Presidential Innovation Fellows - Director of Events and Strategic Partnerships

Presidential Innovation Fellows is hiring for GS-15 - Director of Events and Strategic Partnerships. This page contains information related to the role as well as a link to submit your application. Check out Join TTS Hiring Process to learn more about the application process.

Location: Washington, DC

Salary Range: The base salary range for this position is: GS-15 Step 1 - $142,701 to GS-15 Step 10 $170,800

The base salary range does not include any adjustment for locality. Your locality will be determined by where you live since most of our positions are remote. If the position isn’t remote, then your locality will be determined by the location of the office where the position is based.

You can find more information about this in the compensation and benefits section on our site.

For specific details on locality pay, please visit OPM’s Salaries & Wages page or for a salary calculator OPM’s 2020 General Schedule (GS) Salary Calculator.

Please note the maximum salary available for the GS pay system is $170,800

Note: You may not be eligible for the maximum salary as it is locality dependent. Please refer to the maximum pay for your locality.

Who May Apply: All United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Islands) and applicants must not be GSA employees or contractors

Role Summary:

Director of Events and Strategic Partnerships - GS-15

The Director of Programming and Partnerships will spearhead the PIF (Presidential Innovation Fellows) organization’s programming and events strategy. You will establish a list of events and programming for PIF, create content, manage social media, engage in media relations, and document your work for historical purposes. You will practice design skills to align the programming materials with the PIF brand. You will liaise with Fellows and agency partners on the communications strategy. You will provide logistics support for both the PIF program and TTS agency events. You will help develop partnerships and cultivate relationships both within government and externally in tech and innovation communities.

Key Objectives

Key objective #1: You will lead the PIF programming, events, and content creation.

• Lead strategic events and function as the programming advisor for the PIF team.
• Understand the overall PIF journey and contribute to building community and designing regular programming and events for the PIF program.
• Design and lead key program events, including PIF cohort onboarding, annual retreats, annual homecoming, alumni reunions, etc.
• Brainstorm and execute on the components of a successful week-long orientation for new Fellows.
• Create a recruiting strategy and organize recruiting events when PIF program applications are open.
• Plan weekly all-hands meeting agendas, regular field trips, and workshops for Fellows, inviting high-level speakers from government, technology, industry, non-profit, and academic sectors.
• Support incoming PIFs and introduce them to current PIFs to understand what they’re working on.
• Capture insights from current PIFs and alumni (i.e. analyze existing survey data, review previous schedules, conduct workshops, hold strategic 1:1s/coffees, etc.) and use this information to improve PIF program events, activities, and strategy.
• Attend meetings and events on behalf of the Executive Director or Deputy Director as needed.
• Become the resident PIF expert on speaking/conference/events approvals and processes, and help Fellows navigate the process.

Key objective #2: You will develop partnerships both within government and externally in tech and innovation communities.

• Increase awareness of the PIF program’s mission and service offerings.
• Create a strategy for internal engagement with government agencies and external engagement with leading technology, innovation, and academic communities.
• Build out partnerships with key stakeholders both in government and with external technology, academic, and innovation communities.
• Include metrics to report out on progress toward objectives and course correct when necessary.
• Stay current on trends and thinking innovation in order to recommend stories, pitches, and events to the Marketing Lead.
• Engage with the PIF alumni community including the PIF Foundation.
• Identify and engage with media outlets and influencers.
• Regularly attend industry, federal civic technology events, roundtables and panel discussions.

Key objective #3: You will help drive the PIF program strategy forward and deliver on programming communications needs.

• Create, design, and wordsmith the talking points, fact sheets, presentations, social media, and other materials to fit any situation or medium.
• Identify best practices for capturing and sharing project highlights/challenges/successes, specifically for offboarding and knowledge transfer plans for our current Fellows.
• Create accessible content resources (e.g., tutorials, guides) and assemble teams to help build them.
• Create public-facing materials (e.g., blog posts) that raise visibility of the team’s work and reinforces the PIF brand.
• Support the TTS Outreach team on press initiatives.
• Support the announcement and rollout of the annual PIF class in coordination with GSA, OSTP, and OMB partners.
• Develop a roadmap for speaking engagements and other events for PIF and leadership team.

Key objective #4: You will manage and mentor Fellows, lead account management, and participate in business development.

• Help lead and manage a team of 10+ Fellows.
• Regularly mentor Fellows and help them navigate the federal government, including the broader TTS and GSA ecosystem.
• Support a safe, inclusive workplace and a positive team culture where all team members value diversity and individual differences.
• Lead PIF program account management with agency partners. Conduct follow-up calls and meetings for inbound requests as well as ongoing check-ins with agency partners.
• Maintain relationships through responsive and proactive touch points.

Basic Information

Location: Washington, DC

Salary Range: Base salary GS-15 - $142,701 to $170,800

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected. Total compensation may include locality pay based on the individual’s duty location. For more salary information including locality pay details, please visit OPM’s Salaries & Wages page.

