Project Management Specialist (Global Health Security) at U.S. Mission in Uganda

Job Description

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION
The Political/Economic Management Assistant is a key member of the 13-person POL/ECON Section. The position’s direct supervisor is the Deputy Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs. The position is primarily responsible for supporting the POL/ECON Counselor and Deputy Counselor, but also assists the other officers in the section as requested and time permits. S/he performs a full range of office management,
administrative, records, logistics and protocol duties. The incumbent backs up the Human Rights Officer on overseeing all Leahy vetting functions in his/her absence.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES % OF TIME
OFFICE MANAGEMENT 70%
Carries out a variety of administrative functions in support of the Section’s role and functions, as follows:
• Meetings: Manage all arrangements for scheduled meetings for Counselor and Deputy Counselor, including reserving rooms inside the Embassy, processing clearances, escorting participants, and providing refreshments, where appropriate.
• Representational events: Oversee representational events for Counselor and Deputy Counselor, including procurement of caterers and service staff, establishing guest lists, designing and sending invitations, and overseeing attendance. Incumbent will also oversee the representational budget, make payments where necessary, and deal with outside vendors.
Personnel: Manage all personnel matters for the section – USDH, EFM, and LES – including time and attendance, performance reviews, and the submission and tracking of all section awards.
• Travel: Manage all section travel needs for domestic and international travel, including use of E2 travel system to support staff travel, help to resolve issues, and liaise with ICASS travel staff.
• Orientation: Oversee the introduction and orientation of new officers, EFM, and LES into the section, including orientation meetings, administrative requirements, information technology needs, security and other clearances, and other tasks as needed. Serves as point of contact for new staff members to ensure their housing needs are addressed promptly.
• Information Technology and Communications: Oversee section’s IT and communications systems to ensure that all cell phones, blackberries, scanners, landlines, printers, and computers systems are working properly. This involves developing good relations with the Embassy’s IT and communications staff so that our requests are prioritized appropriately.
• Property Management: Provide management support for Pol/Econ Section’s IT and Office Equipment through the entire life cycle, from requirements estimating, to replacement budgeting, procurement, inspection and receipt, inventory, and through to disposal. Ensure that annual budget for NXP is used in accordance with established ordering plans, and that goods are procured as budgeted and on schedule; reviews receiving and inspection reports; assures that disposal reports are prepared on time; oversees preparation and submission of inventory reports; and ensures that official inventory records are kept up-todate with the latest property transactions.
Procurement: Assist with the preparation of procurement requests, track the delivery, and ensure that it is properly received and inventoried.
• General: Organize and attend weekly Pol/Econ Section staff meetings and ensure that actions assigned during such meetings are carried out in a timely manner. Responsible for the preparation and maintenance of databases such as the Section’s contact and phone tree list.
• Correspondence: Draft diplomatic notes to request meetings, respond to Uganda government enquiries and other types of correspondence as required.
• Visitors: Manage the visits of more than 100 USG officials per year. The incumbent takes the lead in coordinating airport pick up, hotel reservations and communications, and processing country clearance requests. The incumbent also actively manages key logistical aspects of visitor’s itineraries when in country, including the use of motor pool, escorting within the Embassy, coordinating with other Embassy sections for meetings, and other duties, as required.
Back-up for Front Office OMS: Serve as back-up for the OMSs performing duties up to his/her clearance level. Incumbent must therefore also be familiar with the practices, procedures, and requirements of Front Office management, which are the most sophisticated and comprehensive requirements in the Mission at the OMS level.

