Communication Specialist (O-5 Billet) Non-Supervisory

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve an 18 to 24-month commitment to IHSC.
• Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer. USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position. Civilians are not eligible for this position.
  
  

Qualifications

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Sitting or standing for extended periods of time (6-8 hours).
• Performing repeated bending motion.
• Average manual dexterity for computer operation.
• Phone use for extended periods of time.
  
  

Education

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Qualifying degree for the officer's category and an advanced degree (e.g., M.A. or M.S.) from an accredited institution plus a minimum of five years of professional experience relevant to the officer's category. Of the total professional experience, officer must possess at least four years direct experience related to public affairs (e.g., public relations or journalism).
• Expert writing skills to draft announcements, magazine articles, and consolidate information for dissemination across the organization.
• Experience using desktop publisher programs to create professional communications documents such as newsletters, postcards, flyers, invitations, or brochures.
• Ability to review documents and edit for plain language and the appropriate audience using correct grammar and punctuation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of program policies and guidelines, and operating procedures relating to communications.
• Knowledge of organizations and responsibilities of all levels of government operations for communications.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to sudden changes in schedules and work-related requirements.
• High degree of independence, initiative, and follow-through on a wide range of sensitive, complex, and program issues.
• Ability to use photography equipment to provide coverage for an event for magazine articles or historical archive.
• Knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and GovDelivery.
  
  

Additional information

IHSC has a multi-sector, multidisciplinary workforce of more than 1,670 employees, including U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) commissioned officers, federal civil servants, and contract staff. IHSC provides on-site direct patient care to detained noncitizens at 18 detention facilities throughout the country. It manages the provision of off-site medical care for noncitizens housed in approximately 128 additional non-IHSC-staffed facilities. In Fiscal Year 2023, IHSC delivered health care to approximately 131,000 detained noncitizens from 180 different countries. IHSC also provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground, and at sea.

ICU coordinates with ICE to facilitate official communications with internal and external audiences and maintain IHSC's websites. ICU supports IHSC's operations, staff, and priorities by delivering effective communications through research, planning, and collaboration. ICU includes three teams who support agencywide and strategic communications, and technical writing/editing. The Communications Team disseminates internal broadcast messages about events, policies, and trainings to IHSC staff. Each quarter, the team publishes the Communicator, IHSC's official magazine, which highlights staff across the organization. The team announces staff accomplishments in the monthly Positive News, and new staff in the Hails and Farewells newsletter. They facilitate IHSC Town Hall meetings throughout the year.

Supervisory Controls

The communications specialist works under the supervision of the writer/editor and IHSC Communications Unit chief.

Assignments are usually of a long-term, recurring or broadly defined nature. Officer plans, and organizes own work, determines sequence of assignments, selects and develops methods and seeks assistance from experts only rarely. Work is reviewed for attainment of objectives. Guidelines may apply to some but not all parts of assignment and may contain some inconsistencies and be partially unconfirmed. Selection and adaptation from available possibilities involving a moderate amount of modification and innovation is required. The officer uses judgment in interpreting and adapting guidelines such as PHS policies, regulations, precedents and work direction for application to specific cases.

The officer analyzes results and recommends changes in guidelines and program policies. Innovations and modifications to accepted procedures must be approved and clearly documented.

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• Help Help A 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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

Review our benefits

Eligibility 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.