Public Affairs Specialist

Description:

The Public Affairs Specialist reports to the Connected Care Service line leadership and is the point of contact for My HealtheVet (MHV), secure messaging and other mobile applications at the Aleda E Lutz Veteran Affairs Medical Center. The incumbent is responsible for supporting existing and future Veteran communication initiatives, local implementation, training, communications, outreach, and support efforts, and evaluates and reports on actions and activities.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/09/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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:

GS:9:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. May include but not limited to: at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal Service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Public Affairs Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position?

• Assisting with Veteran outreach, communications, or education initiatives.
• Developing or supporting educational or informational materials.
• Conducting presentations or training for Veterans, caregivers, or staff.
• Supporting digital platforms, online tools, or customer-facing systems.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree

  or

  2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

  or

  LL.B. or J.D., if related . OR,

GS-11:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. May include but not limited to: at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Public Affairs Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position?

• Independently coordinating or leading Veteran-facing communication or outreach programs.
• Developing and executing communication strategies for digital health tools or services.
• Writing and editing complex materials for diverse audiences, including Veterans and clinical staff.
• Analyzing participation trends, utilization data, or feedback to inform program improvements.
• Serving as a liaison between local operations and regional or national program offices.

or

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree:

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

or

3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

or

LL.M., if related

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond:

  Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:


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: Work is primarily sedentary, but may require periods of standing during presentations, briefings,

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/ .