Political Assistant | Closing Date: March 14, 2018

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 13-18 

 

OPEN TO:                    All Interested Candidates/All Sources 

POSITION:                   Political Assistant 

OPENING DATE:         March 01, 2018 

CLOSING DATE:          March 14, 2018 

WORK HOURS:           Full-time, 40 hours/week 

SALARY:                      Ordinarily Resident (OR): FSN 9 Ugshs 75,718,515 p.a.  Inclusive of allowances

Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR): FP-5   **Final grade/step for NORs will be determined by Washington.

ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT (OR) APPLICANTS (See Appendix A for definition) MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.   

The U.S. Mission in Uganda is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the position of Political Assistant.  

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION.  

The incumbent is a Political Assistant in the Political and Economic Section.

The incumbent drafts and researches required annual reporting as well as voluntary reporting as assigned.  The incumbent takes meetings independently as well as scheduling meetings for U.S. officers.  The incumbent briefs colleagues within the section, other Embassy officials including the Ambassador, and visiting officials on current and political developments and trends.  The incumbent occasionally travels independently within Uganda, and frequently supports travel of U.S. officers.  Incumbent must maintain a wide range of contacts at the highest level inside and outside government.  The incumbent must also work closely with other sections in the Embassy.  The incumbent assists in organizing representational events, including recommending and liaising with appropriate invitees. 

Download: Position Description

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Applicants must address each required qualification listed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.  Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified.  

EDUCATION:  Completion of a university degree in ether political science, political economy, economics, history, journalism and human rights is required.  

EXPERIENCE: Five years’ experience in foreign policy, business, politics, social development, academia or journalism.

LANGUAGE: Level IV English ability (fluent written, spoken and reading) is required. Level III local language skills also required.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:  Excellent writing, research, and editing skills.  Highly advanced interpersonal, analytical, communication, planning and organizational skills.  Ability to develop and maintain an extensive range of high-level contacts within the host country government, local political parties, security forces, local NGOs and civil society. Must also be able to plan, organize and execute complex research projects and prepare precise, accurate and factual analytical reports often on sensitive topics that require a high degree of personal courage given prevailing political circumstances in Uganda.  

JOB KNOWLEDGE:  Thorough knowledge of the host country’s political, economic, social structure and regional security environment.  Must be able to quickly develop a comprehensive understanding of U.S. foreign policy, U.S. interests in Uganda, and U.S. development assistance to Uganda.

SELECTION PROCESS 

When qualified, applicants who are U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) and/or preference-eligible U.S. Veterans are given a preference in hiring.  Therefore, it is essential that these applicants make themselves known as having a hiring preference and specifically address the required qualifications above in their application.

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER:

  • AEFM / USEFM who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*
  • AEFM / USEFM
  • FS on LWOP**  

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA:

  1. Management may consider the following when determining successful candidacy:  nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.

2.  Current OR employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply.  Current OR employees with an Overall Summary Rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory on their most recent Employee Performance Report (EPR) are not eligible to apply. 

3.      Current NOR employees hired on a Family Member Appointment (FMA) or a Personal Service Agreement (PSA) are not eligible to apply within the first 90 calendar days of their employment, unless they have a When Actually Employed (WAE) work schedule. 

4.      The candidate must be able to obtain and hold a security clearance. 

5.      Candidates who are EFMs, USEFMs, AEFMs, or MOHs must have at least one year remaining on their sponsor’s tour of duty to be considered eligible to apply for this position.

HOW TO APPLY: 

Interested Applicants must submit the following documents to be considered:  

1.      All applications must be submitted online.

2.      Applicants shall be required to register under the careers page for US Embassy Kampala using the link below http://usembassykampala.myafricanjobs.com/. For further assistance call 0414306001

3.      You will receive confirmation of registration and proceed to apply.

4.      On completion of this process you will receive an auto response via your email.

 

IMPORTANT:  Applicants claiming a U.S. Veteran’s preference must submit written documentation confirming eligibility (e.g., Member Copy 4 of Form DD-214, Letter from the Veteran’s Administration, or certification documenting eligibility under the VOW Act with an expected discharge no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted) by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.  If the written documentation confirming eligibility is not received in the HR office by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, the U.S. Veteran’s preference will not be considered in the application process.  Specific criteria for receiving a U.S. Veteran’s preference may be found in HR/OE’s Family Member Employment Policy (FMEP).

WHERE TO APPLY:

 

http://usembassykampala.myafricanjobs.com/

Telephone: 0414306001

ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AND ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.

Your application will be reviewed if you have fulfilled all the requirements including submission of standard file types such as Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) in a single  attachment (No Zipped files, Links or Multiple Attachments) and should not exceed 10MB.

 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:  The U.S. Mission provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation.  The Department of State also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.

The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation.  Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.