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.

Duties

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Major Duties:

• Leads the planning and execution of OIT's communications strategies that support the AS/CIO's interactions with Congress.
• Develops products and guidance that articulate OIT's position on complex and sensitive programs, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities.
• Develops innovative and visual approaches for external communication strategies aimed at clarifying misunderstanding or controversial policies or programs for Congress, the press, public, and Veterans served by the VA.
• Evaluates the impact of major program or policy changes from a communications perspective, focusing on image and perception.
• Prepares a range of external communications products related to Congressional engagement, including executive talking points, briefing books, background materials, summaries of legislative impacts, fact sheets, and visual/creative materials that communicate OIT's priorities to oversight bodies and the public.
• Produces informational materials concerning departmental policies, programs, and activities for media dissemination and gauges the effectiveness of these materials through feedback mechanisms.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD00281A

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.

Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable.

Requirements

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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.
• 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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-14 Grade Level: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-13 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 serving as an authoritative point of contact for congressional and legislative engagements, working directly with liaison offices and senior executives on sensitive or high-profile matters, and exercising final review authority over complex congressional products to ensure quality and strategic alignment.Additionally, your experience must also include either developing or implementing proactive congressional engagement strategies that inform senior leadership on legislative risks and priorities, or leading preparation for congressional hearings involving senior executive witnesses, including coordinating with committee staff and managing post-hearing requirements.

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.

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.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

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.

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.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.

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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.