Job Summary

The position serves as the Supervisory Public Affairs Officer (PAO) at VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS). The incumbent works with one large community, and several smaller communities, and their media to include print, television, and radio stations in promoting strong communication and logistics when positive and negative stories occur. The PAO must coordinate all efforts in a reactive and proactive mode.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/09/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience being responsible for and serving as a spokesperson conducting media interviews, applying advanced communication and analytical practices, methods and techniques to the solution of complex public affairs problems; advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with local media representatives and community groups; crisis communication and responding to Congressional Inquiries, identifying communication needs and developing informational materials to inform internal and external stakeholders of policies, programs, services and activities; and coordinating and implementing special events, ceremonies, outreach campaigns, tours, and other activities to generate public awareness of organization's mission; and experience preparing newsletters and other professional publications. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications and Media Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Interpersonal Skills Organizational Awareness Problem Solving 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. 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/.