Job Title: Public Affairs Specialist

Job Announcement Number on USAJobs.com: R3-11-518215-LO

Incumbent serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Office of the Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for External Affairs in the Regional Office at Bloomington, Minnesota.  This office provides public affairs, legislative affairs and Native American Desk Officer support services to the eight states of the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region.

This position focuses on the issues and activities of the Regional Chief for National Wildlife Refuge Systems in Region 3.  The incumbent serves as a primary contact for Refuges on public affairs, media relations, special events, environmental information, and outreach issues and is a key contributor to the development, improvement, control and efficiencies of programs and policies related to public affairs and outreach.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses are authorized for this position as described in the Federal Travel Regulations and Departmental policy.

The duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Participates in designing, planning, directing, advising and developing strategies for public affairs and outreach for the National Wildlife Refuge System relevant to Region 3 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• In consultation with the Refuge Regional Chief and the ARD for External Affairs, serves as the spokesperson for Refuges media inquiries.
• Develops and disseminates informational materials about controversial Refuges programs that involve identification of a communication objective, target audience, appropriate messages, the most appropriate type of media, the informational materials to be used, and a method of evaluating results.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with representatives from the news media in the Region, all Service customers (internal and external), Service personnel, and special interest groups, community leaders and State counterparts.
• Provides information and assistance to Service public affairs personnel in other locations and the Department officials needing information about local Service programs or facilities.
• Writes news releases, articles of interest for Service publications, as well as external publications, speeches, scripts, and other materials, and works with the media to disseminate information on national and regional progams of the Service, and answers media calls.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

By the closing date of this announcement, you must meet the minimum qualification requirements as outlined in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook and as identified in this announcement below. 

To qualify at the GS-13

: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12) in the Federal service is required.  Specialized experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Public Affairs Specialist.  Examples of specialized experience include work