Strategic Content Coordination Specialist

The U.S. Mission in Beijing is seeking one eligible and qualified applicant for the position of Strategic Content Coordination Specialist. The work schedule for this position is: Full Time (40 hours per week) 

Start date: Candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time of receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end. 

Supervisory Position: Yes

Duties: The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist for Digital Operations (SCCS) works under the supervision of the Country Public Affairs  Officer (CPAO) or the PAO-designated Foreign Services Officer SBU -PRIVACY OR PII (FSO). Directly supervises three Community Management Coordinators responsible for direct engagement with a total online audience of approximately four million (daily) participants in three thematic online communities. The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist also supervises three Digital Production Coordinators responsible for the creative design, development, and production of digital content for all of Mission China. The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist oversees daily direct online public engagement with strategically select audiences through the Mission’s digital properties (social media, mobile). The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist oversees Mission-wide creation, customization, and selection of strategic content for distribution/online discussion with these high priority communities. 

The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist develops, recommends, and advises on the operational policies (including content moderation), procedures, and guidelines needed to guide Mission and SCC-wide use of evolving digital technologies. The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist regularly liaises with the Strategic Content Coordination (Market Analysis) team for continuously updated data to inform strategic planning, audience research, program monitoring, and evaluation for Digital Operations initiatives to engage and grow audience communities, to lead design and production of digital content for the Mission, and to enhance and refine platform content (written, images, video, and interactive). The Strategic Content Coordination Specialist develops and provides onthe-job training participate in online engagement, including information on content development, standards, regulations, and policies for use of digital properties in both the private and public sectors. 

Qualifications and Evaluations

Education:

A bachelor’s degree in communications/media, business/marketing, international relations, industrial design, graphic design, or local equivalent is required. 

Requirements:

EXPERIENCE: This position requires at least five years of progressively responsible experience in a multilingual, multicultural, or multinational commercial or communications enterprise with market research and analysis, public engagement, and project management as significant components of the job. Experience must include designing and executing information/marketing/advocacy campaigns using multifaceted (multilingual, multimedia) digital and traditional formats. 

JOB KNOWLEDGE: Detailed knowledge of U.S. foreign policy objectives and American interests in host country. Good understanding of U.S. historical,  SBU -PRIVACY OR PII political, economic, and cultural forces that shape U.S. foreign policy is required. Detailed knowledge of traditional and digital communication preferences of Public Diplomacy (PD) key audiences in the host country is required. Comprehensive knowledgeof key audience groups including the factors and institutions that shape their attitudes toward the U.S. is required. Detailed knowledge of commercial marketing techniques, market analysis and analytics, and customer service is required. Knowledge of trends in regional and international communications patterns, and how they affect hostcountry communications, landscape is required. Knowledge and understanding of how to identify engagement opportunities and how to leverage them within the societal norms of that community is required. Must have knowledge of commercial and regulatory aspects of digital marketing and advertising products and services. 

Must have general knowledge of project management, including defining project objectives, outcomes, and assessment methods. 

Knowledge of strategic communications management over multiple platforms across constituent posts is required. 

Evaluations:

LANGUAGE: Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing English is required. (This will be tested.) 

Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing in Mandarin Chinese is required. 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Analytic skills: Must have strong analytic skills to engage relevant audiences, understand their sensitivities and identify the best strategic content and delivery means to engage them in support of U.S. policy objectives. Must be able to perceive the emergence of new influencers and changing preferences in information consumption; to assess the impact of evolving content formats and delivery channels; and to use and understand cross-section analysis to modify approaches for enhanced outcomes. Must be able to analyze host-country communication trends as the basis for projecting future Strategic Content Coordination (SCC) human resource skills and budget requirements. Must be able to review large amounts of data, conduct analysis on this data, and be able to translate (using data visualization techniques as appropriate) to transmit conclusions and recommendations to senior managers who may not be well-versed in social media or analytics. 

Communication / Interpersonal skills: Must be able to lead PD and other Mission discussions of priority engagement, strategic content, and appropriate dissemination, to reach consensus and to recommend optimal course of action to PAO. Must have excellent customer relations, interpersonal cross-cultural communication  SBU -PRIVACY OR PII skills, and be able to engage key host-country communications, broadcast, marketing analysts, and ministry officials. Must be able to create and host direct online conversations designed to build relationships with the public on foreign policy issues. Must be able to tailor communications to fit formal and informal situations and different linguistic cultures. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to develop, write, and edit materials for broadcast or digital dissemination in both English and host-country language(s). Must be able to speak publicly and interview for evaluation purposes. Must be able to brief U.S. officers and visitors on local communication patterns and optimal dissemination of strategic content. Must be able to provide informal interpretation English and Mandarin Chinese for professional briefings. 

Management skills: Strong management skills are required, including the ability to develop policies, procedures, and guidelines in response to changing communication technologies, formats, and internal Mission preferences for sharing strategic content; the ability to convene groups, reach consensus, and develop recommendations are all required. Must be able to manage projects and oversee budgets, schedules, and daily operations to produce, adapt, and disseminate time-sensitive content, through preferred channels for optimal audience impact. Must have good supervisory skills and the ability to obtain results from employees and contractors in order to maintain project objectives and meet deadlines. Must be able to develop and organize training for SCC unit, PD, and Mission personnel on use of digital engagement tools, and SCC unit on crisis preparedness. Must be able to finalize agreements with partner institutions and manage their fulfillment. 

Technical skills: Detailed knowledge of and ability to use social media, digital, and mobile platforms, graphic design and photo editing software, photo and video sharing sites, podcast creation, experience hosting webinars, and basic photo and video skills are all required. Must have good numerical skills to be able to use and develop statistical analyses of audience segments and report impact of PD operations. Must have knowledge of how digital platforms are managed, to include software licenses, role-based permissions for accounts, management of accounts, and various levels of functionality built in to manage these platforms. Good keyboarding, data entry skills, and excellent familiarity with electronic discovery tools (internet and Google analytics), and standard information retrieval practices and procedures are required. Must be able to use Microsoft Office and PD-specific software, databases, and reporting tools. Full understanding of PD-specific funding authorities and their planning and reporting tools is required. Availability: Must be available to travel throughout China to develop professional contacts in areas of expertise, to provide informal on- the-job training to SCC staff at consulates, and to strengthen internal Mission strategic content sharing. 

Qualifications: All applicants under consideration will be required to pass medical and security certifications. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO): 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. All applicants must have the required work and/or residency permits to be eligible for consideration. 

Other information:

HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS: 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 and CS with reemployment rights **

* IMPORTANT: Applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of their most recent DD-214 (“Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty”), equivalent documentation, or certification. A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. Acceptable documentation must be submitted in order for the preference to be given. 

** This level of preference applies to all Foreign Service employees on LWOP and CS with re