Public Affairs Specialist
What you'd do
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Public Affairs Media Relations Division. Located in Miami, FL. The open period for this job opportunity announcement may be extended to allow for a sufficient applicant pool.
Major duties
This position starts at a salary of $113,356.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $147,365.00 (GS-13, Step 10) Typical duties include but not limited to: Manage news media coverage for the agency, including building media relationships, pitching stories, and serving as a spokesperson during routine operations and crises. Develop and distribute communication materials such as guidance documents, communication plans, media advisories, news releases, and agency statements. Implement and evaluate communication strategies, coordinates media visits and events, and arranges national media coverage. Provide guidance and support to field offices and other branches on responding to media, public, stakeholder, and governmental inquiries. Maintain ongoing communication with internal stakeholders, develops public affairs guidance, and provides onsite support by embedding with operational personnel to accurately represent agency activities. Selective Placement Factor: The ability to speak, read, and write fluently in Spanish is required. This skill is necessary to provide customer service and support to Spanish-speaking clients by reading and correctly interpreting nuance in local Spanish-language media clips; to provide interviews as an agency spokesperson on difficult and often controversial topics in the Spanish-language to national and international news media; and to write professional, public products in the target language (Spanish) on behalf of the federal government, and ideally candidates will demonstrate having used these skills successfully in a professional media environment. GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position. Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.
What you need to qualify
Experience: You qualify for the GS- 13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Managing communications with the national news media, including responding to inquiries sharing information about organizational programs and activities, organizing and staffing in-person interviews, and conducting on-camera interviews. Developing and distributing press releases or news stories to raise awareness of the organization's work. Providing advice and guidance to leadership and staff on handling media coverage and public interest. Planning and implementing communication strategies to support organizational goals and improve public understanding. Monitoring public feedback and adjusted messaging to address concerns and strengthen support for the organization NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume 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; religious; 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. You must meet all qualification requirements, including education and selective placement factors if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 07/28/2026. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers. Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions: Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described within this announcement. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this job announcement.
Before you apply
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