The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is urgently hiring temporary Public Affairs Specialists to support disaster recovery for the 2025 hurricane season. You will help survivors and businesses to understand SBA's disaster loan programs by sharing information through press releases, interviews, social media, and outreach; responding to inquiries; and partnering with community leaders, officials, and media to ensure SBA delivers timely, accurate information that helps communities recover.
Generally, time in non-pay status is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed below. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify based on experience, education or a combination of both. Experience: To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer or that experience will not be credited for meeting the specialized experience requirement. GS-09: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This experience may have been gained in a Non-Federal service position. In addition, this Specialized Experience must demonstrate the following: Using social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X formerly known as Twitter) to share pre-approved announcements or updates on behalf of an organization, business, school, nonprofit, or community group; AND Assisting in the preparation or delivering of briefings, announcements, or community updates to customers, community groups, or local audiences; AND Establishing and maintaining relationships with community groups, local officials, or media representatives. OR
As a Public Affairs Specialist at the GS-1035-9, some of your typical work assignments may include: Assists with planning, organizing, and preparing press releases, photos, flyers, presentations, etc. directed to specific targeted audiences within the public, the media or government. Participates in the development and coordination of social media campaigns. Assists lead and senior Public Affairs Specialists in communicating with program managers in ODR&R to determine media, governmental and public information needs of the disaster program. Assist senior Public Affairs Specialist in preparing for the media coverage of local events such as press conferences, town hall meetings, and openings of disaster assistance centers. Assists senior Public Affairs Specialist or supervisor with their duties as a representative for ODR&R and supports them and the Center Director by preparing presentations and talking points as necessary. IMPORTANT NOTES: Resumes will be reviewed for qualifications and qualified eligible applicants will be referred to hiring officials on a weekly or earlier basis as needed in response to disaster activity. This is a temporary appointment in the Excepted service with an intermittent (on call) work schedule. This means that employees are in a pay and duty status only when activated to respond to workload needs, especially in response to heightened disaster activity. When no longer needed, employees return to a non-pay status until the next event necessitates additional staff. However, depending on the workload and/or level of disaster activity, your work schedule may be changed to full-time. Subsequently, if the workload decreases, your work schedule may be changed back to intermittent. If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.