Education Outreach Assistant at US Embassy

Duties

The Education Outreach Assistant provides program support and performs administrative duties related to all education outreach programs in the Embassy Abuja consular district. Supports the Education Outreach Coordinator in coordinating Embassy Public Diplomacy (PD) education engagement with Emerging Voices (EV) audiences in the Embassy Abuja consular district, reaching youth, minorities, and those who influence them through targeted Embassy outreach to secondary schools; promotion of American Studies content and curricula in institutions of higher learning; and promotion of academic study in the United States through Education USA advising programs. Supports the Country Education Specialist (or Country Public Affair Officer [CPAO]) with grants administration.

Requirements:

FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS, APPLICANTS MUST MEET EITHER OPTION 1 OR OPTION 2 TO QUALIFY.

Option 1

• EXPERIENCE:  Two (2) years of experience in education, communications, marketing, or public outreach is required.
• EDUCATION: A university degree in Education, American Studies, International Relations, Communications, Marketing, or local equivalent is required. Note: NYSC Certificate/Exemption/Exclusion document is required.

Option 2:

• EXPERIENCE: Five (5) years of experience in education, communications, marketing, or public outreach is required.
• EDUCATION: Two (2) years of university studies in any field.

JOB KNOWLEDGE: 

Detailed knowledge of the U.S. higher education system, the college application process, standardized entrance exams, and financial aid is required. Knowledge of the U.S. political system, American history, literature, culture, and geography is required. General knowledge of the latest trends within the academic field of American Studies is required. Familiarity with virtual applications and technologies, including Massive Open Online Courses and digital tools used by students, teachers, and professors, is required.

General knowledge of project management, including defining project objectives, outcomes, and assessment methods is required. A thorough understanding of the attitudes and preferences of the EV audience sector in Nigeria, including the regional, ethnic, social, cultural, linguistic, and other factors and institutions that shape those attitudes, is required. Detailed knowledge of Nigerian secondary and tertiary academic institutions, standards of instruction and curriculum relating to the United States, and general standards and practice for education systems and NGOs is required.

Knowledge of typical customer service standards and marketing tools designed to engage specific audience segments in Nigeria, particularly the EV sector, is required. Knowledge of the latest trends in audience engagement in related public service institutions, such as think tanks, museums, academic institutions, and professional training institutes, as relevant for the EV sector, is required. Understanding of communication trends in the region and internationally is required. Must be familiar with digital practices and procedures used by or influential with the Nigerian educational and broader EV sectors.

Education Requirements:

See the requirement section above for the education requirements.

Evaluations:

• This may be tested. Please specify your level of proficiency in the language listed.
• LANGUAGE: Fluent Speaking/Reading/Writing English is required.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Analytic Skills: Must have strong analytic skills. Must be able to identify, analyze, predict, and assess EV audience attitudes and evaluate the impact of activities and projects and modify approaches for the best outcomes. Must be able to perceive the emergence of new influencers and adjust operations and programs accordingly.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Must have excellent customer relations, interpersonal, and cross-cultural communication skills and be able to identify and engage key figures critical to shaping local educational priorities and practices. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking, interviewing for evaluation purposes, writing reports, and contributing materials for publication in English and Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. Must be able to tailor communications to fit formal and informal situations and different ethnic, religious, and linguistic cultures. Must be able to brief U.S. officers and visitors on a variety of issues and interpret between English and Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo for public programs.
• Management Skills: Strong management skills are required, including the ability to support the Country Education Specialist (or CPAO designee) and Education Outreach Coordinator as they develop and oversee project budgets and organize, run, and present projects such as workshops, seminars, digital and in-person conferences, panel discussions, lectures, and camps.
• Technical Skills: Good keyboarding and data entry skills and excellent familiarity with electronic discovery tools, in particular the internet, and standard information retrieval practices and procedures are required. Thorough knowledge of various computer software programs, specifically Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, is required. Must be able to use social media and mobile platforms, MOOCs, podcast creation tools, and basic photo and video tools. Must have good numerical skills to be able to develop and manage project and grant budgets.