What are the responsibilities and job description for the Public Affairs Specialist (Communication Specialist) Job at Internal Revenue Ser position at Internal Revenue Service?

Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

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This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Clarification from the agency

Open to IRS Career / Career-Conditional, Treasury / IRS CTAP, & IRS RPP employees

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Duties

WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER SERVICES DIVISION?

A description of the business units can be found at :

Vacancies will be filled in the following specialty areas :

Taxpayer Services Communications and Liaison

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level.

Provides analysis, oversight and guidance for assigned communication programs and initiatives throughout the Business Unit's Division.

Assists the Communications Manager or senior specialist in developing and implementing the required program plans.

Advises the Communications Manager or senior specialist or probable internal and external reactions to planned Service actions.

Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with members of the new media, and specialized groups interested in IRS programs.

Performs other duties as assigned.

This position has career progression. If you are selected at a grade level lower than the full working level, you may be non-competitively promoted as your career progresses. For example, you may be hired as a GS-05, but if the position has career progression to GS-11, then you may move from a GS-05 to a GS-11 in as little as three years.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD) :

PD96823, PD96824, and PD92132

Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. 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-time work 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.

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

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE : GS-7

You must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes : Experience with communications and program analysis technical rules, regulations, and precedents to apply to assigned portions of programs, projects and studies; Oral and written techniques in order to share factual information with public affairs staff and to document findings; Experience with basic objectives and policies governing various functional programs, operations and processes to assist in providing analysis and guidance.

At least one (1) academic year of graduate education related field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

Superior Academic Achievement - A Bachelors degree, with one of the following : A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Note : Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass / fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an Honor Society.

A combination of qualifying graduate education and experience equivalent to that described above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE : GS-9

You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes : Experience with written and oral communication techniques and methods to assist in providing guidance and oversight on assigned communication programs; Experience planning, gathering and verifying and editing digital photography and creating and developing computer graphics / desktop publishing; Analytical methods to evaluate data and make appropriate recommendations and interpersonal relation skills sufficient for establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.

Master's or equivalent degree in any field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work OR Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in a related field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR LL.B or J.D., if related.

An equivalent amount of combined graduate education and experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE : GS-11

You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes : Experience with written and oral communication techniques, communications models and applications used to reach audiences effectively and the ability to write articles and releases; Experience developing content for print and web mediums directed at a diverse employee audience; Analytical methods to evaluate data and make appropriate recommendations and interpersonal relation skills sufficient for establishing and maintain effective working relationships.

PH.D or equivalent doctoral degree in any field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work OR Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in any field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work OR LL.M., if related

A combination of qualifying graduate education and experience as described above.

MEET TIME IN GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT : You must meet applicable TIG requirements to be considered eligible. To meet TIG for positions above the GS-05 grade level, you must have served at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade (or equivalent) in the normal line of progression for the position you are applying to. Advancement to positions up to GS-05 is permitted if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade held within the preceding 52 weeks.

TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT : By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement, by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement, current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate, known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement, a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to "All US Citizens".

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Education

A copy of your transcripts or equivalent documentation is required for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. If the position has specific education requirements and you currently hold, or have previously held, a position in the same job series with the IRS, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time. Applicants are encouraged, but are not required, to submit an SF-50 documenting experience in a specific series.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION : Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Additional information

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.

The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

This is a bargaining unit position.

Tour of Duty : Day Shift - Start and stop times between 6 : 00 a.m. and 6 : 00 p.m.

Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.

In the event that a building is closed due to rent management, new hires may be placed in a local commuting location.

Telework Eligible Positions : Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. Employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements (e.g., reporting at least twice a pay period to your assigned Post of Duty (POD) ) and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. Employees must also be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.

Relocation expenses - NO

For more information regarding Union Representation click here

National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU

Benefits

Review our benefits

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. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Rating : Your application will be evaluated on the Critical Job Elements (CJE) of the position to be filled, in accordance with Article 13 of the IRS / NTEU National Agreement. Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions / assessment. Your experience, education, training, prior performance, and awards, relevant to the position being filled, will be considered throughout the hiring process. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at

Referral : 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 Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of 80 or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

Benefits

Review our benefits

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.

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

Resume - Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month / year to month / year or present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, include the hours worked per week. We recommend that your resume not exceed 5 pages. If including Federal service experience, you MUST provide the pay plan, series, and grade, i.e., GS-0301-09. If the pay plan, series, and grade are not provided, it may result in an ineligible determination.

Your resume must NOT include photographs, classified or government sensitive information, social security number (SSN), encrypted / digitally signed documents, or links to social media such as LinkedIn, or other inappropriate material or content. If your resume contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined ineligible, and you will not receive consideration for this position. (Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips. It is also recommended that your resume not include personal information such as age, gender, religion, race, disability, etc.

Online Application - Questionnaire responses

Education - See Education Section above

Performance Appraisal / Awards (if applicable) - You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating and copies of any incentive / performance awards you received. If a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note : If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.

Registration / License (if applicable) - active, current registration / license

IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP)(if applicable) - You MUST meet the requirements in your RPP notice. Submit a copy of your RPP Notice along with a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. Your performance appraisal must have a fully successful or higher overall rating.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)(if applicable) - You MUST submit the required documentation as outlined at : Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). If you are an IRS CTAP eligible, you can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area. If you are a Treasury CTAP eligible can apply for jobs within the commuting area.

NOTE :

DO NOT copy the specialized experience statement or position description into your resume for experience as this is not a demonstration of your experience and could result in an ineligible determination.

If you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11 : 59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 01 / 30 / 2025 and / or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8 : 00 a.m. - 4 : 00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 01 / 30 / 2025.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link :

To begin the application process, click the "Apply Online" button.

You will be re-directed to USASTAFFING to complete your application process; answer the online questions and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need was not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN).

To complete , you must click the "Submit Application" button prior to 11 : 59 PM (ET) on 01 / 30 / 2025.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (). 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 : Welcome | Login.gov. 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. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit :

Are you unsure how to write your federal resume? We are here to help. The Treasury Recruitment Service regularly offers Writing Your Federal Resume training sessions, and other career-related information sessions, to assist you in your career search journey. To register for a session, click here to go to our Career Information Sessions webpage.

Agency contact information

ERC) Employee Resource Center

Phone

866-743-5748

Website

Address

TS - Communications and Liaison

1111 Constitution Ave NW

Washington, DC 20224

Next steps

Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; to review reasonable accommodation policies and procedures please visit We provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Once your application package and online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email. You are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on "more information." Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. If your email mailbox is full or blocked (SPAM) you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at 1-866-743-5748 option #1 for ERC.

Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

Financial suitability

New employee probationary period

Privacy Act

Reasonable accommodation policy

Selective Service

Signature and false statements

Social security number request

Required Documents