City: Yaounde Posted: 11-May-2026
We encourage you to review the Eight (8) Qualities of Overseas Employees before you apply.
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.
The U.S. Mission in Cameroon is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the Economic Specialist position in the Political/Economic Section.
Under the supervision of the Political/Economic (P/E) Officer, incumbent serves as the Economic Specialist in the P/E Section. The incumbent is responsible for economic analysis, oral and written reporting, and assistance to US Government-funded projects. The incumbent performs factual and analytical reporting in the field of economics, more specifically on macroeconomic issues, economic and trade conditions, regional economic integration, government budget and fiscal policy, infrastructure, energy, the financial sector, sanctions, anti-money laundering/counter-terror financing, and related areas.
The incumbent is the primary drafter for congressionally-mandated reports within the portfolio. The incumbent may be asked to cover commercial advocacy issues and/or environment, science, technology, and health (ESTH) issues in the absence of the Commercial or ESTH specialists. The incumbent will also support overall economic analysis, reporting, and contact work for all other fields in the P/E section as required. He/she will assist in planning, implementing, and administering economic-related assistance projects.
Economic Analysis and Reporting
The Economic Specialist conducts comprehensive economic analysis and reporting on topics including trade conditions, government budget, fiscal transparency, Cameroon's role in the Economic Community of Central Africa States (CEMAC), banking and finance, sanctions, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, infrastructure, and energy.
Key responsibilities include developing and maintaining contacts with government officials, civil society members, academics, and private sector representatives; reporting on meetings and significant events; supporting official visitors; and representing the Embassy as requested. The specialist drafts congressionally-mandated reports such as those on Child Labor and Fiscal Transparency.
Development Assistance Support
The specialist liaises with U.S. Treasury, USDA, and State Department to support assistance projects in Cameroon. This includes providing analysis of project progress and problem areas, liaising with the Government of Cameroon, and providing policy advice.
Briefings and Stakeholder Engagement
The specialist briefs the Ambassador, visiting officials, and senior leaders on current economic issues in Cameroon and their importance to the United States. The position requires engaging with middle- to high-level contacts in Cameroon's public and private sectors and maintaining communication with the Department of State, other U.S. government agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
The specialist communicates U.S. positions to stakeholders, analyzes government and partner positions, and reports findings back to the Embassy and Washington.
Additional Duties
The specialist manages special projects as Mission priorities change, responds to requests from Washington, drafts cables and correspondence, coordinates official visits, and assists with day-to-day duties in the Political and Economic Section. The position requires managing multiple projects simultaneously while exercising initiative and creativity.
All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a:
All selected candidates will be subject to a background investigation and may be subject to a pre-employment medical exam.
Selected candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time upon receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end.
University degree in Economics, Business, Sociology, International Development, or Environmental/health policy studies is required.
You will be evaluated against the qualifications and requirements in this vacancy announcement.
You may be asked to complete a pre-employment language or skills test.
You must complete the application form and provide the required documents. Your application must address all the position qualifications and requirements including education, experience, language, and any knowledge/skills/abilities listed. If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position.
Experience: A minimum of five (05) years of of responsible professional-level experience in economic research, analysis and reporting in international affairs, economy or development. Experience must include analysis and interpretation of data and the presentation of findings in written and oral form.
Language: Fluency (Reading/Writing/Speaking) in English and French is required. This may be tested.
Job Knowledge: The incumbent must have a thorough understanding of Cameroonian politics, history, society, economy, and institutions; regional and international development issues; and economics. The incumbent should know and understand USG and Mission priorities and policies, as well as U.S. government, politics, and history as relates to the execution of the job in the promotion/advocacy of USG foreign policy.
The Economic Specialist must be familiar with the MS Office Suite and use of the internet for research and should have good understanding of Embassy reporting needs and procedures, including Washington’s priorities. The incumbent must be able to serve as the “institutional memory” for information related to the past or present projects.
