Director of Communications and Outreach, AD-0301-00 (Senior Manager) (Excepted Service)

SummaryThe Director Communication and Outreach is located in Principal Deputy Chief Operating Officer (PDCOO) in Washington, DC. This position is a key leader at FSA, reporting to the Principal Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for advising senior staff on proposals and issues involving controversy, intensive outside interest, or significant long-range effects on the programs.Learn more about this agencyDutiesAs a Director of Communication and Outreach, AD-0301-00 (Senior Manager), you will be responsible for:Driving the overall vision, strategy, and execution of FSA’s communication and outreach plan.As a recognized expert, providing leadership in the evaluation, assessment and improvement of programs and management systems by applying a wide range of qualitative and quantitative techniques.Providing program oversight and guidance that addresses modern communication practices and management approaches, drawing heavily upon best practices from the private sector and other Federal agencies.Planning, developing, directing, and managing the communication and outreach strategy and team to meet FSA strategic goals.Recommending the appropriate customer centric solutions to support the policies and directives issued by the Department of Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA), and the Intermediate of Chief Operations Office.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentMust be a US CitizenMales 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.May be required to successfully complete a two-year trial period.May be required to successfully complete a one-year supervisory probationary period.Must be determined suitable for federal employment.This position is eligible for telework.This position is non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures. This position requires financial disclosure. This position is not included in the bargaining unit.QualificationsALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Specialized experience for the Director of Communications and Outreach, AD-0301-00 (Senior Manager) is demonstrated by performing one year of experience equivalent to the GS-15 level in each of the following three (3) duties or work assignments:Specialized experience developing or managing the strategic vision and working with strategic partners to finalize a national organization's communication and outreach plan.Specialized experience providing oversight and guidance on modern communication practices and management approaches integrating best practices from private sector and other federal agencies into the communications and outreach programs.Specialized experience leading a team in the implementation and accomplishment of a national communication and outreach plan utilizing best practices to improve communications programs.Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; 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.Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience.For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.EducationEducation cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.Foreign Education:Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education .Additional InformationAPPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 100 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 100th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.Equal Employment Opportunity: We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a parent, marital status, or political affiliation.People with Disabilities: We are committed to expanding access to employment by hiring people with disabilities; providing reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and, identifying and removing barriers to work. Persons with disabilities, including disabled veterans, may apply for jobs filled either competitively (where qualified individuals compete with one another through a structured process), noncompetitively (where a qualified individual may be selected based on a special hiring authority), or through an excepted appointing authority for people with disabilities (i.e., Schedule A). If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact us (FSARecruiting@ed.gov). The decision on granting reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please visit: http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.aspVeterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email Iwork@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and subject to a pre-appointment investigation/background check.Level of Risk and Sensitivity: Level of this position T2 and the sensitivity is High Risk.Read moreHelpA 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 window Learn more about federal benefits .FSA is a great place to work. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). As an FSA employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you, may include teleworking and alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.For more information about the many benefits available to Federal employees, please visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/.Review our benefitsEligibility 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 EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants: Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications: Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. Rating and Ranking: If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required competencies by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Your application may be referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided. If your responses to the assessment questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions):VisionCommunications and MediaOrganizational Performance Analysis Application of Veterans' Preference: Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles will be ranked ahead of qualified non-preference eligibles within each category for which they are qualified. Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS and CP) will be placed at the top of the Best Qualified category, except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Referral and Selection: If you are found to be amongst the best qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process or written assessment or exercise, please inform the selecting official at the time of scheduling.You may preview questions for this vacancy.