Senior Political Specialist at U.S. Embassy to Kenya

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 three-person LE Staff team covering the full spectrum of political issues in Kenya and U.S.-Kenya relations. Within the three-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 regularly monitors and analyzes the Kenyan political and security landscape to advise the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff on optimal ways to advance U.S. interests.
• To develop specialized knowledge and draft predictive reports, the incumbent must obtain information from a variety of senior 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.
• Through research and senior-level contacts in Kenyan political, media, business, and civil society organizations, the incumbent gathers information and develops analyses to prepare written reports and regularly brief the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff on developing trends in political and security issues with the objective of providing advice that helps the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section maintain U.S. positioning to maximize influence and access. The incumbent is responsible for gathering data and drafting the annual Congressionally mandated reports: Human Rights Report; International Religious Freedom Report; Trafficking in Persons Report; and the Counterterrorism Report.
• In addition to cultivating his or her own extensive network of working level and senior level contacts, the incumbent guides and advises the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Political Section staff on the development and maintenance of contacts with Kenyan government officials and political leaders. The incumbent is responsible for preparing in-depth and detailed biographic reports on political figures using public sources, personal knowledge, and consultations with other U.S. mission personnel.
• 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 supervisor.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

• All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a: 
• security certificate; or Public Trust security clearance. Education Requirements:
• University Degree in Political Science, International Relations, Law, Business Studies or related field is required.
• 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.