Public Engagement Assistant

**Duties**:
The Public Engagement Assistant coordinates the Africa Regional Services (ARS) recruitment of U.S. speakers and performing artists and implements virtual and in-person speaker and arts programs in Africa to further the foreign policy goals of the United States.
Serves as an expert on grants and logistics for the ARS U.S. Speaker and Performing Artist Program, and acts as a Grants Officer Representative (GOR) for ARS grants. Provides guidance and training on grants management and program development to Public Diplomacy (PD) Sections serving U.S. Missions in Africa.
This position is located in an office that provides public diplomacy support to 54 Africa posts with a particular focus on a subset of 27 French and Portuguese-speaking posts.
The incumbent must understand broad US policy across all regions, its significance for public diplomacy, and provide particular assistance to chronically understaffed posts at levels 1, 2 and 3.
Frequent regional crises require coordination among smaller posts that go beyond their individual bilateral missions and require support from Africa Regional Services.

**Qualifications and Evaluations**:

- Requirements:
**EXPERIENCE**:
Three years of experience is required, with communications, public engagement management, or education duties as components of the work.
Prior experience in an international, academic, or governmental work environment is required.

**Please note this announcement is simultaneously advertised with the substitution of experience for education (PARIS-2024-019 S), please see details below**:

- At least 2 years college or university studies (no specific field required) + a minimum of 5 years with with communications, public engagement management, or education duties as components of the work._
- Prior experience in an international, academic, or governmental work environment is required._

**JOB KNOWLEDGE**:
An understanding of international affairs and typical customer service and marketing tools designed to engage specific audience segments is required.
Knowledge of the latest trends in audience engagement in related public service institutions, such as think tanks, academic institutions, professional training institutes, and government, is required.
An understanding of the complex and changing nature of the programming environment, including current trends in international and regional communications as they relate to the African communication landscape, is required. In order to properly coordinate programs with posts and other parts of Africa Regional Services (ARS), must be familiar with digital practices and procedures used by or influential with the target audiences.
- Education Requirements:
A University degree in International Relations, American Studies, Communications, Political Science, Economics, or local equivalent is required.

**Please note this announcement is simultaneously advertised with the substitution of experience for education (PARIS-2024-019 S), please see details below**:

- At least 2 years college or university studies (no specific field required) + a minimum of 5 years with with communications, public engagement management, or education duties as components of the work._
- Prior experience in an international, academic, or governmental work environment is required._
- Evaluations:
**LANGUAGE SKILLS (These will be tested)**:
English - Fluent - Speaking/reading/writing is required.

French - Fluent - Speaking/reading/writing is required.

**SKILLS AND ABILITIES**:
**Analytic Skills**: Must have strong analytic skills. Must be able to evaluate the influence of differing individuals and institutions and adjust operations and programming accordingly.
**Communication and Interpersonal Skills**: Must have excellent customer relations, interpersonal skills, and cross-cultural communication skills and be able to identify and engage key figures critical to shaping local public opinion.
Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, including for public speaking, interviewing for evaluation purposes, writing reports, and contributing material for publication in both English and French.
Must be able to tailor communications to fit different situations and ethnic, religious, and linguistic cultures.
Must be able to brief on a variety of issues and informally interpret between English and French.
**Management Skills**: Strong management skills are required, including the ability to develop and oversee project budgets and to organize, run, and present professional and exchange projects, such as workshops, seminars, digital and in-person conferences, panel discussions, and lectures. Must be able to negotiate agreements with partner institutions and manage their fulfillment.
**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.
Knowledge of various comp