Summary This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO), Strategic Programs Division (SPD), Communications and Industry Liaison Branch (CILB). The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Communications and Industry Liaison Specialist and provide accurate, complete, and timely communication and industry engagement for legislative and procurement matters in support of OCPO. Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position. Responsibilities As a Public Affairs Specialist, GS-1035-13, your typical work assignments may include the following: Conduct outreach and training sessions with both internal and external audiences to better understand stakeholders' needs as they relate to DHS Procurement or to communicate OCPO priorities, policies, and procedures. Meet with industry to advise and explain the process of doing business with the Department and serve as a sounding board on matters between industry and DHS acquisition professionals. Participate in the development, implementation and assessment of the OCPO internal communication and industry engagement strategies, targeting both internal and external audiences. This includes providing oversight, leading implementation, and executing plans that ensures consistency with OCPO's strategic goals, initiatives, procurement policies, and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) and DHS branding guidelines. Manage all forms of communication and industry engagement activities (e.g., Website content, Blogs,Vlogs, press releases, resource guides, training materials and sessions, in-person, and hybrid events, etc.). Track, measure, and evaluate the benefit, impact, and effectiveness of those communication methods and maintain the OCPO DHS.gov and DHS Connect webpages. Prepare and present high-level briefings. Prepare and analyze reports, responses to queries, justifications, and background papers on the technical aspects of areas of expertise and assignment. All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications APPLICANTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY MEET THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AS NOTED BELOW. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in Federal service or equivalent private/public sector experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Develop and apply strategic approaches to challenging communications or industry engagement problems of the organization. Represent an agency on multi-agency task forces or industry-related events involving broad procurement or organizational issues or initiatives. Review procurement or contract related documents and ensure compliance with regulatory and procedural guidelines. Communicate effectively and diplomatically to defend an agency's position in meetings with industry officials or other agencies and organizations. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement. Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE. 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. If selection is made at the GS-13 level, promotion to the GS-14 level may occur without further competition. Education Not Applicable Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable\_Accommodations\_for\_USA\_Hire The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for a Moderate Risk Public Trust as a condition of placement in this Non-Sensitive position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.