Political Specialist

Job Overview

The incumbent, a LE Staff member in the Internal Affairs Unit of the Political Section, serves as the policy advisor to the Political Section staff. The incumbent is a member of a four-person LE Staff team covering the full spectrum of political issues in Kenya and U.S.-Kenya relations. Within the four-person team, the incumbent is an advisor on domestic political issues. The incumbent serves as a liaison between the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff and leaders across the full range of Kenyan society. The incumbent maintains the Political Section’s contacts with senior Kenyan government officials at both the national, regional, and county level, including officials in the office of the president, deputy president, members of the cabinet, parliamentarians, political party leaders, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, religious organizations, multilateral organizations, and media houses. The incumbent engages with these Kenyan contacts in furtherance of U.S. foreign policy goals and advises the Political Section staff on optimal ways to undertake both private and public diplomacy outreach. In addition, the incumbent will have opportunities to brief visiting U.S. officials on the stability of the Kenyan government, attitudes toward the United States, and implications for U.S. policy objectives in the region.

The incumbent reports directly to and receives supervision from the Senior LES Political Advisor (position C10006) and is reviewed by the Deputy Political Counselor.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Brief and Advise: 30%

• The incumbent regularly monitors and analyzes the Kenyan political and security landscape to advise the Political Section staff on optimal ways to advance U.S. interests.
• To develop specialized knowledge, the incumbent must obtain information from a variety of Kenyan government officials and civil society organizations that is unavailable in the public domain and assess the information against the known biases and agendas of those who provide it.
• The incumbent occasionally facilitates roundtable discussions with a broad range of participants on political topics of interest for the benefit of the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff.
• The incumbent briefs visiting U.S. officials on current political trends and arranges meetings for U.S. officials with their Kenyan counterparts to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.

Information Gathering and Reporting: 30%

• Through research and contacts in Kenyan political, media, business, and civil society organizations, the incumbent gathers information and develops written reports and regularly briefs the Political Section staff on developing trends in political issues with the objective of providing advice that helps the Political Section maintain U.S. positioning to maximize influence and access.
• The incumbent is responsible for gathering data in support of the drafting of the annual Congressionally mandated reports: Human Rights Report; International Religious Freedom Report; Trafficking in Persons Report; and the Counterterrorism Report.

Contact Development: 20%

• In addition to cultivating his or her own extensive network of contacts, the incumbent guides and advises the Political Section staff on the development and maintenance of contacts with Kenyan government officials and political leaders.
• The incumbent is responsible for gathering data in support of the preparation of in-depth and detailed biographic reports on political figures using public sources, personal knowledge, and consultations with other U.S. mission personnel.

Field Work: 20%

• The incumbent plans for and executes field trips for the purposes of information gathering, analysis, and contact development.
• The incumbent advises the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff on the design and execution of in-country travel in furtherance of U.S. policy goals.

Note: "This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by incumbent. Incumbent will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the agency."

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements

• All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a security certificate or a Public trust security clearance.

Education Requirements

University Degree in Political Science, International Relations, Law, or Business Studies is required.

Evaluations

• You will be evaluated against the qualifications and requirements in this vacancy announcement.
• You may be asked to complete a pre-employment language or skills test.
• You must complete the application form and provide the required documents. Your application must address all the position qualifications and requirements including education, experience, language, and any knowledge/skills/abilities listed. If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position.

Experience

• A minimum of five years of work experience, including senior-level Kenyan government, public service, or journalism position working in multiple regions of Kenya that includes extensive knowledge of, access to, and familiarity with public security and political sector leadership. Such experience must have involved sustained interaction with diverse social interests, the international diplomatic community, and non-governmental organizations.
• A close familiarity with issues and problems of democratization and governance in less developed countries and a demonstrated ability to analyze democracy and governance development issues is required.