Political Specialist at Embassy of The United States

Duties

• The incumbent, the senior LE Staff member in the Political Section, serves as the senior policy advisor to the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff. 
• The incumbent leads 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 the line supervisor with rating responsibility for one person.  The incumbent serves as the primary liaison between the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff and senior 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 influences and negotiates with these Kenyan contacts in furtherance of U.S. foreign policy goals and further advises the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff on optimal ways to undertake both private and public diplomacy outreach.  In addition, the incumbent briefs 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 possesses significant analytical writing skills, including the ability to adhere to stringent State Department writing guidelines, and produces written work that is often passed on to Washington and which requires minimal edits and supervision.  The incumbent reports directly to and receives supervision from the Deputy Political Counselor. 

The incumbent directly supervises one LE Staff member (Political Assistant) and is responsible for that individual’s evaluation, training, and professional development.

Requirements:

EXPERIENCE:  

• A minimum of five to seven 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.

JOB KNOWLEDGE:  

The incumbent must have a thorough knowledge and deep understanding of Kenyan political institutions, electoral political systems, business climate, social and development issues, security and law enforcement institutions, and history.  The incumbent must understand political trends and the operations of non-governmental organizations in the democracy and governance sector.  The incumbent must also possess extensive knowledge and understanding of U.S. foreign policy objectives in Kenya and the region.

Education Requirements:

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