Summary Serves as Chief of the Office of Public & Community Relations under the direct supervision of the Assistant Medical Center Director, Dayton VA Medical Center (VAMC), Dayton, Ohio, and has primary responsibility and oversight of Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), Public Affairs and Veterans Experience. Responsibilities Develops, manages, coordinates, maintains, and integrates the public affairs programs, congressional relations, media relations, community relations, event management and internal/external communications that include the development and maintenance of both the internet and intranet site, and multiple social media outlets. Responsible for budget forecasting, planning, and allocating of resources, accounting, and financial reporting; identifies service budget needs and negotiates with management to arrive at appropriate funding levels that make the most effective use of resources in accomplishing the service needs and those of the Medical Center. Works closely with senior management and others in implementing and evaluating policies, plans, and internal operational systems such as correspondence management, information tracking among pertinent offices and stakeholders, and internal/external communication flows. Maintains regular communications, interaction, and building programs with Veteran Service Organizations at the local, county, and state levels. Interprets regulations or policies and properly implement their provisions. Applies advanced qualitative and quantitative techniques to perform thorough management analysis of current and projected diagnostic service programs. Oversees the daily operation of the service, ensures that agency policies and priorities are being followed; develops performance standards; and evaluates work performance of all subordinates. Program Management 50 Percent The incumbent functions at the expert level and exercises oversight, stewardship, and program management responsibilities for all aspects of Public Affairs, Congressional, Media, and Stakeholder Relations, Publication Management, and Crisis Communication management with supervisory responsibility for Public Affairs, Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), and Veteran Experience. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining regular communications, interaction, and building programs with Veteran Service Organizations at the local, county, and state levels. They interact regularly with leaders at the local, county and state offices for Veterans Affairs as well as local, state, and federal elected officials. The incumbent develops, manages, coordinates, maintains, and integrates the public affairs programs, congressional relations, media relations, community relations, event management and internal/external communications that include the development and maintenance of both an internet and intranet site, and multiple social media outlets. The incumbent has final decision-making authority, responsibility, and accountability on issues affecting the stakeholder relations for both internal and external communications. Collaborates with operations and program managers to ensure that integrated goals and priorities for the medical center are met. He/she works closely with other service chiefs to meet their needs as internal customers, as well as the needs of external customers. This includes support of community resources, public affairs, CDCE, and congressional/stakeholder affairs and relations in support of the medical center. Budget, Fiscal and Resource Management 25 Percent The incumbent is responsible for service resource management and allocation, utilization, and implementing performance measures to provide ongoing assessments of service quality, administrative proficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The position requires excellent financial, human resource, strategic planning, interpersonal, and communication skills. The incumbent is responsible for budget forecasting, planning, and allocating of resources, accounting, and financial reporting. The incumbent identifies service budget needs and negotiates with management to arrive at appropriate funding levels that make the most effective use of resources in accomplishing the service needs and those of the Medical Center. The incumbent analyzes actual expenses as compared to the budget plan and projections to indicate needed adjustments. The incumbent is responsible for setting policy for the entire service budget and authorizing the reallocation of resources based on the shifting needs and priorities. Supervisory Duties 25 Percent The incumbent provides technical and administrative supervision for a service of 32 FTEE. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD806130 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/03/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: acting in a position such as a Public Affairs Officer, Public Affairs Specialist, or Public Information Officer serving both internal and external communication needs for an organization utilizing a variety of mediums, participating in public speaking engagements, meetings, public relations evens, answering inquiries and disseminating information to various social media organizations/venues, etc. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Systems Thinking Organization Stewardship Reasoning Interpersonal Skills Organizational Awareness Leadership Oral Communication Reading Financial Analysis 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 generally sedentary with walking, standing and bending required during presentations, visits and tours of the health care system. Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring during other than normal business hours. Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other materials. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.