Department of Justice

Public Affairs Specialist

Washington, District of Columbia Full time

Public Affairs Specialist

Department: Department of Justice

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Major Duties:

  • Serves as a Public Affairs Specialist for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), reporting to the Chief, Public Information Office, and working closely with the Director, and members of the BOP's Executive Staff to ensure a smooth flow of accurate and timely information to and from: the Director's Office; between the various components of the BOP; and with outside agencies, the media, and the public. Assists in coordinating public information activity with Department of Justice Public Affairs staff. Responsible for planning, developing, and implementing strategies to respond to inquiries that are, most often, controversial, highly complex, and sensitive, and could significantly impact the BOP, affecting its overall operation and mission.

Qualifications: To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Education: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position. Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled. Some examples of this qualifying experience are: Experience which demonstrated the ability to provide a smooth and accurate flow of information between agency components, government agencies, the media and the public. Experience planning, developing, and implementing strategies to respond to controversial, complex, and sensitive inquiries. Experience which demonstrated the ability to provide upper management with information that affects its agency, policies or programs. If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities. **Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

How to Apply: You must apply through the online application system at www.USAJOBS.gov. Follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions and submit all required documents. Limit your resume to 2 pages. If the only resume(s) received is/are longer than two pages, your application is ineligible for further consideration. Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described under the Required Documents section. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. USAJOBS Help Center - How to add a resume to your profile Required supporting documentation must be electronically uploaded or transferred from USAJOBS (uploaded). All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You MUST include the vacancy announcement number on your supporting documentation. Supporting documentation for announcements with an application limitation MUST be uploaded the same day you apply, as these positions may close earlier than stated in the announcement. Paper applications: If applying online is impossible, please contact the Consolidated Staffing Unit at the telephone number listed below, prior to the closing date of the announcement for the alternate application procedure. If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants. Contact for Assistance in Applying On-Line: DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons Consolidated Staffing Unit 346 Marine Forces Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75051 E-Mail: BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov Phone: 972-352-4200 How do I Apply for this Position if I am a Military Spouse applying under the Special Hiring Authority? Military Spouses who meet the requirement of Executive Order 13832 MUST include the vacancy announcement number on all supporting documentation, as well as the appointing authority used. For more information Click Here. To be considered for this Special Hiring Authority, applicants must submit package to BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov. Submit resume must contain all information listed in the Qualifications Section (i.e. transcripts, certification, registration, and/or license, if applicable). It is recommended you limit your resume to 2-pages in preparation for future announcement requirements. A copy of their spouse's Department of Defense (DD) Form 214 and/or orders verifying the military member's current active-duty status. Documentation confirming marriage to the service member. If applicable, a copy of documentation from either the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense indicating the service member possesses a disability rating of 100 percent due to a service-connected disability. Your completed application packet must be submitted to the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You must include the last four digits of your social security number and the vacancy announcement number on your application packet. DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION ON-LINE.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-04