service organizations, congressional staffs, community groups, professional organizations, etc. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Duties can include but are not limited to the following: Conducts the public affairs program for tile Medical Center with responsibility for developing and providing staff direction involving all public information, internal communications, Veterans Service Officer (VSO) liaison, and community relations activities. Represents the Medical Center Director, participating at public, civic or social events to improve perception of the Medical Center as a valued part of the medical profession, government and community. Develops reports along with recommendations to the Medical Center Director including implementation and monitoring strategies. Responsibilities for the development, coordination, implementation and maintenance of public information and community relations programs that are designed to promote understanding, confidence and goodwill between the Medical Center, surrounding communities, individuals, volunteers and groups who are interested in and affected by the Veterans Affairs (VA). Creates presentations to audiences with opposing points of view or erroneous understanding of Medical Center position to achieve a more balanced perception. Plans, initiates and implements comprehensive public affairs activities to enhance the understanding of the Medical Center's programs among the general public and specialized groups and organizations. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 7:30am to 4:00pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess one (1) year of specialized experience equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Public Affairs Specialist position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: working experience in a public affairs office performing duties such as writing news releases, blogs, feature stories, speeches, annual reports, information packets, media kits, fact sheets, and produces various graphic materials such as newsletters, fliers, and brochures and other publications for a large health care system or complex organization; planning, developing and producing a variety of materials and publications including print, visual, Web-based, multimedia, and video materials to convey information about a health care organization or complex organization to a variety of stakeholders; evaluating information from a variety of sources and provides feedback to senior management on public affairs trends and stakeholder attitudes to assess program effectiveness and make improvements; serving as an agency spokesperson, including responding in writing and orally to questions about or criticisms of the agency's activities or policies and explaining point of view of the agency. (This experience must be documented in your resume.) Preferred Experience: Prior Public Affairs and/or media experience. 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. Work Environment: The work environment involves normal everyday risks and discomforts of office settings. The work area is lighted, heated and ventilated. Coordination and participation in meetings and other community relations activities requires presence in a variety of in-house and off-station areas and facilities. Has access to office automation and computer equipment. 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
