Public Affairs Specialist IV - IQ Talent Marketplace

Position Overview And Primary Duties And Responsibilities (essential Functions)

PUBLIC AFFAIRS ADVISOR

• The Public Affairs Advisor advises the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section on press issues. These issues include liaison between the Section and local and international media organizations, the press offices of Government of Iraq (GOI) ministries, press freedom organizations and media regulators to help the Public Affairs Section advance messaging objectives in Iraq.

Essential Duties

• Advises the Public Affairs section and maintains close contact with Iraqi, Pan-Arab and Western print, radio, online, and broadcast journalists in Iraq.
• Conveys journalists’ inquiries and proposed responses to the Public Affairs Officer using standard operating procedures and forms.
• Assist in preparing Embassy personnel and senior USG officials for interviews by providing briefings, talking points and messaging, plan, arrange and coordinates media events, including interviews, press conferences, roundtables and representational events.
• Assists the Press Section by designing and implementing programs and activities to develop, train, and support independent Iraqi media.
• Provides backup support for after-hours news monitoring, especially major press conferences and media events; provide consecutive or simultaneous translation as needed during meetings, in addition to translating, proofreading, and editing outgoing Arabic and English translations for accuracy, including media reaction pieces, official texts, and press releases.
• Train U.S. mission personnel on how to conduct on-camera, print or radio interviews. Works with the Public Affairs Section’s media monitoring contractor to ensure that important news items are not overlooked; coordinate with the Studio Manager to help oversee equipment valued at over one million dollars used in the transmission of radio and television programs, including mixing consoles, lighting systems, simultaneous translation systems, production cameras.
• Advise the Grants Officer Representative (GOR), to help formulate, manage and monitor up to $5 million per fiscal year for journalism training, messaging outreach and media development grants.
• Maintains an organized and up-to-date database of press guidance, journalism training programs, journalism exchange programs, International Visitor Leadership Program nominees and programs, English Language nominees, TV Co-Op programs and others.
• Advises the Public Affairs Officer on sensitive cables and creates a detailed database outlining a full description of the various media outlets in Iraq and their affiliations; provide advice to USG officials on the media environment in Iraq, to include media outlet affiliations, direction, focus and funding sources.
• Provides big picture assessments to Public Affairs Section personnel on current events and hot topics in Iraq through regular monitoring and analysis of what is being reported in the local Iraqi and Pan Arab media outlets.
• Provides biographical background on contacts prior to a meeting, in addition to predicted topics that the contacts are expected to discuss, prepare USG Officials for meetings with representatives of the media and GoI press officials by providing the latest internal and open-source information of relevance to the meeting.

Prepares USG Officials for meetings with external contacts through research and talking points.

Required Qualifications And Experience

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Must be knowledgeable and have a deep understanding of the political, cultural, historical and media environment in Iraq and the region.
• Must have significant pre-existing insight and understanding of the various media outlets in Iraq, to include satellite channels, radio stations, newspapers and social media platforms, and a clear understanding of the most significant media outlets’ level of viewership, political affiliation, history and programming content.

Education & Experience

Master’s degree in journalism, communications or any related field or a Bachelor’s degree in journalism is highly desired.

Must be a US Citizen.

Language(s)

Level 4/5 in English is required.

Level 5 in Arabic is required