Public Affairs Specialist

About the Position:
Serve as a senior communication strategist for the US European Command (EUCOM) Public Affairs Office (ECPA), Media Branch.

Summary

About the Position:
Serve as a senior communication strategist for the US European Command (EUCOM) Public Affairs Office (ECPA), Media Branch.
Learn more about this agency

Overview

Accepting applications
Open 09/24/2026 to 10/01/2026

Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Stuttgart, Germany

No matching locations found.

Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$90,925 - $118,204 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
None

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel is up to 20%.

Appointment type
Permanent

Occupations and job series

• 1035 Public Affairs

Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No

Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.

Background check type

• National security

Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.

Announcement number
EUHR-26-13046011-MP
Control number
885882300

This job is open to
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Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management
Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Family of overseas employees
Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.

Clarification from the agency
See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply.

Duties
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• Act as primary communication strategist, develop media plans, statements, and responses that focus on regional affairs, relationships, and issues in support of the Commander's strategy objectives for EUCOM's area of responsibility (AOR).
• Responsible for providing staff interface with strategic groups, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint staff, EUCOM components, Joint Task Forces (JTF), Services, and other US government agencies.
• Serve as a team member and advisor to the ECPA Chief and Deputy Chief on planning and proposals for current and future strategic communication and media programs and issues, including at the COCOM, component, and JTF levels.
• Identify key organizations and communication conduits to provide EUCOM managed programs the maximum opportunity for success.
• Serve as senior team member to measure results of communication plans and report pertinent findings to relevant organizations and interests.
• Periodically perform duties of the on-call Public Affairs Officer, which entails carrying a mobile phone at all times during the duty period, the ability to report to the place of duty within 1 hour, and performing required public affairs work.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.
• Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• This is a drug testing designated position.
• This position requires the incumbent to work on an intermittent or unscheduled, on-call basis.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Applying to OCONUS Positions
• Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
• Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Excepted Service Overseas Family Member Appointment
• Family Member Preference (FMP) for Overseas Employment
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouse Preference (MSP) for Overseas Employment
• Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality (NAFI)
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Reinstatement
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience includes 1) Developing targeted communication plans informed by multi-source analysis to anticipate issues and shape clear messaging; 2) coordinating with partners to research information and prepare communication materials that support aligned outreach efforts; AND 3) evaluating communication activities and reports results while leading training, engagement events, and media interactions to strengthen mission understanding. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Communication
• Customer Engagement
• Information Gathering
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12).

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
• If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
• If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
• Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
• Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
• Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
• For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
• This is a(n) Public Affairs & Communications Media Career Field position.
• The initial length of this overseas tour is 36 months.
• Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.

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
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

• Advanced In-hire may be authorized.
• Relocation Incentive may be authorized.
• Recruitment Incentive may be authorized.
• Advanced Leave Accrual may be authorized.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

As part of the assessment process, your resume will be evaluated using a competency-based method. This structured evaluation measures your qualifications, experience, and skills against the core competencies required for the position. Final scores will determine whether you are referred to the Hiring Manager for further consideration.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

The selecting official may request a competitive and noncompetitive candidate list for this vacancy. If you are eligible for the noncompetitive list, you will be evaluated on basic and/or minimum qualifications, as applicable. While required to answer the assessment questions, non-competitive candidates will not be evaluated against the competitive rating and ranking criteria. The selecting official may select from any of the candidate lists.

Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.

If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Benefits
Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

• Advanced In-hire may be authorized.
• Relocation Incentive may be authorized.
• Recruitment Incentive may be authorized.
• Advanced Leave Accrual may be authorized.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Required documents

Required Documents
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The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements (OCONUS)

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities list