This job announcement has closed

This position is located in the Office of the Commissioner, Office of External Affairs, Office of Media Affairs in Silver Spring, MD.

This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with vacancy announcement FDA-OC-18-MP-10212922 under merit promotion procedures. Please review that announcement to see if you are eligible for consideration under merit promotion procedures. Applicants must apply separately for each announcement in order to be considered under both options.

Additional selections may be made within the same geographical area FDA-wide.

Learn more about this agency

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Hiring complete

Open & closing dates

05/17/2018 to 06/01/2018
Salary

$81,548 - $126,062 per year
Pay scale & grade

GS 12 - 13
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Location

2 vacancies in the following location:
- Silver Spring, MD
Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed

No
Appointment type

Permanent
Work schedule

Full-Time
Service
Promotion potential

14
Job family (Series)
- 1035 Public Affairs
Supervisory status

No
Announcement number

FDA-OC-19-DE-10212919
Control number

499912900

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

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Arrange press conferences, media briefings, media availabilities, interviews and other news events.
Provide media relations advice to agency officials and advise FDA officials about newsworthy issues.
Facilitate media interviews with agency officials and provide guidance to officials on advisable conduct during media contacts.
Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the news media by providing timely and accurate information.
Respond to questions and/or criticism from members of the news media concerning FDA activities.
Create, write and edit materials, including news releases, about public health and scientific subjects directed towards journalists and lay audiences; choose language appropriate for target audience(s).
Consult with photographers, illustrators, and audio-visual personnel to use photographs, illustrations, animation, video and/or sound files to help explain scientific concepts covered in written material.
Use new media/social networking tools to communicate to lay audiences about FDA programs, actions and accomplishments.
Serve as the point of contact for news media at advisory committee meetings, workshops and Congressional hearings.

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Conditions of Employment

Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this advertisement.
Selective Service Registration: All males born on, or after, 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service OR have an approved exemption.
FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the problem.
Security and Background Requirements: Appointment will require passing a background investigation. Not meeting this requirement may be grounds for personnel action. If hired, you may be subject to a background check at a later time.
Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning qualification for employment is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection or appropriate disciplinary action.
Direct Deposit: You will be required to have your federal salary payments electronically deposited into an account with a financial institution of your choice.
You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered.

Qualifications

To qualify for Public Affairs Specialist, 1035, at GS - 12/13, you must meet one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level for the grade(s) for which you wish to be considered by 06/01/2018.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL:
You must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience for this position include: experience working in media relations responding to news media inquiries on public health and scientific issues; OR experience working as a journalist/member of the news media reporting on public health and scientific issues.

FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL:
You must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience for this position include: experience working in media relations, serving as a spokesperson, responding to news media inquiries and providing strategic communication advice on public health and scientific issues; OR experience working as a journalist/member of the news media reporting on public health and scientific topics.

Your resume must show experience developing and providing strategic communication advice and response to media outlets on topics such as human (pharmaceutical) or veterinary drugs, vaccines or other biological products for human use, medical devices, human or animal food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, or tobacco products OR working as a journalist/member of the news media reporting on topics such as human (pharmaceutical) or veterinary drugs, vaccines or other biological products for human use, medical devices, human or animal food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, or tobacco products to show that you meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

All applicants for the GS-12 and GS-13 levels must submit the following to be considered for this position:
Applicants must submit two (2) writing samples to further demonstrate the specialized experience. Each sample should include the date the material was finalized or published. The writing samples will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1) Are the samples written in plain language?
2) Are the samples written in a journalistic style?
3) Does the content in the samples describe public health and scientific topics?

NOTE: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Additional information

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 06/01/2018) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointee FAQ - OPM
Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.
Pre-Employment Physical: NO
Drug Testing Requirement: NO
License Requirement: NO
Immunization Requirement: NO
Mobility Agreement Required: NO
Bargaining Unit Position: NO
Veteran's Preference: If you plan to apply for any time of Veterans Preference, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. USAJOBS Veterans Site.
Selective Service Registration: Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. You can learn more by visiting the Selective Service Registration site.
Schedule A: If you plan to apply under Schedule A based on a disability, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. Disability Employment
Inter-agency and Career Transition Assistance Programs: If you are a displaced Federal employee and plan to apply under CTAP or ICTAP, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. Workforce Restructuring.
Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: Please be advised that this position may be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers..

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 06/01/2018), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether or not you are qualified for this particular position. Failure to respond to ALL of the assessment questions, including the narrative verification boxes, may result in loss of consideration for this position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Basis of Rating: Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of the following quality categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified.
The Category Rating Process does not add veteran's preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher).

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You need not respond to the KSA's directly, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the Competencies.

