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Public Affairs Specialist

AT U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State

Public Affairs Specialist

Washington, DC

Summary

This position is in the Media Monitoring Unit, Office of Analytics, Research and Analytics DASdom, Bureau of Global Public Affairs (GPA/RA/AN/MM). GPA carries out the Secretary's mandate to articulate the foreign policy of the United States and to communicate with and engage U.S. and global audiences. This position analyzes and reports on communications planning and issues, as well specific collected media content as it relates to U.S. national security objectives and Public Diplomacy (PD).

Duties

  • Advises senior GPA officials on strategies and approaches to advance U.S. interests.
  • Maintains strategic networks with other public affairs employees and stakeholders throughout the Department and USG to improve GPA /AN/MM's products and services.
  • Liaises with elements of GPA and stakeholders involved with various GPA and GPA/RA/AN/MM products and services.
  • Attends meetings, briefings and conferences, and serves as a member of departmental working groups involving audience research and strategic engagements.
  • At the GS-11 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receives closer supervision than the GS-12 and GS-13 level.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
  • Experience assisting with the research, analysis and interpretation of the U.S. national security and public diplomacy objectives at a regional, nation-state, and intra-state level and providing insights in finished reporting for senior officials.
  • Experience utilizing as well as developing analytics tools to identify, collect, and analyze complex datasets related to an organization priorities and produce media narrative analyses, short-form analytical reports, and support crisis operations.
  • Experience providing assistance with the management of media monitoring programs, developing program goals, overseeing daily workflows, ensuring project execution, and performing quality control of deliverables
  • Experience as a Program Manager for an Office Director or above, overseeing media monitoring programs including crisis communications and rapid response, developing program goals, overseeing daily workflows, ensuring project execution, and performing quality control of deliverables.
OR

B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. from an accredited college or university.

OR

C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS- 09 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position.

Applicants applying for the GS-12 grade level:

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
  • Experience researching, analyzing, interpreting U.S. national security and public diplomacy objectives at a regional and nation-state, and intra-state level and providing insights in finished reporting for senior officials.
  • Experience utilizing as well as developing analytics tools to identify, collect, and analyze complex datasets related to an organization priorities and produce media narrative analyses, short-form analytical reports, and support crisis operations.
  • Experience using data analysis and social listening tools such as, Google Analytics, Google Looker, Google Big Query, Meltwater and Brandwatch.
  • Experience as a Program Manager for an Office Director or above, overseeing media monitoring programs including crisis communications and rapid response, developing program goals, overseeing daily workflows, ensuring project execution, and performing quality control of deliverables.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.

Applicants applying for the GS-13 grade level:

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
  • Experience overseeing the researching, analyzing, interpreting of U.S. national security and public diplomacy objectives at a regional and nation-state level and providing insights in finished reporting for senior officials.
  • Experience conducting frequent observations of media content used to adjust or change the organization's approach to support foreign policy objectives.
  • Experience maintaining networks with publica affairs community throughout the organization.
  • Experience as a Program Manager for an Office Director or above, overseeing media monitoring programs including crisis communications and rapid response, developing program goals, overseeing daily workflows, ensuring project execution, and performing quality control of deliverables.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information
  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
  • Benefits

    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 window Learn more about federal benefits.

    Review our benefits

    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.
How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job. Note: Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:
  1. Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
  2. Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
  3. Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Knowledge of U.S. society, foreign relations, and world events.
  • Knowledge of media/public relations methods and techniques.
  • Ability to analyze and evaluate information derived from a variety of sources.
  • Skill in developing and implementing outreach strategies and communications plans.
  • Ability to communicate effectively.
Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category [,except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference on OPM's Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.

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Client-provided location(s): Washington, DC, USA
Job ID: USDep-HRSC/GPA-2025-0004
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Long-Term Disability
  • Parental Benefits

    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Pension
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Access to Online Courses
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Mentor Program

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