Public Affairs Specialist

This position is located within the National Office Fire and Safety, Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) organization. Incumbent is responsible for providing direction for internal/external strategic communications and outreach activities supporting the Forest Service mission in the disciplines of fire and/or aviation management. For more information about the duties of this position, contact Anthony "AJ" Bethas anthony.bethas@usda.gov. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in planning, organizing, and directing the overall strategic communication program in support of FAM mission, projects, and programs.

Participates in program policy formulation; advises on potential public reaction to proposed policies, plans, and actions; and determines appropriate communication strategies, goals, and objectives.

Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in providing advice and recommendations to the National Fire Leadership Team in the formulation of policies and development of communication plans and contingency plans.

Works with the Office of Communication to provide overall direction and authoritative guidance for all internal, external, media, web, print, mobile, and social media activities related to fire and aviation topics of the Forest Service.

Develops and maintains effective working relationships with USDA and the Forest Service employees, communication program representatives at the field level, news media, business professionals, civil leaders, and the general public.

Coordinates program activities for the FAM communication branch.

Provides leadership, allocates resources, and implements activities to accomplish Forest Service FAM multicultural organization direction and Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights requirements, goals, policies, and objectives.

Performs supervisory duties 20% or less of the time.

Conditions of Employment: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.gov. New Forest Service supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period. There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however, applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations.

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.