The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:   Political Specialist

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Salary Range: UGX 120,348,384 /= Per Year

Announcement Number: Kampala-2024-054

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years.  Ambassador William W. Popp currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda.  The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Peace Corps

Job Summary:   Incumbent is the Senior Political and Economic Specialist at Embassy Kampala, who serves as the principal LE staff handling a full range of political and economic reporting responsibilities in one of the United States’ most significant bilateral partners in Africa.  As the senior Political LE staff, incumbent must have detailed knowledge of U.S. interests and objectives as well as of Uganda’s political landscape and must cultivate and maintain contacts in the Uganda government and in civil society at the senior-most levels.  Incumbent also supervises and advises two LE staff in the drafting of Congressionally mandated reports including human rights, child labor, and religious freedom.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Travel, Research, Report, and Advise on Political and Economic Developments: 45%

• The incumbent maintains reporting and research responsibilities, advisory and related services of broad scope, complexity and sensitivity in the fields of political and economic (including commercial) reporting. Often at his/her own initiative, the incumbent prepares extensive spot and in-depth analytical reports on a wide range of sensitive political and economic issues in the context of national issues and articulates the implications for U.S. interests.
• The incumbent produces and/or contributes to a full range of written products, including cables, required political, economic, and commercial annual reports, briefing memos, talking points, and other memoranda. The incumbent must be able to brief the Pol/Econ Chief, Deputy Chief of Mission, Ambassador, and TDY visitors about developments and issues with authority and accuracy. This involves oral or written briefings and inputs evaluating events in historical perspective and identifying their relationships to national trends and to the interests of the U.S.
• Incumbent must be able to make reasonable projections about the future course of politics and social changes, demonstrating good judgment and strong intellectual integration of social, political and economic factors.
• Incumbent supports USG visitors and officers permanently assigned to the section. The incumbent briefs visiting officials and newly arrived permanent staff on current and political developments and trends, and frequently accompanies such officials to meetings with host government officials.

Develop and Maintain Contacts: 25%

• The incumbent maintains a broad range of contacts in his/her portfolio. This includes government and political part contacts at the highest levels of government including ministers, legislature, judiciary and political party leaders as well as top-level contacts in media, academia, business, civil society and religious institutions.
• The incumbent leads the section in identifying and nominating candidates for appropriate Public Affairs programs, including the International Visitors Leadership Program.
• The incumbent may be asked to advise the Grants Officer on the Ambassador’s special self-help program, which manages annual awards of approximately $60,000.

Trip Management: 10%

• The incumbent may travel with American officers or independently throughout the country in order to keep updated on political, economic and social developments of importance to U.S. interests across the board. Frequent visits by U.S. government officials require an attention to detail and ability to multi-task when planning multiple visits.

Management Responsibilities:  10%                                                                                                            

• As the senior Political and Economic LE staff member in the section, the incumbent helps coordinate workflow of team tasks, briefers and representational plans.
• The incumbent also serves as a crucial communication link, helping ensure smooth flow of information among the LE staff team and between LE staff and USDH staff.
• Provides leadership regarding workflow, work planning, assignment of projects within the LE Staff team, and other management issues.
• The incumbent is also responsible for direct supervision of two LE staff, including mentoring and day-to-day guidance.

Research, Report, and Advice on Environment, Science, Technology and Health: 10%                           

• The incumbent is responsible for reporting and advising the Mission on matters related to the environment, science and technology and health. Climate change, a growing population that is primarily dependent on agriculture and dependence on fossil fuels have combined to exert growing pressure on Uganda’s environment and a key goal of the USG is to help the country manage its environment better.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Experience: Five years of experience in political or economic analysis and/or report writing.
• Education Requirements: A Bachelor’s degree in political science, history, sociology, law, or international relations is required.
• Language: Level IV (Fluency) speaking/reading/writing English is required. This maybe tested.
• Skills and Abilities: Highly advances 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 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 (such as human rights) that require a high degree of personal courage given the prevailing political circumstances in Uganda. Must be able to understand and operate the basic functions of a desktop computer, particularly word processing, Microsoft Office, e-mail and the Internet.
• Knowledge: Must have a detailed understanding of U.S. foreign policy, U.S. interest in Uganda, and U.S. development assistance to Uganda. Detailed knowledge of the host country’s political, economic, and social structure, as well as local history and current politics. Must have thorough knowledge of human rights situation and political climate and understand the sensitivity of human rights in the local environment. Must exhibit a strong understanding of the political, economic and civil society situation. Incumbent should be knowledgeable of both local and U.S. cultures and be able to effectively communicate written and orally. Must be current on host country news and the bilateral agenda and must be familiar with the key players in all major sectors of society.

How to Apply:
All those interested in working with the United States Embassy, US Mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 25th October 2024

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