Political-Military Assistant at US Embassy

Duties

• Incumbent is the Mission’s Political/Military Affairs Assistant.  The position is one of nine in the Political section and is supervised by the Political-Military Affairs Officer.  Incumbent is responsible for coordinating Leahy Vetting at Post.  Incumbent is likewise responsible for backup reporting on the region’s multinational organization, ECOWAS, has some action and reporting on Nigeria’s Political-Military developments, and for maintaining Post’s biography database.  This position works in close coordination with the Consular Section, the Defense Attache Office and the Office of Security Cooperation at Post, as well as various offices responsible for Leahy vetting in Washington, DC.
• Coordinate and conduct Leahy Vetting processing at Post. Use Leahy Invest to manage the workflow between sections and with the Bureau of Democracy, human Rights and Labor in Washington. 
• Monitor, analyze and report on ECOWAS, the Niger Delta and the Nigerian armed forces. Also, maintain up-to-date database of host government and other official biographies.
• Assist in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of US military assistance programs for Nigeria, and peacekeeping/conflict resolution programs for ECOWAS.               
• Explain, promote and defend the laws, policies and interests of the US in public diplomacy, bilateral meetings and demarches. 

Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International Relations or other Liberal Arts is required.

Experience: Three (3) years of professional work experience in an office environment with a strong focus on writing and analytical skills is required.

Job Knowledge: 

• Employee must be familiar with the work of US Embassies abroad, as well as the work of the Political Section of US Embassies.
• Must be able to acquire a solid grasp of US and Nigerian military structures and bilateral cooperative programs through on-the-job training and self-guided study.
• Must also learn how Leahy Vetting impacts security assistance and cooperation between the U.S. and Nigeria.