Communication & Media
Writng
Oral Communication

To preview the application assessment questions, use the link below:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10212919

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

The following documents are REQUIRED for this vacancy:
- 2 Writing Samples
- Resume
"Required" indicates that the above documents are required to determine your qualification for this vacancy. These documents are collected from ALL applicants and failing to provide any of these documents may result in your application being deemed incomplete or not qualified. Pay close attention to the list above to ensure you are providing all of the documentation we need to consider your application.

RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The Federal Government has very specific requirements for the information that you must include in your resume. A resume for a Federal job will be much longer and more complete than the type of resume you may be familiar with from the private sector. If you have not written a Federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site.

The following documents are ACCEPTED for this vacancy:
Cover Letter
DD-214
2 Writing Samples
VA Letter
Resume
SF-15

"Accepted" means that you will have the opportunity to submit these documents, if they are applicable to you. Such documents include Veteran Preference or other special eligibility documentation, transcripts, or other optional documentation that helps us determine your eligibility. The above list of documents may not apply to all applicants.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS WHO WISH TO APPLY FOR SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITIES:
- Veterans: veteran eligibility documentation (DD-214 Member #4 Copy, VA Letter, Standard Form (SF) 15 as applicable). Please note: If you are a veteran who has not yet been discharged, you may provide a statement of intent to discharge from your agency to receive Veterans Preference under the VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.
- Persons with Disabilities: Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required.
- Displaced Federal employees who qualify for CTAP/ICTAP: If you are a former Federal employee who was displaced due to a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) or surplused by some other means, please submit a copy of the separation letter or RIF notice from your agency. To be selected under I/CTAP, you must still be found well-qualified for this position. Please see the OPM Guide to Career Transition for more information.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS account and be signed in to that account when you click "Apply Online". Additionally, you must provide a resume, any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2018. We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the deadline, and in most cases, only experience and education obtained by this date will be considered.

If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/.

The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are unfamiliar with Application Manager, and you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you first consult the Applicant Help Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays.
If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10212919 so that we may assist you faster.

Agency contact information

FDA Applicant Help Desk

Phone

888-478-4340

Email

quickquestions@fda.gov

Address

Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We strive to make selections within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement (06/01/2018).
You will receive application status updates via email and via USAJOBS as the process unfolds.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Help

The following documents are REQUIRED for this vacancy:

2 Writing Samples
Resume

"Required" indicates that the above documents are required to determine your qualification for this vacancy. These documents are collected from ALL applicants and failing to provide any of these documents may result in your application being deemed incomplete or not qualified. Pay close attention to the list above to ensure you are providing all of the documentation we need to consider your application.

RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The Federal Government has very specific requirements for the information that you must include in your resume. A resume for a Federal job will be much longer and more complete than the type of resume you may be familiar with from the private sector. If you have not written a Federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site.

The following documents are ACCEPTED for this vacancy:
Cover Letter
DD-214
2 Writing Samples
VA Letter
Resume
SF-15

"Accepted" means that you will have the opportunity to submit these documents, if they are applicable to you. Such documents include Veteran Preference or other special eligibility documentation, transcripts, or other optional documentation that helps us determine your eligibility. The above list of documents may not apply to all applicants.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS WHO WISH TO APPLY FOR SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITIES:

Veterans: veteran eligibility documentation (DD-214 Member #4 Copy, VA Letter, Standard Form (SF) 15 as applicable). Please note: If you are a veteran who has not yet been discharged, you may provide a statement of intent to discharge from your agency to receive Veterans Preference under the VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.
Persons with Disabilities: Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required.
Displaced Federal employees who qualify for CTAP/ICTAP: If you are a former Federal employee who was displaced due to a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) or surplused by some other means, please submit a copy of the separation letter or RIF notice from your agency. To be selected under I/CTAP, you must still be found well-qualified for this position. Please see the OPM Guide to Career Transition for more information.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Help

To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS account and be signed in to that account when you click "Apply Online". Additionally, you must provide a resume, any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2018. We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the deadline, and in most cases, only experience and education obtained by this date will be considered.

If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/.

The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are unfamiliar with Application Manager, and you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you first consult the Applicant Help Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays.
If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10212919 so that we may assist you faster.

Agency contact information

FDA Applicant Help Desk

Phone: 888-478-4340
Email: quickquestions@fda.gov
Address: Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We strive to make selections within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement (06/01/2018).
You will receive application status updates via email and via USAJOBS as the process unfolds.

Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

Overview

Open & closing dates

Salary

Pay scale & grade

Location

Travel Required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Work schedule

Service

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

Supervisory status

Announcement number

Control number

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Duties

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Qualifications

Additional information

How You Will Be Evaluated

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Agency contact information

Next steps

Required Documents

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

How to Apply

Agency contact information

Next steps

Fair & Transparent