Local Employment Policy Handbook - ICASS

B. Make decisions involving governmental functions such as planning, budget, programming, and
personnel selections. It’s okay to make recommendations in these areas, but an American directhire
employee of State or other USG agency must make the final decision.
C. Supervise direct hire Foreign, Civil, or uniformed service member employees.
D. Hold accountable officer positions.
PURPOSE
Purposes of the Local Employment Policy (LEP):
1. Simplify and standardize local employment of overseas employees at Missions abroad. The LEP
streamlines the employment process by eliminating the requirement for prior regional (e.g., WHA/EX,
EAP/EX) or functional (e.g., PRM) bureau approval to establish positions. It allows Missions to adopt a
“manage to budget” approach in setting appropriate staffing levels.
2. Participating USG agencies under Chief of Mission authority that have formally signed the
Memorandum of Agreement and implemented the LEP may also eliminate the requirement for prior
headquarters approval to establish positions, unless the US agency headquarters instructs field offices that
the Mission still needs to get headquarters authorization and approval to establish new positions.
3. Reinforce US employment values of merit and equal opportunity. The LEP increases fairness by
basing compensation on:
A. An individual’s residency status; and
B. The skill requirements of the job; and
C. What those skills pay in the host country for Ordinarily Residents.
The skills requirements of the position are the education, prior work experience, language, and other
requirements in Blocks 15 and 16 of the Position Description (DS-298), and as advertised in the Vacancy
Announcement. For example, the skills requirements for a Political Specialist position may include,
among other requirements, a baccalaureate degree or host country equivalent in political science, and
level IV (Fluent) speaking/reading/writing English. (See Local Employment Recruitment Policy
Guidebook on the HR/OE website)
4. For State positions: Allow the Mission to employ staff in positions assigned most governmental
functions (example: cashiering), as long as it’s not inherently governmental work. For Other Agency
Positions: HR contacts the agency headquarters to find out what the agency considers inherently
governmental work and if HR may use a PSA.