Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information Technology (OIT) Chief of Staff (CoS) Office of Communication. The Office of Communication is responsible for developing and executing strategic communication products at a national level. Responsibilities OIT Mission: The mission of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with our business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans. OIT Vision: To become a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology. Major Duties: Plans Congressional communications activities and creative services that support the implementation of short- and long-range communications plans, policies, and timetables. Assists in the development, adoption, and implementation of OIT external communications policies and program activities. Contributes to the development of standards, as well as to the development and implementation of policies, guidance, and procedures for external communications actions and activities in line with the organization's strategic business plan, goals, and objectives. Supports the execution of the tasks and priorities of the Congressional affairs program for the organization, with responsibility for developing public information, internal information, and community relations activities. Drafts testimony and talking points for OIT senior leaders, prepares and publishes organization publications to keep all internal personnel informed of programs, activities, and career information. Gathers information and produces informational materials about departmental policies, programs, and activities for Congressional dissemination. This is a non-bargaining unit position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD00279A and PD00280A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm; Tour of duty may be subject to change based on organizational needs. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policies. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Working Conditions: Work is typically performed in an adequately-lighted and climate-controlled office. May require occasional travel. Promotion Potential: The full performance grade level is GS-14. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable. 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. Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation. Selected applicant will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required. To be considered for this position, applicants must complete all required steps in the process. 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. 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications 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 the GS-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. For the GS-13 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. 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. To qualify for this position, all qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/06/2026. EXPERIENCE GS-12 Grade Level: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must include managing the intake, tracking, and closure of correspondence tasks, keeping accurate records in a task or case management system, and drafting written responses to official requests such as information requests or constituent correspondence using established guidance, prior approved language, and subject matter expert input. Additionally, your experience must include either coordinating with subject matter experts or other offices to gather and track input for correspondence responses against assigned deadlines, or preparing materials in support of congressional hearings or briefings, including conducting background research, preparing witness materials, or documenting proceedings. EXPERIENCE GS-13 Grade Level: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must include independently managing the full lifecycle of complex congressional taskings and drafting clear, consolidated congressional work products. Additionally, your experience must also include either supporting congressional hearings or legislative briefings by preparing questions, responses, and coordinating logistics, or managing multi-office concurrence processes through sequential approvals and issue resolution. 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. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade levels of this announcement. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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.
