Job Summary

The Visual Information Specialist will apply the appropriate rules/regulations used in conducting Department of Veterans Affairs business guidelines. The primary responsibilities are in graphic design, audiovisual production, web content, social medial, reproduction and desktop publishing, photographer, and video for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS).

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/03/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 and GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 and GS-09, respectively. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for 1084 Series: Education: Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Major study -- commercial art, fine arts, art history, industrial design, architecture, drafting, interior design, photography, visual communication, or other fields related to the position. Some positions may also require subject-matter knowledge of medicine, science, or technical equipment. Advanced training in a vocational school, technical institute, or art institute above the high school level in one of the fields listed above is creditable as general experience on a month-for-month basis. Experience: Experience in the actual type of work for which application is made. Unpaid experience is creditable, provided the work done was of a quality level and demonstrated the ability required for the position. This includes planning the preparation and use of photographs, illustrations, drawings, and other art work, charts, diagrams, dioramas, maps, slides, overlays, and other kinds of visual materials for use in communication information through visual means. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience includes: conducting research/gathering data for analysis; assisting with phases related to graphic design/video/web/photography production from inception to completion; utilizing desktop publishing software programs; and communicating effectively with a variety of backgrounds. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent degree; 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B. or J.D., if related. To be creditable, the education must be a major study as indicated in the Individual Occupational Requirement above. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond one year of graduate education. GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience includes: conducting research/gathering data for analysis; communicating information through visual means; completing all phases related to graphic design/video/web/photography production from inception to completion; utilizing desktop publishing software programs; communicating effectively with a variety of backgrounds; and selecting the best equipment and techniques for individual work orders. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate degree; 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related. To be creditable, the education must be a major study as indicated in the Individual Occupational Requirement above. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond two years of graduate education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Communications and Media Creative Thinking Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Employee will complete most work assignments while sitting or standing. Work may involve moving sensitive audiovisual, photographic, and or computer equipment from one place to another. Employee must have the ability to handle stressful situations. Video distribution scheduling requires the ability to manage, organize, and prepare video running times. On occasion, the employee will be required to stand still in tight quarters while operating video or photographic equipment for extended periods of time. Employee must be able to shoulder a video camera and equipment weighing approximately 30 pounds or less. Occasionally, the employee will be called upon to document situations where a tripod is not available or suited for the specific application. The work requires manual dexterity, hand and eye coordination, and the ability to accurately perceive and sense color hues and chroma. Some of the work requires periods of extended bending, stooping, kneeling to obtain properly composed photographs. The employee, alone and assisted, will be required to lift, and transport delicate graphic, photographic, and audiovisual equipment weighing up to 50 pounds. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.