Public Affairs Specialist

The primary purpose of this position is to support the Public Affairs Office programs and events and provide administrative, technical and professional support for congressional inquiries and, VA/VISN/VHA suspense requests. This position works under the Public Affairs Officer; however, this position may also take direction from the other members of the VA Central Ohio Healthcare System leadership team. The incumbent works with these individuals to identify goals and issues from the program

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/09/2026

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.
For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Effective Oral Communication Skills; Creative Problem Solving; Accountability; Resilience, Agility and Sense of Urgency; Effective Written Communication Skills.
• 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 (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond above information. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of individuals to effectively gain support for programs; Knowledge of communication principles, methods, practices and techniques and personal relations practices; Knowledge of principles and techniques of written, oral and personal communications Knowledge of grammar, writing and editing practices. Skill in communicating information tailored to audiences and realistic conditions to improve public understanding.
• OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree;
• OR, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
• OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education, as described above, which meets the total qualification requirement for the GS-11 grade level. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. The education portion must include graduate courses in a related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of 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 usually performed sitting at a desk, in news conferences, briefings, meetings, etc.; or riding in an automobile or public transportation. There may be occasional brief visits to industrial or construction sites, national parks or forests, military equipment test sites, etc; however, no special physical demands are involved in performing the work.

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/.

Responsibilities:

The incumbent serves as the Public Affairs Specialist (Congressional Liaison) for the main facility in Columbus and it's VA clinics. This position provides administrative, technical and professional support for congressional inquiries, VA/VISN/VHA suspense requests and maintains the VA social media sites. Emphasis is on strong communication background to promote increased understanding and awareness for VA Central Ohio Health Care System mission, services, programs and initiatives supporting Veteran health care. The individual will also assist in coordinating a wide range of internal and external communication activities including, but not limited to, event promotion, marketing, social media and Congressional engagement.

Promotion Potential: 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.

• The incumbent must have the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of individuals to effectively gain support for medical center programs.
• Knowledge of communication principles, methods, practices and techniques and personal relations practices.
• Incumbent should be well-informed of health care system programs, policies and activities to present information accurately to employees, Veterans and stakeholders.
• Must possess knowledge of principles and techniques of written, oral and personal communications.
• Knowledge of grammar, writing and editing practices. Skill in communicating information tailored to audiences and realistic conditions to improve public understanding.
• The incumbent is expected to possess the overall skills to develop written congressional correspondence. All communication issuances are to reflect a professional approach and effective delivery which presents the Columbus VA in a positive manner.
• The incumbent must be able to relate to staff and Veterans to develop relationships with these personalities.
• Oral communication skills must be such as to enhance relationships with employees, volunteers and other stakeholders.

Work Schedule: 7:30am to 4:00pm; Monday thru Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework, Ad-hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD920450 and PD92047-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Salary : $64,406