Embassy of the United States

LEGAL PROGRAM ASSISTANT

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER:  08-14

NOTE:  All applicants who are not the Family Members of USG employees officially assigned to post and under Chief of Mission Authority must have the required work and/or residency permits to be eligible for consideration.

OPEN TO: 
1. Eligible Family Members (EFMs) – All Agencies Current
2. Ordinarily Resident and Not Ordinarily Resident U.S. Citizens and Foreign National Employees – All Agencies
3. Ordinarily Resident and Not Ordinarily Resident U.S. Citizens and Foreign Nationals

POSITION: LEGAL PROGRAM ASSISTANT                                 
OPENING DATE: November 14, 2008
CLOSING DATE: November 28, 2008
WORK HOURS: Full-time; 40 hours/week
SALARY: *Ordinarily Resident: Position Grade: FSN-10
 (LES 10/step 1 gross annual salary EUR 30,024)  
*EFM/MOH/NOR: Position Grade: FP-05 to be confirmed by Washington (USD 46,283)
   
The U.S. Embassy in Podgorica/Department of Justice is seeking an individual for employment in country for the position of Legal Program Assistant.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION
- Manages administrative and logistical organization of advanced legal education training workshops, seminars and conferences with Montenegrin governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations. Performs the full range of administrative support duties.
- Assists RLA in mentoring the prosecutorial work at Montenegro Chief Prosecutor’s office.
- Follows the local press and Internet for developments relevant to Department of Justice programming and reports on same to RLA.
- Translates all correspondence and documents into English.
- Advises visiting USG officials on legal issues and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

NOTE:  All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

1. University degree in law is required.
2. Minimum 3 years experience in a law office, law related NGO or other justice institution in preparing, reviewing and interpreting legal documents is required. 
3. Must be fluent (Level IV) in both English and Montenegrin language.
4. Must have good working knowledge of local government structures, including the court system and the legislative process as well as law enforcement procedures and hierarchy.
5. Must have good knowledge MS Office Suite.  
6. Must be well organized, detailed oriented and able to deal independently and efficiently with persons within and outside the Mission.

SELECTION PROCESS
When equally qualified, Eligible Family Members and U.S. Veterans will be given preference.  Therefore, it is essential that all candidates address the required qualifications above in the application. 

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA
1. Management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, and visa
status in determining successful candidacy. 
2. Current employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply.

TO APPLY
Interested candidates for this position should submit the following:
Either:
A. Application for Federal Employment (OF-612);  or
B. A current resume.
And:
C. Documentation (e.g., essays, certificates, awards, copies of degrees earned) that address the qualification requirements of the position as listed above.

SUBMIT APPLICATION TO
Via e-mail:  podgoricajobs@state.gov
Via fax:   +385-1-661-2370; 
Via mail:  American Embassy Zagreb
Human Resources Office – Job Application (Legal Program Assistant)
T. Jefferson 2,
10010 Zagreb, Croatia

DEFINITIONS
1. EFM:  US Citizen spouse or US citizen child as referred to in 6 FAM 111.3, paragraph R, (1) who is at least age 18, and who, in either case, is on the travel orders of a US citizen Foreign or Civil service employee or military service member permanently assigned to or stationed at a US Foreign Service post or establishment abroad and under Chief of Mission authority.
2. Member of Household (MOH):  Foreign born spouses, dependent children, unmarried partners of the same and opposite sex, parents, other relatives or adult children who fall outside the Department’s current legal and statutory definition of EFM.
3. Ordinarily Resident (OR):  A citizen of the host country or a citizen of another country who has shifted the main residency focus to the host country and has the required work and/or residency permit for employment in country.
4. Not-Ordinarily Resident (NOR):  A non-host country citizen (U.S. citizen or foreign national) who, although legally resident in a host country, is not permanently resident.  US citizen EFMs and Members of Household of FS, GS, and Military Personnel officially assigned to post are generally the only individuals who are NOR and are eligible to work under host country law. 

CLOSING DATE FOR THIS POSITION:  November 28, 2008

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The US Mission in Montenegro 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.