Skills And Abilities: Must have excellent verbal skills and be able to tailor conversations to the level of the audience, taking conversation down to the lowest common denominator. Must be able to influence and persuade stakeholders to meet U.S. foreign policy objectives. The incumbent must be able to diplomatically and effectively exchange with the interlocutors, as the incumbent will often be the sole representative from the USG in the dialogue.
The incumbent must be able to effectively multi-task and manage a constantly changing number of projects. The incumbent must be able to quickly understand and work within the realms of specific regulations that vary from project to project. The incumbent must exercise considerable initiative and creativity when developing new project ideas or working within the confines of project regulations. The incumbent must have strong writing skills to be able to write reports, cables, and memos in English as well as informally interpret between French and English in meetings.
Summary - U.S. Mission Cameroon
SALARY & COMPENSATION: The annual gross salary includes: the Basic Rate, the Miscellaneous Benefits Allowance, and the End-of-the-Year Bonus (equal to 1/12 of annual basic salary, paid in December). Seniority Allowance is paid in accordance with local labor law. Merit-based compensation rewards are available for high performers. A Cashier allowance is paid for eligible positions.
LEAVE BENEFITS: Subject to the stated limits and rules of the Local Compensation Plan, employees are entitled to: Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Special Leave, and Family Leave
MEDICAL BENEFITS: The U.S. Mission in Cameroon directly reimburses eligible employees for covered medical expenses incurred for them and/or eligible dependents.
HOLIDAYS: The U.S. Mission in Cameroon observes American and Cameroonian public holidays, about 19 holidays per year.
For Eligible Family Member (EFM) applicants, benefits should be discussed with the HR Office. The pay plan is assigned by the HR Office and confirmed by Washington, D.C.
HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS:
A hiring preference is extended to eligible and qualified applicants in the order listed below. It is essential you accurately describe your status in your application, failure to do so may result in a determination that you are not eligible for a hiring preference.
HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER:
* IMPORTANT: US citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) 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”) preferably Member Copy 4, Letter from Veterans’ Affairs which indicates the present existence of a service-connected disability, 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 FS employees on LWOP and CS with re-employment rights back to their agency or bureau.
For complete definitions of AEFM, USEFM, EFM, Member of Household, etc., please visit the 3 FAM 7210 Definitions.
ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
The following apply to EFMs, USEFMs, and AEFMs only:
The following apply to Locally Employed (LE) staff only:
Click the “Apply to This Vacancy” button at the top of the page to begin your application. For an instructional video on how to apply click here.
Please address all relevant experience, education, language skills (including English), and job related skills or requirements in your application.
You may edit your application any time before the vacancy closing date. If you fail to submit a complete application by the vacancy closing date of this vacancy, then your application may be disqualified for this position.
For a copy of the complete position description, please contact the HR Office.
To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the HR Office.
We foster a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace where employees can be themselves. We invite qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply.
Please upload all applicable documents to your application. If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position.
All Applicants:
In addition, Eligible Family Member (EFM) Applicants must submit:
Once the Vacancy Announcement (VA) closes:
Applications meeting the minimum education and experience requirements will be screened by HR Office and the Selecting Official(s).
ONLY shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email for mandatory language and/or subject matter tests.
ONLY successful tested applicants will be contacted by email for interviews.
ONLY tested and/or interviewed applicants will be notified by email of the results.
For Selected Applicants:
HR Office will send a Conditional Offer with the security certification and medical clearance requirements.
The security certification is a 2–4-month process and is done by the Regional Security Office (RSO), who will contact the applicant once he/she completes the requirements provided with the Conditional Offer.
The medical clearance is covered by the U.S. Embassy, and will be completed by the applicant separately, during the security certification process.
Once HR Office receives the medical clearance and the security certification, the applicant will receive a Formal Offer with an agreed start date.
For more information on applying for jobs or employment with us, please visit the U.S. Mission website.
Thank you for your application and your interest in working with us.
