How to Apply for a Job with the U.S. Mission to Brazil

Thank you for considering the U.S. Mission to Brazil as a potential employer.

The Human Resources (HR) Office in Brasilia has overall responsibility for the management of the Employment Program for all agencies represented in the Mission.

Vacancy announcements for positions at the Embassy in Brasilia, Consulates General in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Recife, Consular Agencies in Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre and other Consular Agencies throughout Brazil are advertised on this internet site.

Please read the information that follows to ensure that you understand our employment policies and application procedures before submitting an employment application.

The U.S. Mission in Brazil 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. To the extent that any information related to the foregoing is submitted by a candidate for employment or incidentally revealed, such information shall not be used in connection with any hiring, promotion or other decisions related to employment made by the U.S. Mission to Brazil.

Applications for specific positions listed on a U.S. Mission Brazil website may be limited to U.S. Citizens if there is a need for a security clearance; however, the majority of positions in the Mission are open to all applicants, regardless of citizenship. The hiring mechanism and salary scale applied to the successful candidate is determined by his or her residency status, not citizenship.

The U.S. Mission in Brazil does not provide travel or relocation benefits to applicants or persons selected to fill vacant positions.

  • All applicants must be Brazilian citizens, or permanent residents of Brazil or legally eligible to work in accordance with local law.  Foreign applicants must provide proof of residency in the form of an unrestricted, current work permit or residency permit at the time of application. The U.S. Mission to Brazil does not sponsor work permits.
  • Applicants for employment must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Eligible Family Members (EFMs) on official orders who derive their eligibility to work in the Mission from their US direct-hire sponsor who is assigned to Brazil, may apply for positions prior to their arrival in Brazil.
  • Candidates who are EFMs, USEFMs, AEFMs, or MOHs must have at least one year remaining on their sponsor’s tour of duty to be considered eligible to apply for most vacant positions unless the positions are short-term.
  • Current Ordinarily Resident employees of the Mission may only apply for positions at or above their current grade level.
  • Current Ordinarily Resident Employees on probationary status are not eligible to apply.
  • Currently employed United States Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) who hold a Family Member Appointment (FMA) and Not-Ordinarily Residents (NORs) hired under a Personal Services Agreement (PSA) are ineligible to apply for advertised positions within the first 90 calendar days of their employment unless currently hired into a temporary part-time or intermittent position.

Our Local Employment Recruitment policy does not use points in applying the hiring preference for USEFMs or U.S. Veteran candidates. Under U.S. law including the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, status as an USEFM or an U.S. Veteran is an affirmative factor in employment. To receive a preference in hiring, USEFM and U.S. Veteran candidates must be fully qualified before receiving first consideration for the advertised position. Qualified USEFM applicants who also have U.S. Veterans Preference will receive the highest preference. USEFM and U.S. Veteran candidates are eligible to receive preference each time they apply for Mission-advertised positions, subject to Mission HR confirmation of eligibility. Mission HR’s decision on eligibility for U.S. Veterans Preference after reviewing the DD-214 or conditional eligibility documentation is final.

Hiring Preference Order:

  1. U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Member who is also a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran
  2. U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Member or a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran
  3. US Foreign Service Eligible Family Member on Leave Without Pay

Candidates who submit an application for employment are advised of the following steps:

  • Submission of Form DS-174 (PDF – 640KB) and supporting documentation to establish your qualifications for the vacancy
  • Administrative testing including language and skills testing
  • Interview
  • Medical and Security Screening
  • Job Offer

1. You should review the entire vacancy announcement to ensure that you understand the eligibility requirements and selection criteria.

2.  You should review each vacancy announcement carefully to determine if you meet the Qualification Requirements as advertised.

3.  If the vacancy announcement indicates an English language requirement of 3/3 or higher, you must submit an application in English.

4.  Once you have determined that you meet the Qualification Requirements, you may submit Form DS-174 Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff of Family Member (PDF – 151KB) and any other documentation that addresses the Qualification Requirements.

5.  Only those candidates providing specific and comprehensive information supporting each job requirement will receive consideration.  Be prepared to produce copies of all certificates or degrees earned upon request.

6.  Include all relevant work experience, paid and voluntary in detail in your Form DS-174.  Start with your present or most recent work experience. When describing work, list specific duties, responsibilities and accomplishments.  Include supervisory responsibilities and the number of employees supervised if applicable.  Go into as much detail as possible for work experience that directly relates to the advertised position.

8.  Include the names, addresses and contact details for three (3) personal references and (3) professional references. The personal references are ideally individuals who know you professionally and can comment on your suitability for employment at the mission. Personal references must exclude relatives and former supervisors. The professional references should be supervisors who can also comment on your suitability for employment with the Mission. We will obtain your permission before contacting any reference.

9.  U.S. Veterans:  If you claim U.S. Veteran’s preference, you must submit written documentation confirming eligibility (e.g., Member Copy 4 of Form DD-214, Letter from the Veteran’s Administration, or certification documenting eligibility under the VOW Act with an expected discharge no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted) by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.  If the written documentation confirming eligibility is not received in the HR office by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, the U.S. Veteran’s preference will not be considered in the application process.

10.  We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Do not include your race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation in your application form or materials that you submit to us.

11.  Submit your Form DS-174 to the recruitment mailbox listed in the vacancy announcement along with the title of the position that you are applying for. If you fail to do so, your name will not appear as an applicant for the advertised position.

The U.S. Mission to Brazil reserves the right to test applicants to determine if the applicant has the required knowledge, skills or abilities as described in the vacancy announcement.  We will indicate on our vacancy announcement any job requirement which may require testing before final short-listing is completed and interviews are scheduled.  You will be required to come to one of our HR Offices (depending on the location of the job) in person for administrative testing.

Short listing of applications and interviews are normally completed within six weeks of the closing date.  Please assume that your application has been unsuccessful if you have not heard from us within six weeks of the closing date.

If the interview panel determines that you are the best person for the job, your previous employers will be contacted and asked to provide employment references for you.

The last phase of the application process is medical and security screening. The Human Resources Office will provide applicants with the required forms to complete before scheduling the medical and security screening appointments. The results of the medical examination shall remain confidential. Any applicant who fails to submit the required documentation within the specified deadline will be disqualified from the application process.

If you successfully complete the application process as described above, you will receive a formal offer of employment which includes a breakdown of the salary and benefits offered as well as general information about terms and conditions of employment.

After you accept our employment offer, we will provide you with a start date.  The job offer letter means that you have successfully completed all phases of the Employment Application Process.

If you are not successful in the application process, please be advised that we are unable to provide feedback to you.

Our HR Offices do not keep a “current applications” file of applications submitted by candidates who were not selected for positions. Applicants must submit a new application package for each advertised vacancy since advertised positions contain different requirements which must be specifically addressed by the applicant, and to insure full compliance with the U.S. Citizen EFM and U.S. Veterans hiring preference.