Telework eligibleFederal

Public Affairs Specialist (Communications Coordinator)

Forest Service · Department of Agriculture

Public Affairs

Salary
$125,776–$163,514/year
Grade
14
Work location
Telework eligible · Redding, California; Riverside, California; Lakewood, Colorado +8 more
Schedule
Full-time
Posted
Oct 6, 2026
Apply by
Oct 16, 2026
Category
Public Affairs

Apply on USAJOBS →

Source: USAJOBS. Applications happen on the original posting, not on this site.

Summary

This position is located within the National Office Fire and Safety, Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) organization and will be located on a Forest Service unit. Incumbent is responsible for providing direction for internal and external strategic communications and outreach activities supporting the Forest Service mission in the disciplines of fire and/or aviation management. For more information about the duties of this position, contact Anthony "AJ" Bethas at [email protected]

Duties

Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in planning, organizing, and directing the overall strategic communication program in support of FAM mission, projects, and programs.

Participates in program policy formulation; advises on potential public reaction to proposed policies, plans, and actions; and determines appropriate communication strategies, goals, and objectives.

Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in providing advice and recommendations to the National Fire Leadership Team in the formulation of policies and development of communication plans and contingency plans.

Works with the Office of Communication to provide overall direction and authoritative guidance for all internal, external, media, web, print, mobile, and social media activities related to fire and aviation topics of the Forest Service.

Develops and maintains effective working relationships with USDA and the Forest Service employees, communication program representatives at the field level, news media, business professionals, civil leaders, and the general public.

Coordinates program activities for the FAM communication branch.

Provides leadership, allocates resources, and implements activities to accomplish Forest Service FAM multicultural organization direction and Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights requirements, goals, policies, and objectives.

Performs supervisory duties 20% or less of the time.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov New Forest Service supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program within a year of the effective date of the position. There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however, applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12971116

About this listing

Forest Service has 2 open listings on the site: all telework eligible. This one is telework eligible, based in Redding, California and 10 other locations. See all Forest Service listings, or read what fully remote and telework eligible mean.

Advertised pay is $125,776 to $163,514 a year. That covers GS-14 on the General Schedule, where pay also depends on step and locality; how GS pay works.

This announcement is open for 10 days, from Oct 6, 2026 to Oct 16, 2026. Among currently open Public Affairs postings, the typical advertised window is about 10 days. As of Oct 15, 2026, it closes in 1 day.

Who can apply: federal employees eligible for career transition programs, employees of the hiring agency and land and base management employees. This announcement is not open to the general public. The announcement's "This job is open to" section has the exact eligibility rules.

Similar open roles

Context computed from the GovRemoteJobs inventory as of Oct 15, 2026, refreshed daily.

Check your resume against this job

Rule-based, on-device analysis — your resume text is never sent to our servers or stored anywhere. Not a substitute for professional resume review.