This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/565593300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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Summary
This Direct-Hire position is in the Food and Drug Administration, with multiple locations throughout the U.S. and its territories.
See the sections below for more details on the duties & qualifications for this position.
Note: Salary figures shown represent the "Rest of U.S." locality pay rate. Salaries may vary based on the actual location you are hired at. You can reference OPM's 2020 General Schedule (GS) Pay Tables site to see the current pay rates adjusted for each locality area.
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Overview
- Hiring complete
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Open & closing dates
04/20/2020 to 05/11/2020
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Salary
$121,316 - $157,709 per year
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Pay scale & grade
GS 14
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Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
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Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
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Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
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Appointment type
Multiple Appointment Types
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Work schedule
Full-Time
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Service
Competitive
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Promotion potential
14
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Job family (Series)
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Supervisory status
No
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Security clearance
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Drug test
No
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Position sensitivity and risk
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Trust determination process
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Announcement number
FDA-OC-20-10795262-DH
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Control number
565593300
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This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. This is a direct hire authority announcement. Traditional federal rules regarding rating, ranking, and veterans' preference do not apply.
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Duties
- Developing and executing solutions to communications challenges around a cross-section of high-level policy, science and regulation in real-time.
- Planning and coordinating agency communications from start to finish for agency rollouts/announcements in close coordination with agency leadership.
- Coordinating communications tactics on rollout/announcement days to ensure communications activities are effectively carried out to all key stakeholders in a timely fashion.
- Providing communications strategy and advice to agency officials on communications tactics and overall approach surrounding newsworthy issues.
- Developing digital media strategy for rollouts/announcements, including style and messaging aspects of social media and mobile editorial content.
- Researching and writing strong key messages for rollouts, working closely with program offices/units in aligning messaging for all internal and external stakeholders, including FDA employees, consumer organizations, Congress and the news media.
- Tracking the editing, approval, and production processes of communications materials for major announcements, serving as the custodian of all communications assets.
- Initiating, creating, writing and editing materials, including communications plans, about complicated public health and scientific subjects directed towards a variety of audiences.
- Measuring and reporting on the effectiveness of communications activities, including news media and social media measurement statistics, and provide recommendations for process improvements.
- Developing and maintaining strong and effective working relationships with internal clients and other government communicators.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- This position may be subject to completion of a 1-year probationary period (unless you have already satisfied this obligation).
- Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to be considered for this advertisement. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.
- Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
- FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
- If you were born male, after, December 31st 1959, you must be registered with the Selective Service System, or have an approved exemption. Learn more at www.SSS.gov.
- Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities. Your application may be shown to multiple hiring offices.
- You may be asked to provide additional information at a later time. All interview requests and selection decisions are at the full discretion of the hiring office.
- Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
Qualifications
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
In order be eligible for the position of Public Affairs Specialist, (GS-1035-14), you must meet the following requirements...
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS:
You must possess one year (52-weeks) of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the Federal service.
Such experience includes: Working in media relations serving as a senior communications/public affairs/public relations professional responding to and managing news media inquiries and providing strategic communications advice on controversial, sensitive and highly-complex topics dealing with 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. Alternatively, experience working as a journalist/member of the news media reporting on U.S. government public health and scientific issues.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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.
All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 05/11/2020. 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.
In order be eligible for the position of Public Affairs Specialist, (GS-1035-14), you must meet the following requirements...
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS:
You must possess one year (52-weeks) of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the Federal service.
Such experience includes: Working in media relations serving as a senior communications/public affairs/public relations professional responding to and managing news media inquiries and providing strategic communications advice on controversial, sensitive and highly-complex topics dealing with 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. Alternatively, experience working as a journalist/member of the news media reporting on U.S. government public health and scientific issues.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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.
All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 05/11/2020. 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.
Education
You MUST submit a transcript which includes a list of courses, grades, completion dates, and quarter or semester hours earned by the closing date of the announcement..
Foreign Education
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.
Additional information
Additional Conditions of Employment:
- Pre-employment physical required: No
- Drug testing required: No
- License required: No
- Mobility agreement required: No
- Immunization required: No
- Bargaining Unit Position: No
- Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: Please be advised that this position may be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation and may require the incumbent of this position to divest of certain financial interests. Applicants are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting this position.
- If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 05/11/2020) 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. See Political Appointee FAQ - OPM for more..
- Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Bethesda Center Help Desk (888) 478-4340; TTY/TDD: (866) 539-4484; or by email quickquestions@fda.hhs.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. See the Reasonable Accommodation Policy for more information...
- Equal Employment Opportunity: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor See the EEO Policy for more information...
Benefits
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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.
Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 05/11/2020), your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualification for this position specifically.
This is a direct hire announcement. Traditional rating and ranking of applications, and veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy. We will evaluate you against the basic qualifications. Qualified applicants will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Benefits
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.
Required Documents
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.
A document that is required must be submitted by all applicants because the document is needed to verify your qualifications, education, or other eligibility information. Failure to provide one of the documents in the list below may result in your application being considered incomplete.
These documents may be required for some applicants. Applicants relying on education to qualify, those seeking consideration under a special hiring authority, or those who need to verify a license or certification, will need to submit appropriate supporting documentation from this list.
RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you should watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume.
At a minimum your resume should list the position title, employer, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Learn more about supporting documents and documentation requirements on USAJOBS:
- How to Understand the Required Documents Section
- What Types of Documents May I Need?
- How to Manage Your Documents on USAJOBS
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.
How to Apply
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and 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, 05/11/2020. 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 close date.
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/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you review 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) 10795262 so that we may assist you faster.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of the Commissioner
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once you have submitted your complete application, (to include the resume, all required supporting documentation, and the responses to the assessment questionnaires), your application will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility and qualification status. If you are referred to the hiring office, they may contact you at their discretion for an interview. If you are not referred, you may not immediately receive a notification due to the high volume of applications that are typically submitted to direct-hire advertisements.
Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Help
Required Documents
A document that is required must be submitted by all applicants because the document is needed to verify your qualifications, education, or other eligibility information. Failure to provide one of the documents in the list below may result in your application being considered incomplete.
These documents may be required for some applicants. Applicants relying on education to qualify, those seeking consideration under a special hiring authority, or those who need to verify a license or certification, will need to submit appropriate supporting documentation from this list.
RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you should watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume.
At a minimum your resume should list the position title, employer, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Learn more about supporting documents and documentation requirements on USAJOBS:
- How to Understand the Required Documents Section
- What Types of Documents May I Need?
- How to Manage Your Documents on USAJOBS
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
Learn more about this agency
How to Apply
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and 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, 05/11/2020. 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 close date.
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/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you review 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) 10795262 so that we may assist you faster.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of the Commissioner
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once you have submitted your complete application, (to include the resume, all required supporting documentation, and the responses to the assessment questionnaires), your application will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility and qualification status. If you are referred to the hiring office, they may contact you at their discretion for an interview. If you are not referred, you may not immediately receive a notification due to the high volume of applications that are typically submitted to direct-hire advertisements.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Beginning of a dialog window for the agency announcing this job. It begins with a heading 2 called "Learn more about Field Operating Offices of the Office of the Secretary of the Army". Escape will cancel and close the window.
Learn more about
Food and Drug Administration
Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American! At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) you can give back to your community, state, and country by making a difference in the lives of Americans everywhere. It is the principal agency for protecting the health of citizens. Join HHS and help to make our world healthier, safer, and better for all Americans.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of the Commissioner
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US