Summary The position is located within the VA Headquarters Office of Communications in the Veterans Health Administration and serves as the Deputy Director to the Executive Director for VHA's Office of Communications playing a key role in assisting the Executive Director with planning, managing, and evaluating a broad array of communication services that provide direct support to the Office of the Under Secretary for Health and direction or support to VHA Headquarters programs and field operations. Responsibilities ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major Duties: Serves as an alter ego to the Executive Director for Communications (EDC), fully sharing with the EDC the direction of all phases of the organization's program and work. Assists the Executive Director in the development of VHA strategic communications and marketing plans; disseminates key messages and official positions on public issues; and promotes VHA mission, vision and activities. Manages assigned staff, develops priorities, and assigns projects; assures that appropriate services are provided, and goals are defined and achieved; develops staff skills and conducts performance evaluations; meets regularly with staff to discuss and resolve priorities, workload and technical issues; develops additional hiring/staffing recommendations; and manages internal/external stakeholder relationships. Provides counsel to the Under Secretary of Health (USH) and senior leaders on strategic communications issues and coordinates communications between the USH, senior leaders, and key stakeholder groups. Leads/assists in VHA/VA culture change initiatives through relevant, ongoing internal/external communications initiatives/activities. Reviews and guides the work of VHA Communications staff to assure the work quality and timely accomplishment of assigned duties and responsibilities. Manages budget and allocates resources to meet established VHA strategic goals. Develops methods, assessments, and plans, for increasing corporate identity/VISN and facility visibility. Oversees policy development and governance activities relating to the communications that support and facilitate the ability of VHA facilities to establish eligibility for VA sponsored health care benefits. Oversees VHA's initiatives to educate the general public, media, and VA stakeholders (including members of Congress) of the activities and services carried out by VHA. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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 GS-15: You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-14) in the Federal service to qualify for this position. Specialized Experience: Executive strategic engagement and communications experience specific to healthcare and clinical programs and health-related technology modernizations that included planning, managing, and evaluating all or most of the following: marketing and strategic communications budget development and management (more than $5 million annually); government centric communications contract management, specific to healthcare policy and interoperability; internal and external corporate/executive communications strategies; strategic message development for senior executives and public-facing health campaigns; crisis communication planning and mitigation; national and regional marketing strategies and campaigns including brand and corporate identity management; industry relations, thought leadership, and strategic partnership development and management; media relations (earned/placed/paid); stakeholder and third-party validator engagement and communications; social media strategies and content development; preparation of communication materials including speeches/public remarks, press releases, health policy white papers, public statements, FAQ development on complex healthcare related issues, and executive briefing books/presentations; and experience disseminating key messages and information regarding public issues spanning multiple communications and marketing platforms. (Note: This experience must be reflected in your resume for you to receive further consideration.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Leadership Problem Solving Project Management IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. 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. Additional Information 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.