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PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (BILINGUAL CHINESE)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
This job announcement has closed

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Summary

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has a distinguished history dating back to the founding of our nation. As the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, Treasury is a major and influential leader in today's global economy. We have over 100,000 employees across the country and around the world. Come Join the Department of the Treasury and Invest in Tomorrow.

See “Other Information” for Locations.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
01/26/2021 to 02/08/2021
Salary
$103,690 to - $146,120 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
3 vacancies in the following locations:
San Francisco, CA
Washington, DC
New York, NY
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 0 - 2 Nights Per Month
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
21MEM-CLS0178-1035-13
Control number
590390500

Duties

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WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST DO? IRS Public Affairs/Media Relations Specialists are the designated spokespersons for the agency. Oral and written communication skills are essential for responding to reporters and other members of the media who make official inquiries, consulting with IRS leadership and informing the public (individuals, business and tax-exempt organizations) of key IRS messages regarding federal tax law, filing requirements and procedures. You will develop professional working relationships with reporters in your assigned area of responsibility. You will research nuances of the tax law, consult with IRS subject matter experts and respond to reporters. You’ll consult with internal customers; prepare communication plans to meet specific objectives; develop communication vehicles such as news releases, fact sheets, tax tips and web and social media content and then initiate contacts with print, broadcast and social media outlets using those vehicles to publicly place IRS messages. Field (regional) Media Relations Specialists have responsibility for local stories and events as well as crisis and disaster communications within their assigned territory. National Media Relations Specialists play a critical role in consulting, advising and supporting senior IRS executives in representing the agency on a national level with major national media outlets.

What is the Communications & Liaison Division (C&L) Division? The Communications & Liaison Division (C&L) works to support the IRS mission through information-sharing activities ranging from internal communications with IRS employees to external outreach and education with taxpayers, the tax professional community, partner groups, social and traditional media as well as Congress and state and local agencies.

As a Public Affairs Specialist (Media Relations Specialist)  you will: 

  • Establish and maintain mutual communication between news media outlets, IRS leadership and the general public.
  • Identify communication needs, develop informational materials and deliver key organizational messages that inform appropriate external audiences of the agency's policies, programs, services and activities.
  • Serve as a communications subject matter expert advising on appropriate communication strategies and tactics.
  • Write news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, FAQs, web and social media content and scripts for both audio and video products. Daily interaction with reporters responding to their inquiries and initiating contacts with them to execute media campaigns.
  • Explain federal tax law in plain-English to reporters and the general public, based on your research of internal resource materials and information provided from interaction with subject matter experts.
  • Represent the IRS as the designated official spokesperson in print and broadcast interviews, both live and recorded, on radio and television.

If you do not meet any of the categories listed above, you may wish to apply under announcement 21MEM-CLX0177-1035-13 which is open for any US citizen to apply. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? If you want to find out more about IRS careers, visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Refer to Other Information.
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • Current/former Federal employees must have held a Career/Career Cond Appt
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

 BILINGUAL POSITIONS ONLY: This is a bilingual position. Applicants will be required to demonstrate proficiency in Chinese.You must be able to speak, read and write the selected language in order to be considered proficient in that language. If you indicate language proficiency, you may be tested at some point in the hiring process to determine if you possess the required level of proficiency. If you are unable to demonstrate proficiency, you will not be qualified for these positions.

Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE.  Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-13 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience developing and implementing of all aspects of a public affairs program that involved media relations communication strategies for audiences that required knowledge of communication and media relations principles, practice and techniques; and experience analyzing a number of alternative approaches in the process of advising management concerning major aspects of the public affairs program including exploring the target audience and creating messages to reach them using the appropriate media vehicles.

- The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.
- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following, if applicable:

You must have been at the GS-12 level for 52 weeks (time-in-grade requirement).

Additional information

3 Positions are located in Communications & Liaison Division (C&L), The Office of Communications Media Relations Branch/Bilingual - Chinese. The positions may be filled in any of the following locations:

  • Washington, Dc
  • San Francisco, CA
  • New York, NY

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS: GS-13 (99367)

A PM/C SharePoint site is available for IRS Employees at: https://organization.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/HCOETS/PMC/SPDLibrary/SitePages/Home.aspx

The anticipated start date is To Be determined.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.  Additional jobs may be filled.
  • Relocation expenses –“no”.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  •  A 1-year probationary period is required.
  •  Must successfully complete a background investigation including an FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
  •  Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
  •  If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  •  Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  •  Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
  • Undergo an income tax verification and review of prior performance/conduct.
  • Tour of Duty:  Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  •  Must meet IRS telework eligibility requirements.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated based on the IRS Merit Promotion Plan in the following areas: Communications and Media, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communications/Speaking, Problem Solving, and Writing.

Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/indexawd.htm.

Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

ReferralYou will be assigned to one of three quality groups. Each group represents a quality level (i.e., Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, Qualified). Candidates will be considered in quality group order.

If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.

You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a score of Highly Qualified or better to be rated as well qualified" to receive special selection priority.



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