Job Description
Solicitation Number: 720FDA18B00081
Salary Level: GS-15 Equivalent: $105,123 – $136,659
Issuance Date: August 23, 2018
Closing Date: October 5, 2018 (Deadline Extended)
Closing Time: 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Dear Prospective Applicants:
The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Senior Regional Advisor (SRA) under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the attached solicitation.
Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Applicants interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:
Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, your resume must include:
Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
Names and contact information (phone/email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). Current and/or previous supervisors may be contacted for a reference.
Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
U.S. Citizenship
Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (FedBizOps, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).
Your resume should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information should be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.
USPSC Application form AID 309-2. Applicants are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS
AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT
All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award
Management (SAM) database prior to receiving an award. You will be disqualified if you either
fail to comply with this requirement or if your name appears on the excluded parties list. The
selectee will be provided with guidance regarding this registration.
NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed
notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the
DUNS number. Additional information on the format of the notarized letter and where to submit
can be found via the below Federal Service Desk link:
https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257…
sysparm_search=kb0013183
Additional documents submitted will not be accepted. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. OFDA reserves the right to select additional candidates if vacancies become available during future phases of the selection process.
Applicants can expect to receive a confirmation email when application materials have been received. Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. Your complete resume must be emailed to:
OFDA Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: recruiter@ofda.gov
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net
Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.
Sincerely,
Renee Newton
Contracting Officer
Solicitation for USPSC Senior Regional Advisor
SOLICITATION NO.: 720FDA18B00081
ISSUANCE DATE: August 23, 2018
CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: October 5, 2018 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
POSITION TITLE: Senior Regional Advisor
MARKET VALUE:
GS-15 equivalent ($105,123 – $136,659 – not eligible for locality pay). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based upon the candidate’s established salary history. Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two (2) years, with three (3) one-year options
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya
There may be an initial training program in Washington, D.C. for three months, which will include formal classroom training and on-the-job training; and may include security training. After completion of Washington training, the Senior Regional Advisor will be assigned to the place of performance.
STATEMENT OF WORK
POSITION DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the office within USAID that is responsible for providing emergency non-food humanitarian assistance in response to international crises and disasters. OFDA is part of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) and is organized into six divisions.
The Africa (AFD) Response Division and the Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Middle East (ALE) Response Division are responsible for the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance through a grants mechanism to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations including United Nations (UN) agencies and to other partners to ensure the implementation and delivery of this assistance. These divisions also oversee OFDA’s non-response efforts in disaster risk reduction and resilience. AFD and ALE Response Divisions also coordinate with other organizations for the provision of relief supplies and assistance. They devise, coordinate and implement program strategies for a variety of natural and complex disaster situations. Both Divisions encompass groups of operations specialists who provide technical expert capability in assessing the quality and strategic function of disaster response and risk reduction activities. The AFD Response Division is divided into two teams: East and Central Africa (ECA), and Southern, West, and North Africa (SWAN). The ALE Response Division is divided into four teams: East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia (EMCA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and South Asia (SA).
The Operations (OPS) Division develops and manages operations for OFDA’s disaster responses by readying people and systems; projecting U.S. Government (USG) humanitarian capacity quickly into the field; and delivering material and technical assistance. The OPS Division maintains readiness to respond to emergencies through several mechanisms, including managing Urban Search and Rescue Teams, coordinating, staffing, training, and equipping Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs), and Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMTs), and stockpiling emergency relief commodities in key locations around the globe to ensure OFDA’s capacity to execute and coordinate USG humanitarian assistance and response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The OPS Division provides technical guidance and expertise in Disaster Logistics, Urban Search and Rescue, Operations Center management, activation/readiness, Civil-Military Liaison, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Consequence Management. It also provides overseas support to OFDA offices and personnel and to other sectors necessary to ensure OFDA’s capacity to execute and coordinate USG humanitarian assistance and response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The OPS Division is divided into four teams: the Disaster Assistance Support Program (DASP), Military Liaison Team (MLT), Operations Support Team (OST), and Overseas Administration Team (OAT).
The Program Support (PS) Division provides operational management support, including general administration, budget and financial services, procurement planning, information technology, human resources management including staff care, and contract and grant administration support to OFDA. The PS Division supports OFDA’s mandate by providing innovative solutions in the areas of Information Technology, staffing, funds control, budgeting, human resource management, and procurement to facilitate timely disaster responses. The PS Division is divided into four teams: the Award, Audit, and Risk Management (AARM) team, Human Resources Management Team (HRM), Budget, Finance, and Information Technology (BFIT) Team, and the Acquisition and Management (ACQ) Team.
