Summary This position is located within the Veteran Affairs (VA) Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) within the Office of Communications and Community Development. The position serves as the Congressional Liaison at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and reports to the Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist. The incumbent serves as the central reception, dissemination, coordination, and monitor point for all correspondence and tasks from internal and external stakeholders. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: The Public Affairs Specialist maintains proactive contacts with media outlets, legislative offices, veteran service organizations and health care affiliates. Actively pitches and places stories with local and national media outlets. Advises senior level management on development of media campaigns, communication plans, and strategies, as appropriate. Plans web-based, multimedia and video materials to convey information about VA to a variety of stakeholders. Develops and maintains cooperative and harmonious relationships with groups, organizations and other health care providers in the local community, and at the state, and national level as indicated; fosters positive relations with the media. ensures that issues raised by customers and/or representatives are adequately addressed; actively promotes productive relation with, and recognizes the contributions of other service organizations. Participates in top management discussions, decisions, and policymaking and provides program direction to other executives, managers, and personnel. The incumbent collaborates with various national, regional, state, and community partners in the development of joint procedures, systems, business analyses and initiatives. The incumbent represents the ECHCS at community functions and on committees, providing strategic guidance and coordination of strategic initiatives between VA and various partners. Provides information and expertise to ensure compliance with applicable directives, regulations, codes, and policies; assures and enforces compliance with policies and requirements concerning release, copyright of program material, distribution of library materials, and technical standards covering production and presentation activities. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday - 8:00am -4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD136710 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 identification 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, 06/23/2026. 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 and/or education 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. Preferred Experience: Experience Working w/ High Level Elected Officials Experience advocating for Patients/Veterans Worked across/with multiple service lines Ability to manage multiple projects at once Experience working with and briefing executive leaders You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Critical Thinking Customer Service Decision Support Education and Training Strategic Thinking Veteran and Customer Focus 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: The incumbent's work is generally carried out in an office setting with occasional travel as needed to attend public events. Occasionally, the incumbent may be required to travel to VAMC outpatient clinics, VISN 19 Network Office, and other VISN 19 and VHA facilities. The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required, such as walking through the entire facility or carrying folders or manuals up to 5 pounds. 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 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. 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.
