About the Embassy

Present Job Openings

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER 19-09

OPEN TO:              All interested candidates

POSITION:           Political Analyst, Open Source Center (OSC), LHS-8; FP-6*

OPENING DATE:    June 23, 2009      

CLOSING DATE:    July 6, 2009

WORK HOURS:      Full-time, 40 hours/week

SALARY:              Not-Ordinarily Resident: FP-6
                          (Position Grade: FP-6 to be confirmed by Washington)
                          * Ordinarily Resident: LHS-8

 

NOTE: all ordinarily resident applicants must be residing in country and have the required work and/or residency permits to be eligible for consideration.

 

The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan is seeking an individual to fill the position of Political Analyst at the Open Source Center (OSC) in Abidjan.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The primary function of the position is to select and analyze political, economic, and other material carried by regional print and electronic media and the Internet. Work is performed in a fast-paced team environment, often under pressure of short deadlines.

A copy of the complete position description listing all duties and responsibilities is available at http://abidjan.usembassy.gov/pds.html.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

1. Master’s degree or French equivalent in Political Science, Journalism, Media Studies or related fields is required.

2. Significant knowledge of media in West and Central Africa in particular, and in Africa in general, including an understanding of media environments, applicable trends, and their impact is required.

3. Ability to use critical thinking/analytical skills to craft written analytic products in English that are based on complex judgments about the value of information is required. This will be tested.

4. Level IV (Fluency) speaking/reading/writing in both French and English is required. This will be tested.

5.  Minimum one year work experience as political analyst, journalist or in a related field is required.

6.  Ability to use interpersonal skills and work collaboratively and effectively in a fast-paced, often high-pressure, multicultural, dispersed team environment as well as research skills and the ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing are required.  Ability and willingness to perform a wide variety of tasks, change focus quickly, and adapt work habits/schedule to meet mission requirements as well as ability to use and/or learn computer applications and the Internet and multimedia skills are also required.


SELECTION PROCESS

When fully qualified, U.S Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) and U.S Veterans are given preference.  Therefore, it is essential that the candidate specifically address the required qualifications above in the application.

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA

1.  Management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, and residency status in determining successful candidacy. 

2.  Current employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply.

3.  Current Ordinarily Resident employees with an Overall Summary Rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory on their most recent Employee Performance Report are not eligible to apply.

4.  Currently employed US Citizen EFMs who hold a Family Member Appointment (FMA) are ineligible to apply for advertised positions within the first 90 calendar days of their employment.

5. Currently employed NORs hired under a Personal Services Agreement (PSA) are ineligible to apply for advertised positions within the first 90 calendar days of their employment unless currently hired into a position with a When Actually Employed (WAE) work schedule.

TO APPLY

Interested applicants for this position must submit the following or the application will not be considered:

1. Application for US Federal Employment (SF-171 or OF-612); or
 a current resume or curriculum vitae that provides the same information as an OF-612; plus

2.  Candidates who claim US Veterans preference must provide a copy of their Form DD-214 with their application.

3. Any other documentation (e.g., essays, certificates, awards, copies of degrees earned) that addresses the qualification requirements of the position as listed above.

SUBMIT APPLICATION TO

The Human Resources Office
Attention: Recruitment Section
American Embassy, Abidjan
01 B.P. 1712 Abidjan 01
Cote d’Ivoire
Tel: (225) 22-49-40-00
Fax: (225) 22-49-41-02   or via email to: AbidjanHR@state.gov

You may find this announcement and other job opportunities at the following link:
http://abidjan.usembassy.gov/present_job_openings.html

DEFINITIONS

 

1. US Citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) – For purposes of receiving a preference in hiring for a qualified position, an EFM who meets the following criteria:

• US Citizen; and,
  
• EFM (see above) at least 18 years old; and,
  
• Listed on the travel orders of a direct-hire Foreign, Civil, or uniformed service member assigned to or stationed abroad with a USG agency that is under COM authority, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and either:
  

1. Resides at the sponsoring employee's or uniformed service member's post of assignment abroad or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; or
   
2. Resides at an Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance (ISMA) location authorized under 3 FAM 3232.2.
   

2. EFM:  An individual related to a US Government employee in one of the following ways:

• Spouse;
  
• Child, who is unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, is incapable of self-support.  The term shall include, in addition to natural offspring, stepchildren and adopted children and those under legal guardianship of the employee or the spouse when such children are expected to be under such legal guardianship until they reach 21 years of age and when dependent upon and normally residing with the guardian;
  
• Parent (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of the employee or of the spouse, when such parent is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support;
  
• Sister or brother (including stepsisters and stepbrothers, or adoptive sisters or brothers) of the employee, or of the spouse, when such sibling is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried, and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, incapable of self-support.
  

3. Member of Household (MOH) – An individual who accompanies a  direct-hire Foreign, Civil, or uniformed service member permanently assigned or stationed at a U.S. Foreign Service post or establishment abroad, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan.  An MOH is:

• Not an EFM; and,
  
• Not on the travel orders of the sponsoring employee; and,
  
• Has been officially declared by the sponsoring USG employee to the COM as part of his/her household.
  

A MOH is under COM authority and may include a parent, unmarried partner, other relative or adult child who falls outside the Department’s current legal and statutory definition of family member.  A MOH does not have to be a US Citizen.
4. Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR) – An individual who:

• Is not a citizen of the host country; and,
  
• Does not ordinarily reside (OR, see below) in the host country; and,
  
• Is not subject to host country employment and tax laws; and,
  
• Has a US Social Security Number (SSN). 
  

NOR employees are compensated under a GS or FS salary schedule, not under the LCP.
5. Ordinarily Resident (OR) – A Foreign National or US citizen who:

• Is locally resident; and,
  
• Has legal, permanent resident status within the host country; and,
  
• Is subject to host country employment and tax laws. 
  

EFMs without US Social Security Numbers are also OR.  All OR employees, including US citizens, are compensated in accordance with the LCP.

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CLOSING DATE FOR THIS POSITION: July 6, 2009 

The US Mission in Abidjan 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.