Who May Apply: All United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Islands) and applicants must not be GSA employees or contractors

Job announcement number: ENTER JOB ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER

Opening and closing period for this job application: TBD EDT to TBD EDT

Job Title: Innovation Specialist

Series & Grade: 0301 - 15

Promotion Potential: GS-15

Number of vacancies: 1 (Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement as needed)

Supervisory status: NO

Travel requirement: Occasional travel may be required up to 10%-20% per year

Security clearance: Public trust. Background investigation required.

Work Schedule: Full time

Appointment Type: Excepted Service: Not to exceed 24 months (2 years); may be extended for an additional 2 years for a maximum of 4 years total.

Job Summary

This is a Schedule A position under 5 CFR 213.3102(r) to hire unique technical skills to develop innovative digital tools and services in the Excepted Services, US Digital Service 18F Fellowship Program. The 18F office is charged with developing innovative digital tools and services and uses lean startup and agile development principles to collaborate with other agencies to fix technical problems, build products, and improve how government serves the public through technology.

As an Innovation Specialist, the team member serves the government and makes an impact on a massive scale. The position requires that fellows perform work of an exceptional degree of difficulty across a wide range of topics at the convergence of technology, policy, and delivery. The incumbent leverages their experience deploying high quality, user centric platforms and services to lead major initiatives, consult on systems and policy proposal, and provide technical, policy, and programmatic guidance to government.

This position is located within the General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Technology Transformation Service (TTS), Office of 18F.

GSA has been repeatedly named as one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ in the federal government. You will have access to many benefits including:

• Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans)
• Life insurance coverage with several options
• Sick leave and vacation time, including 10 paid holidays per year
• Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan)
• Flexible work schedules and telework
• Transit and child care subsidies
• Training and development
• Flexible spending accounts
• Long-term care insurance
• Training and development

Key Requirements

1. You must be a U.S. Citizen or National (residents of American Samoa and Swains Islands)
2. Suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation
3. You may be required to serve a trial period
4. Direct Deposit of salary check to financial organization required
5. Register with Selective Service, if you are required by https://www.sss.gov/Registration-Info/Who-Registration

Employment Requirements

• Serve a one year trial period, if required
• Undergo and pass a background investigation. You must be granted this clearance before you can start the job
• Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this
• Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position

Duties

Typical duties for the fellow include but are not limited to: Conceiving/recommending projects/studies to advance the state of the art in the specialty area; applying forward­ thinking design and development principles to product or services development, delivery and program management, such as lean startup, user­centered design, and agile development; Analyzing and scoping the technical and policy requirements needed to implement complex digital solutions; Assessing the state of digital services provided by the Federal Government, and working to align strategies and practice; conferring with key government/private officials and top experts in the field, representing the agency at technical symposia and/or conferences; Developing authoritative papers/reports; developing and leading adoption of government­wide standards for digital services, leading to their adoption across citizen and business­facing government services; Demonstrating thought leadership and contributing best practices in a variety of technologies and principles; Contributing to a talent strategy that includes recruiting innovators and entrepreneurs to participate in solving complex and esoteric challenges.

Evaluation

We will use a method called Category Rating to assess your application.

Here’s how it will work:

You will be scored based on a review of your application materials, measuring your possession of each of the following competencies

• Software Engineering Technical Experience: Deliver technical solutions and products using software engineering technology
• Software Engineering Practices: Deliver innovative technical solutions and products using established engineering best practices
• Communication: Communicate effectively with a variety of audiences, particularly in consulting scenarios, to establish a shared vision and understanding of a project’s technical implementation, objectives and goals
• Technical Strategy: Advising on technical strategy, agile development, software tools, and technical architecture
• TTS Core Values Alignment: Working with integrity, transparency and resiliency in civic minded or high impact environment

If found to be eligible and at least minimally qualified for the position, your score will be used to place you in a category (Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified).

If your resume does not support your possession of the competencies listed above, we may lower your score, which could place you in a lower category.

Within each category, veterans will receive selection priority over non-veterans if supported by appropriate documentation.

Qualifications

All applications will be reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts against a scoring rubric created for this role. In order to properly be able to evaluate your previous experience, we recommend being as detailed as possible in your resume and following our general guidance on creating federal style resume.

To qualify for this role, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is:

1. Experience building, creating, strategizing, and delivering programming, content, and events for large companies or organizations which must include ALL of the following:

   • Planning and executing a sponsorship or event for large conferences (i.e. more than 300+ attendees) with the purpose of branding and marketing the organization.
   • Planning large internal team-building events, such as retreats, alumni reunions, etc.
   • Creating speaker panels that receive high feedback ratings from event participants.
   • Developing ongoing knowledge sharing and workshops.
   • Previous experience managing an organization’s strategic alliances and partnerships.
   • Experience managing large cross-functional teams of 10+.
   • Account management skills with the ability to juggle a variety of relationships, such as internal stakeholders, clients, and users.
   • Experience developing programming and content initiatives that map back to the financial success of the program.
   • Experience using graphic design, video editing, and web development applications.

Qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, so failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year or “present”)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time)