Public Affairs Specialist (Director of Communications)

Summary The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum creates, educates, disseminates & amplifies the historical record of the accomplishments of American women. This position is located in the Office of Communications, which manages communications & public affairs, such as media relations, brand management, social media, internal communications, crisis communications and issues management. Duties The Head of Communications and Brand Engagement is responsible for managing communications and public affairs for the museum. In this position, you will: Plan and coordinate the day-to-day, annual, and long-term work for the communications/public affairs program, overseeing all internal and external communications plans and decisions while providing administrative and technical direction. Speak on behalf of the museum to the news media as the museum's public information officer, ensuring information provided is accurate and delivered timely. Contribute communications and marketing expertise to the development of SAWHM exhibitions, public programs, digital projects, and physical building. Develop, direct and execute the brand strategy for all collateral print and digital. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to explore marketing and outreach strategies and to develop and implement brand strategies for targeted stakeholder groups. Supervise others, planning and carrying out the full range of supervisory authorities related to assignment of work. Oversee projects working collaboratively and effectively across departments demonstrating teamwork at all levels. Serve as Technical Point of Contact on contracts, assisting contracting officer's representative to negotiate, prepare and manage service agreements. Requirements Conditions of employment Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation May need to complete a Probationary Period Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service. Conditions of Employment Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website. Qualifications Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as managing communications and public affairs for a museum or a cultural institution to include media relations, brand management, social media, websites, internal communications, crisis communications and issues management. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience. 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; 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. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week. Additional information This position is not included in the bargaining unit. Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options. Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description. Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/ Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/