Summary
Join the IAF, an independent agency of the U.S. Government which promotes community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The incumbent serves as the technical advisor on communications strategy for agency, drafting and editing a wide range of documents including, but not limited to articles, annual reports, talking points, press releases, factsheets, social media messages and videos supporting engagement in high-profile initiatives and events and engaging with the media.
This job is open to
- Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees who meet the definition of a “surplus” or “displaced” employee.
- Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of this agency.
Clarification from the agency
Current employees within the Inter-American Foundation in the local commuting area who are on a career or career conditional appointment, or who are eligible for consideration under non-competitive procedures or special hiring authority may apply.
Duties
- Leading annual content creation cycles through:
- analysis of audience, goals and messaging content and channels;
- development of an editorial calendar;
- research and information-gathering from subject matter experts;
- writing, editing, proofreading and/or oversight of production of communications materials; and
- evaluation of the performance of the communications materials.
- Independently managing the production, drafting, editing, and clearance of communications materials covering a variety of subjects and audiences clarifying the agency’s position on potentially sensitive, controversial and/or complex issues.
- Collaborating with Foundation subject matter experts and external sources to write, edit, and prepare communication products and/or to obtain quality information from these sources about various topics related to IAF programs.
- Advising IAF leadership and staff on communications-related matters, including identifying and crafting key agency strategic messages, advising on IAF participation in high-visibility events and fora, navigating agency communications on politically sensitive issues, and managing public relations crises.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- US Citizenship is required.
- Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation.
- Direct Deposit of pay is required.
- Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
- Status candidates must meet time-in-grade (see Qualifications).
Qualifications
At the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications: Have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties the position. Specialized experience for this position is: experience to guide or contribute to communications projects utilizing varied communication mediums and to recommend communication methods and strategies that promote communication objectives and facilitate mutual understanding with various audiences. Specialized experience also includes:
- writing and editing various types of publications, content and releases;
- identifying and selecting pertinent facts and integrating them into communication materials; and
- developing and managing the delivery of announcements through various social media platforms.
Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
This position contains a selective placement factor (SPF) that is part of the minimum requirement of the position (you must demonstrate this on your resume). If you do not meet the SPF, you are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: You must be professionally proficient to speak, read, understand, and write in English and Spanish.
If selected for an interview, there may be a written exercise and portions of the interview will be conducted in Spanish.
TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).
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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
There is no education substitution for this position.
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. 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 RA for Online Assessments here.
Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Please refer to Required Documents section for additional details. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/
Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:
Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
Other Special Appointment Authorities
Telework Suitability:
The duties of this position are suitable for occasional telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criterion in the 2010 Telework Act.
Stipulations of Employment:
Selection may require completion of a 1-year probationary period.
Work Schedule:
This position allows for a flexible work schedule.
Miscellaneous:
IAF uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days.
If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.
- 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 windowLearn 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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position (if applicable). You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
Note: Duplicative competencies indicate that the competency is being assessed in both the Assessment Questionnaire and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment.
- Analytical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
- Communications and Media
- Customer Service
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Interpersonal Skills
- Oral Communication
- Reading Comprehension
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Written Communication
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online USA Hire Competency Based Assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
- 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 windowLearn 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.
- Required Documents
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed.
2. SF-50 or DD-214
- Current/Former Career/Career-Conditional Eligible: Your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, as well as the highest grade (or promotion potential) held, on a permanent basis
3. Other supporting documents:
- SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
- Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
- Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
- Cover letter, optional but highly recommended
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials – you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency’s staffing offices.
It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.
- How to Apply
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to EO 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- To begin the application process, click Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. You may preview the Application Questionnaire at:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11946428
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- Read the Eligibility questions carefully. The questions address if you are eligible to apply to this JOA. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position.
- After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessment through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your “Spam” or “Junk” folder.
- If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessment. Click here for Computer System Requirements.
- Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take the assessment; however, most applicants complete the assessment in less time. If you need to stop the assessment and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login . All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/.
Agency contact information
Patty Oliva
Email
Claudia_Oliva@ibc.doi.gov
Address
Inter-American Foundation 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1200 North Washington, DC 20004 US
Next steps
If you have questions about this job, please contact the HR Office representative listed in the “Agency Contact Info” section of this vacancy announcement. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please refer to the How to Apply section above and explore the Federal Application Process information on the USAJobs website.
Online Assessment Helpdesk – If you have any questions about the assessments, please submit a help desk ticket here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket
For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly. A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
- Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed.
2. SF-50 or DD-214
- Current/Former Career/Career-Conditional Eligible: Your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, as well as the highest grade (or promotion potential) held, on a permanent basis
3. Other supporting documents:
- SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
- Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
- Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
- Cover letter, optional but highly recommended
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials – you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency’s staffing offices.
It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.
How to Apply
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to EO 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- To begin the application process, click Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. You may preview the Application Questionnaire at:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11946428
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- Read the Eligibility questions carefully. The questions address if you are eligible to apply to this JOA. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position.
- After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessment through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your “Spam” or “Junk” folder.
- If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessment. Click here for Computer System Requirements.
- Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take the assessment; however, most applicants complete the assessment in less time. If you need to stop the assessment and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login . All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/.
Agency contact information
Patty Oliva
Claudia_Oliva@ibc.doi.gov
Address
Inter-American Foundation 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1200 North Washington, DC 20004 US
Next steps
If you have questions about this job, please contact the HR Office representative listed in the “Agency Contact Info” section of this vacancy announcement. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please refer to the How to Apply section above and explore the Federal Application Process information on the USAJobs website.
Online Assessment Helpdesk – If you have any questions about the assessments, please submit a help desk ticket here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket
For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly. A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request