JOB DESCRIPTION

(Information Assistant, U.S.Embassy in Hanoi)

OPEN TO:                 All Interested Candidates/All Sources

POSITION:               Information Assistant

WORK HOURS:      Full-time, 40 hours/week

ANNUAL SALARY:     Ordinarily Resident (OR):  FSN-8; US$12,581(Starting Salary)

     Not-Ordinarily Resident (NOR):  FP-6; US$46,093(Starting Salary)

     *Final grade/step for NORs will be determined by Washington.

ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT (OR) APPLICANTS (See Appendix for definition) MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.  

The U.S. Mission in Hanoi, Vietnam is seeking eligible and qualified applicant for the position of Information Assistant in its Public Affairs Section (PAS).

NOTE:  Due to the high volume of applications received, we will only contact applicants who are qualified and will be invited for further testing and/or interview.  Thank you for your understanding.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION 

Incumbent of this position will provide overall support and backup to Post's Information Specialist.  He/she will be responsible for monitoring and translating articles from Vietnamese media on U.S.-related issues and interests for distribution within the Mission and to other USG contacts.  The incumbent will advise Public Affairs Officer (PAO) and Information Specialist on trends and issues of U.S. interest in Vietnamese and international media.  He/she will assist with coordination of press events, help identify, organize media-related education, exchange programs, grant opportunities and perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Applicants must address each required qualification listed below with specific information supporting each item.  Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified.

1. EDUCATION: College degree in social sciences, international relations, journalism, or English is required.

2. EXPERIENCE: Two years’ experience in communications/media-related work as journalist, researcher or writer required is required.

3.  LANGUAGE:  Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing English is required

                             (this will be tested).    

                             Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing Vietnamese is required. 

4.   SKILLS AND ABILITIES:  Must have ability to identify items in the press of interest to media reaction readers and to briefly and accurately present them in English.  Must have strong drafting and translation skills.  Ability to develop and maintain excellent contacts and working relationships with journalists, editors and government officials.

5.   JOB KNOWLEDGE:  Must have a thorough knowledge of Vietnam's economic, political and social policies, structures and institutions.  Must be conversant with current world events and specifically with issues in U.S.-Vietnam relations that are of interest to USG interlocutors.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  The complete position description listing all of the duties and responsibilities may be obtained by contacting the Human Resources Office (84-4) 3850-5126 or (84-4) 3850-5127

HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS:  When qualified, applicants in the following hiring preference categories are extended a hiring preference in the order listed below.  Therefore, it is essential that these applicants accurately describe their status on the application. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not eligible for a hiring preference.

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER:

(1)AEFM / USEFM who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*

(2)AEFM / USEFM

(3)FS on LWOP**

* IMPORTANT:  Applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of the most recent Member Copy Four (4) of the DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and, if applicable, a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  If claiming conditional eligibility for U.S. Veterans’ preference, applicants must submit proof of conditional eligibility.  If the written documentation confirming eligibility is not received in the HR office by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, the U.S. Veterans’ preference will not be considered in the application process.  Mission HR’s decision on eligibility for U.S. Veterans’ preference after reviewing all required documentation is final.

** This level of preference applies to all Foreign Service employees on LWOP.

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA:

1.Management may consider any of the following when determining successful candidacy:  nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.  

2.Current OR employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply.  Current OR employees with an Overall Summary Rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory on their most recent Employee Performance Report (EPR) are not eligible to apply.

      3.Current NOR employees hired on a Family Member Appointment (FMA) or a Personal Service Agreement (PSA) are not eligible to apply within the first 90 calendar days of their employment, unless they have a When Actually Employed (WAE) work schedule.

      4.The candidate must be able to obtain and hold the local security certification.

      5.Candidates who are EFMs, USEFMs, AEFMs, or MOHs must have at least one year remaining on their sponsor’s tour of duty to be considered eligible to apply for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:  The U.S. Mission provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation.  The Department of State also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.  The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation.  Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.

Appendix (DEFINITIONS)

Eligible Family Member (EFM):  An EFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria: 

• U.S. Citizen or not a U.S. Citizen; and
• Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610); or
• Child, who is unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, is incapable of self-support; or
• Parent (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of employee, spouse, or same-sex domestic partner, when such parent is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support; or
• Sister or brother (including stepsisters and stepbrothers, or adoptive sisters or brothers) of the employee, spouse, or same-sex domestic partner when such sibling is at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried, and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, incapable of self-support; and
• Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and
• Is under chief of mission authority.

U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM):  A USEFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria:

• U.S. Citizen; and
• Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610) of the sponsoring employee; or
• Child of the sponsoring employee who is unmarried and at least 18 years old; and
• Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and resides at the sponsoring employee’s post of assignment abroad, or as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and is under chief of mission authority; or
• resides at an Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance (ISMA) location authorized under 3 FAM 3232.2; or
• Currently receives a U.S. Government retirement annuity or pension from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or Civil Service.

Appointment Eligible Family Member (AEFM):  An AEFM for employment purposes is an individual who meets all of the following criteria:

• U.S. Citizen; and
• Spouse or same-sex domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610) of the sponsoring employee; or
• Child of the sponsoring employee who is unmarried and at least 18 years old; and
• Listed on the travel orders or approved Form OF-126 of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT); and
• Is under chief of mission authority; and
• Is residing at the sponsoring employee's post of assignment abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and
• Does NOT currently receive a U.S. Government retirement annuity or pension from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or Civil Service. 

Member of Household (MOH):  An individual who accompanies or joins a sponsoring employee, i.e., sponsor is a direct hire employee under Chief of Mission authority, either Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad at a U.S. mission, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan.  A MOH is an individual who meets the following criteria: 

1. Not an EFM and therefore not on the travel orders or approved through form OF-126 Foreign Service Residence and Dependency Report of the sponsoring employee; and
2. Officially declared by the sponsoring U.S. Government employee to the Chief of Mission (COM) as part of his or her household and approved by the COM; and
3. Is a parent, grandparent, grandchild, unmarried partner, adult child, foreign born child in the process of being adopted, father, mother, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister who falls outside the Department’s current definition of Eligible Family Member 14 FAM 511.3.  A MOH may or may not be a U.S. Citizen.

Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR) – An individual who meets the following criteria:

• An EFM, USEFM or AEFM of a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member permanently assigned or stationed abroad, or as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; or
• Has diplomatic privileges and immunities; and
• Is eligible for compensation under the FS or GS salary schedule; and
• Has a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN); and

• Is not a citizen of the host country; and
• Does not ordinarily reside in the host country; and
• Is not subject to host country employment and tax laws.

Ordinarily Resident (OR) – An individual who meets the following criteria:

• A citizen of the host country; or
• A non-citizen of the host country (including a U.S. citizen or a third-country national) who is locally resident and has legal and/or permanent resident status within the host country and/or who is a holder of a non-diplomatic visa/work and/or residency permit; and/or 
• Is subject to host country employment and tax laws.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send your CV, (Form DS-174) and cover letter (in English) to email address: jobs.for.ngo.hanoi@gmail.com

Deadline: 30/8/2016

     Any question please contact: Ms Quyen. Tel: 043 8265118