Public Affairs Specialist
What you'd do
This position serves as a public affairs specialist in the Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience (ODR&R) Field Operations Center - East (FOC-E) and Field Operations Center - West (FOC-W). The primary function is to provide information to ODR&R's internal and external customers and appropriate government offices at the Federal, State and local levels concerning the SBA Disaster Assistance Program.
Major duties
As a/an Public Affairs Specialist at theGS- 1035-11, some of your typical work assignments may include: Plan, organize, prepare, coordinate and evaluates written and oral communications directed to specific targeted audiences within the public, the media or government, according to guidelines established by the SBA. Exercise sound analytical skills and judgment in responding to inquiries about SBA's Disaster Loan making activities. Serve as a disaster program information link to offices of members of Congress, and Federal, State and local public/elected officials, providing them with explanations and written materials as necessary. Provide timely information to appropriate government officials through the course of a disaster declaration and otherwise as needed.
What you need to qualify
GS-11: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: Independently planning, organizing, and preparing a variety of communications such as press releases, presentations, articles, fact sheets, photos, and flyers for dissemination to media outlets, government stakeholders, and public audiences; AND Serving as an information link or spokesperson, including responding to inquiries from congressional offices, media, and government officials; preparing and delivering presentations, talking points, or speeches; and maintaining dialogue with stakeholders during high-tempo or disaster situations; AND Monitoring media coverage, identifying and correcting inaccuracies or misinformation, maintaining comprehensive contact lists and reference files. These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume. OR Education: If qualifying based on education, you must submit transcripts by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not be found eligible. 3 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR LL.M., in a field directly related to the position.Examples of related degrees include public affairs, Communications, public administration and other related fields. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR A combination experience as described in "A" and graduate level education as described in "B", when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of two full years (36 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. To compute, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours, and then divide that number by 18 to arrive at a percentage. Then, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12 to arrive at a second percentage. Add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100% to qualify. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications web site: General Schedule Qualification Standards 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. Generally, time in Non-Pay status as a federal employee is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed above. All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 08/05/2026.
Before you apply
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