The Communications Office leads on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) legacy on external affairs and provides central focus and overall coordination for all aspects of legislative and public affairs matters. This office serves as the central point of contact with Congress, the media, interested stakeholders from the international development community, and the American people regarding USAIDs legacy international development programs and policies.

Among its principal responsibilities are coordination of USAID legacy legislative programs by securing congressional appropriations, providing information to Congress related to legislation, and advising the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and the Chief of Staff regarding the status of pending legislation and related concerns of Members of Congress. This office also directs the external communications strategy and is responsible for positioning, messaging and branding.

In short, the Communications Bureau serves as the liaison between the Office and the American people, Congress, the media, and other key constituencies on USAID legacy programs.

Scope of Work

The Press and Branding Director performs writing and editing duties primarily for the Administrator and Deputy Administrator and other Front Office (FO) principals who require assistance with drafting speeches and written presentations in the furtherance of USAID's priorities and initiatives. The incumbent composes orations for senior leaders who participate in public speaking engagements and tailor content according to the desired messaging strategy. This role provides communication coordination with other relevant legacy entities of USAID as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Researches, writes, edits, and rewrites speeches and other materials to be delivered by or used by senior staff in a variety of public fora;
2. Liaises with senior leadership on behalf of the Communications Director on specific requests and information-gathering;
3. Works closely with the Communications Director and appropriate office directors to ensure the flow of correct policy language and ideas;
4. Counsels and advises the senior leadership on message viability and audience targeting;
5. Obtains appropriate clearances when necessary in preparing speech material;
6. Maintains close contact with White House policy makers and communications office in order to correctly disseminate and translate official Administration policy for oral testimony before Congress and any speeches to public and private forums;
7. Provides counsel on a variety of issues involving the successful transmission of the Agency's communications strategy; and
8. Performs other duties as assigned.

Strong Skill Sets Needed

• Copy-editing Material
• Oral and Written Communications
• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Multitasking and Prioritizing
• Organization and Planning
• Project Management

Required Qualifications

1. Highly proficient in the use of Google Applications and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
2. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with competing and shifting priorities;
3. Ability to efficiently multitask and prioritize workload accordingly;
4. Demonstrated experience writing speeches, talking points, op-ed pieces, letters, and other written products for multiple formats;
5. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and interact with people at all management and support levels;
6. Ability to craft a script that is personally and professionally representative of the speaker and captures personal tone, cadence, and word usage;
7. Exceptional communication skills and fluency on a variety of topics;
8. Ability to describe complex material and information in detail so the audience understands its meaning; and
9. U.S. citizen eligible to obtain a secret level security clearance.

Education

Bachelors Degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Political Science or related field is required and six (6) years of relevant experience. *Master's Degree is preferred.

USAID Assumptions and Constraints

1. Support may be required outside of core hours.
2. Ability to telework will be based on office staffing requirements. Telework options available.
3. On-site work may be required.
4. Travel may be required.

Place of Performance

Washington, D.C.

Relevant professional experience may be substituted for education requirements.

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