How to ask for advice regarding a position? A colleague of mine has notified me of an upcoming opening for a TT position in my field in the US. She told me to contact a colleague of hers in the department hiring to "ask for advice" regarding the position. 
Being from Europe, this a bit unusual and I am at loss about what I should ask for since the position already comes with a job description? Is this just a way to informally establish contact? What types of question are appropriate/inappropriate to ask the person in this situation?
I would keep it simple. Typically at this stage I have asked questions like “Are there sub fields that the department is particularly interested in hiring for?” “What courses are you hoping this position would cover?” Or the fallback/generic options “Is there anything beyond what is in the job description that I need to keep in mind when applying?” And “What aspects of my CV do you recommend I stress in my application?”

The goal is to use the conversation to introduce yourself and to tailor your application.