Description

Title 21 Vacancy Announcement

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH)

Office of Communication and Education (OCE)

Division of Communication (DC)

 

Application Period:  Tuesday, November 14, 2023 through Thursday, December 15, 2023
Area of Consideration: United States Citizenship is required. You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.
Position:  Communication Specialist	Series: 1001
Location(s):  Remote Eligible position   Work Schedule:  Full Time	Salary: Salary is commensurate with education and experience and starts at $112,015.
Cures Band(s):       Band C	Full Performance Band Level:  Band C
Travel Requirements: This position requires up to 25% travel.   Bargaining Unit:     8888

This position is being filled under a streamlined hiring authority, Title 21, Section 3072 of the 21st Century Cures Act. The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment and be paid under the provisions of this authority.

Additional information on 21st Century Cures Act can be found here:

21st Century Cures Act Information

Introduction

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is the regulatory, scientific, public health and consumer protection agency responsible for ensuring all human and animal drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, foods, food additives, drugs and medicated feeds for food producing animals, tobacco and radiation emitting devices safe, and effective.

 

The mission of CDRH is to protect and promote the public health by performing essential public health tasks by making sure that medical devices and radiological health products are safe for people in the United States. OCE manages communication about medical devices and radiation-emitting products to external audiences, education for regulated industry, and communication and training for CDRH employees.

DC provides strategic direction for and manages the development and release of internal and external communication about medical devices and radiation-emitting products for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).

Meet one of the faces behind CDRH here.

Duties/Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Branch Chief, you will serve as a Communication Specialist setting long-term vision for CDRH strategic internal communication plans and projects that impact multiple offices within CDRH. This includes leading strategic communication planning to develop and deliver internal programmatic and organization information and messages to support employee engagement and inclusion and belonging. The incumbent develops related content for websites, leads research in best practices for internal communication, develops communication strategies for various CDRH working groups, programs, and initiatives, and explores and promotes innovative communication methods.

 

The Communication Specialist also performs the following duties:

• Provide guidance, based on change management best practices, to leadership and management.
• Conduct change readiness assessments and stakeholder analyses, work with stakeholders to develop key messages and communication materials in accordance with change goals and plans and act as a liaison between management, employees, and project teams.
• Work with other communicators and communication staff on cross-cutting issues to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Center and Agency colleagues, provide technical assistance and consultation to ensure effective cross-functional collaboration on internal communication and marketing.
• Analyze the current context or situation (including web analysis); identify gaps in knowledge about audiences, collect feedback from stakeholders; monitor channel use, use of communication materials, and participation.
• Help plan, manage, and conduct effectiveness evaluation of internal communications tactics, channels, and programs.

 

Qualifications

To be placed into a Cures position, candidates must meet the following criteria:

1. Scientific, Technical, and Professional Fields
2. Qualified and Outstanding Candidates
   1. Qualified applies to all candidates for Cures appointments. The FDA OTS will use the basic requirements defined in the OPM Qualification Standards as a baseline for comparing experience levels and other candidate attributes for relevant positions.
   2. Outstanding candidates can be defined by existing outstanding work experience, outstanding performance rating, or both.

 

In order to qualify for this Title 21 Cures position, the candidate(s) must meet the following required qualifications. Please note: Additional education and experience listed that is not indicated as required is preferable and desired. Candidates who do not meet the “desired” criteria will not be excluded from consideration for this position.

 

Professional Experience:  To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your resume the necessary qualifying experience for this position, which is equivalent to the following:

 

• Ability to develop change management plans or strategies using best practices and guidelines to communicate the transformation of an organization’s goals or processes.
• Conduct change impact analyses to evaluate the effects of change within an office.
• Consult with stakeholders to develop communication messages and materials that address change goals and plans.
• Ability to build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships with a diverse cadre of customers and stakeholders.

 

Desired Professional Experience:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work independently in a complex, service-intensive, deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to build and work effectively within teams.
• Ability to prioritize and make critical decisions.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and change.

How to Apply

How to Apply: Submit resume or curriculum vitae, with cover letter by November 30, 2023 to CDRH-Title-21-Recruitment@fda.hhs.gov. Compile all applicant documents into one combined document (i.e., Adobe PDF). Candidate resumes may be shared with hiring official within the CDRH with a similar job vacancy. Candidates can opt out of this process by annotating resume with “do not share”. Please include the following Job Reference ID in the subject line of your email submission:  OCE/DC Communication Specialist

 

PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply to this announcement. Officers must follow the instructions for how to apply and include their most recent orders in addition to the required documents. If selected, candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for a Cures appointment.

Conditions of Employment

• S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.

 

 

• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
• FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Financial Disclosure may be required.
• Ethics Clearance may be required.
• Background Investigation/Security Clearance is required. All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.

Security Clearance Requirements

Background Investigation/Security Clearance Requirements: This position requires a Public Trust security clearance.

Ethics Clearance Requirements

This position may require financial disclosure reporting and will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers. For more information please visit the FDA Ethics web page: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/jobs-and-training-fda/ethics.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when: An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job. An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace. An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about disability employment and reasonable accommodations or how to contact an agency.

E-Verify

The Food and Drug Administration participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.

Announcement Contact

For questions regarding this Cures position, please contact Dakia Jones at Dakia.Jones@fda.hhs.gov.    

 

The Department of Health and Human Services is an equal opportunity employer with a smoke free environment.

 

FDA is an equal opportunity employer.