MISSION LEAHY VETTING COORDINATOR
30%
• U.S.-sponsored training for Ugandan security officials is one of the Mission’s top priorities, allowing Uganda to play an important role in regional security efforts, as well as protecting American citizens and the U.S. Mission in Uganda. Incumbent oversees the Mission’s processing of over 10,000 Ugandan security officials for the Congressionally-mandated Leahy Vetting process. In so doing, the incumbent must effectively and efficiently coordinate all Mission Leahy Vetting reviews, procedures, and processes with the DAO/DATT, OSC, RSO, and Consular Section to ensure they have done appropriate due diligence, provided necessary information on each candidate, including unit or other identifying information, and are meeting realistic deadlines. If deadlines have not been met for reasons out of U.S. Mission control, and the candidates are a priority, incumbent must solicit a waiver from Washington-based administrators for expedited processing. Incumbent must be able to identify candidates with potential human rights violations and report to the Deputy Counselor and nominating offices for clarification and appropriate handling, which requires much sensitivity. Incumbent must also develop a constructive relationship with Washington-based program managers in order to ensure the smooth running of the program, to successfully receive expedited reviews when necessary, and to enhance and sustain the perception of our Leahy Vetting programs at post. Incumbent must plan ahead to address surges in nominations, must look to actively refine and make more efficient Mission vetting processes, and train new personnel in the use of our processes as new employees join other sections. In addition to Leahy vetting, incumbent processes political vetting for Americans and foreign nationals who are to be employed by the U.S. Government, numbering in the hundreds per year. This requires him/her to vet names against the Leahy software program, in addition to internet research.

Note: This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the incumbent. Incumbent will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his/her agency.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE
Education:
Completion of Secondary School is required.

Prior Work Experience:
• Three years of clerical, administrative, office support, event or travel management in an office setting is required.

Post Entry Training:
the job training
• PS532-SMART messaging system operation (2 hours within 90 days)
• Handling and safeguarding of classified information training from RSO
• PA473-e2 travel arranger/submitter training/eCountry clearance (30 minutes)
• MOBEELA02, MOINELA04-Microsoft office Suites (1 hour)
• PP411-INVEST: Leahy Vetting in Washington (1 1/2 hours within 90 days)
• PK207-Files and Record Management (classroom-1 day, online-2 hours.

Language Proficiency: (List both English and host country language(s) proficiency requirements by level and specialization)
• Level IV (Fluent) speaking/reading/writing of English is required.

Job Knowledge:
• The incumbent must become aware of pertinent U.S. government regulations and Embassy policies, understanding and correctly applying them. The incumbent must also quickly grasp the basics of the section’s substantive work enough to provide needed support for those functions. Must understand how businesses/restaurants arrangements are made and confirmed in Uganda, and how to set up events in Uganda.

Skills and Abilities:
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy are required. The
• incumbent should also possess good managerial skills, and a personality that inspires confidence in Locally Employed Staff and permits the maintenance of effective working relationships with employees and supervisors. The following are required: ability to forecast needs for resources, and to plan and assess problems and develop realistic solutions; anticipate all scheduling and logistical needs for the Counselor and the Deputy Counselor to ensure the smooth functioning of their schedules; ability to tactfully and efficiently work with American officers and Locally Employed Staff so that the Pol/Econ section provides the highest quality support to the Mission; ability to tactfullly manage other section’s contributions to the Leahy Vetting process in order to process requests in a timely fashion; able to work constructively with Washington-based administrators of the Leahy Vetting process in order to gain the maximum amount of leeway and receptivity for Mission’s nominess in the most timely fashion; and the ability to create and maintain a good working climate in order to ensure maximum productivity in a service-oriented fashion. Basic typing skills required. Must me able to use Microsoft Office Suites and e2. Numerical skills required.

Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

POSITION ELEMENTS
Supervision Received:
• The incumbent is directly supervised by the Deputy Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs.

Supervision Exercised:
None.

Available Guidelines:
• Foreign Affairs Manuals, Federal Travel Regulations, Internet, etc. Guidelines are often general in nature and not specific to the situation at hand, requiring considerable interpretation.

Exercise of Judgment:
• Must have the ability to organize, manage, and see to completion multiple assigned functions efficiently. Must be tactful, yet efficient in dealing with Embassy personnel, colleagues, and service providers. Must be able to work independently and make independent decisions. Provides advice to the Counselor and/or Deputy Counselor, FO OMS staff, and various American officers and LES personnel on all administrative management matters, which may, on occasion, be extremely sensitive or contentious. The incumbent must