Department: Department of Energy
Location(s): Portland, Oregon
Salary Range: $54370 - $104610 Per Year
Job Summary: This position is part of the Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy (BPA), Digital Media and Visual Design (NKD) organization within Communications (NK), which reports to the Chief Administrative Office (N). As a Public Affairs Specialist (Digital Media) (Recent Grad), you will serve as a Digital Media Employee in the Digital Media and Visual Design (NKD) organization.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: To be eligible for the Recent Graduate program you must be a: Recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. -OR Student who within 90 days of the closing date of this announcement will meet the education requirements and will graduate with a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. A student may not be appointed to a position until they have graduated. -OR Preference eligible veteran who was precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: GS-7: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience: 1) assisting with photography and video production, including capturing and editing content for various digital platforms, 2) knowledge of photography and videography equipment, and 3) drafting basic written communications for the purpose of conveying information to audiences with different levels of understanding. At the GS-7 level you may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One year of graduate-level education, or superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) gained in a bachelor's degree curriculum from an accredited college or university, that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing is being in the upper third of your graduating class, based on completed courses. Grade point average (GPA) is defined as: A GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Honor society membership is defined as a member of one of the national scholastic honor societies, as listed by the Association of College Honor Societies. -OR- Combination of education and experience as described above: If you have some specialized experience as described above, but less than one year; and you have less than one full year of graduate level education, you may combine your education and experience to meet the requirements. To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. GS-9: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience: 1) in visual communication activities such as illustration, photography, presentations, video production, and/or social media which aligned with organizational objectives, 2) assisting with photography and video production including capturing and editing content such as developing news stories, feature articles, or quasi-technical content, that engaged a range of audiences, and 3) establishing relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders to produce clear, concise written materials for audiences with varying levels of understanding. At the GS-9 level you may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree --OR-- 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree --OR-- LL.B. or J.D., if related --OR-- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience: 1) in the production, operation, editing and proposing actionable recommendations of content for an organization's digital platform, 2) planning and developing news stories, feature articles, or photo/video projects to support an organization's strategic goals and engaged in a range of audiences, and 3) maintaining effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders to produce clear, concise written materials for audiences with varying levels of understanding. At the GS-11 level you may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree --OR-- 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree --OR-- LL.M., if related --OR-- Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited). One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours the graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. If the graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study is not available, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is used. When crediting education that requires specific course work, the number of hours of related courses required, as a proportion of the total education, is prorated.
How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.
Application Deadline: 2026-05-14