The Preparation, Strategic Planning and Mitigation (PSPM) Division is responsible for the technical oversight of all OFDA response and mitigation programs, as well as preparation for response, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction activities. The PSPM Division houses technical experts in all sectors potentially affected by disasters, and leads the Agency in developing and promoting best practices for programming in these specific sectors. In addition, PSPM will be the focal point for technological innovations for humanitarian assistance in areas such as monitoring and evaluation, assessment, and information management. The PSPM Division is divided into four teams: Cross-Cutting Sectors Team, Natural Hazards Team, Health Team, and Food Security and Livelihoods Team.
The Humanitarian Policy and Global Engagement (HPGE) Division assists the DCHA front office, the OFDA Director and OFDA Deputy Director with tracking trends and policy developments in the humanitarian assistance field. It engages in policy dialogue with other parts of USAID, the USG interagency, other donors, multilateral agencies, and NGO partners; recommends strategies for action to DCHA; initiates development of policy and internal guidance for OFDA; maintains global relationships with implementing partners, other donors, and the broader humanitarian architecture; and engages with the UN to advance USG humanitarian policy objectives and promote humanitarian principles within the USG and internationally. The HPGE Division leads OFDA’s communications and social media outreach to effectively communicate OFDA’s story to a variety of strategic audiences. It serves as the office’s primary interlocutor on strategic issues with other federal partners to provide guidance to OFDA on policy issues pertaining to the interagency, and to improve USG humanitarian coordination and response during large-scale crises. The HPGE Division staff manages global programs, policy and outreach, strategic communications, and interagency training and engagement. HPGE is divided into seven teams: Policy Team, Global Programs Team, Strategic Interagency Team, Strategic Communications Team, Global Capacity and Leadership Development Team, Public-Private Engagement Team, and the United States Mission to the UN (USUN) in New York, Geneva, and Rome.
INTRODUCTION
To fulfill its mandate to effectively respond to disasters worldwide, OFDA has established six permanent regional offices. The regional offices are located in San Jose, Costa Rica; Bangkok, Thailand; Pretoria, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Nairobi, Kenya; and Budapest, Hungary.
The regional offices are headed by Senior Regional Advisors (SRAs). SRAs serve as the regional team leaders in disaster response, preparedness, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities. They are principally responsible for managing the regional offices, monitoring all grants on humanitarian assistance program implementation, overseeing sub-regional offices, as applicable, supervising the office staff, and developing, in consultation with their respective Regional Advisors and the OFDA Africa Division Team Leader in Washington, the multiyear strategies for their respective regions. In coordination with OFDA/Washington, SRAs manage disaster response activities, identify and formulate disaster preparedness, mitigation and training programs for their respective regions.
OBJECTIVE
OFDA requires the services of a SRA for its regional office in Nairobi, Kenya to ensure that OFDA’s objectives for response, preparedness, DRR, and resilience are met.
CORE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The SRA will be responsible for a complex portfolio—requiring oversight of multiple, concurrent humanitarian crises throughout the disaster cycle. The SRA will manage a team of field-based staff responsible for the monitoring and assessment of humanitarian needs in the region of responsibility and developing, implementing, and monitoring humanitarian response and DRR efforts. The SRA will serve as the lead humanitarian advisor in the field and ensure OFDA field-base perspectives are incorporated into OFDA’s internal and external policy efforts and office-wide initiatives. Up to 75% travel throughout the assigned region and to headquarters will be expected.
The SRA’s responsibilities will include the following:
Contextual Specialty
Serve as an authoritative expert on humanitarian issues, priorities, lessons learned, and opportunities in the region of responsibility.
Use extensive experience and knowledge base to guide OFDA’s Regional Advisors in analyzing and determining the scale and scope of a wide-range of challenges when complete information is not available and provide support to continued efforts to establish creative solutions.
Provide expert guidance on political, humanitarian, organizational, structural and stakeholder interests’ specific to the region of responsibility.
Prepare or supervise the preparation of regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on assigned countries.
Portfolio Management
Lead/conduct/oversee initial assessments to identify humanitarian needs and/or DRR opportunities in current disaster sites or locations with high vulnerability.
Ensure ongoing humanitarian response and DRR activities are monitored to validate that objectives are met and beneficiaries are served.
Lead the development of country, issue, or disaster specific strategies across the region of responsibility, as well as timely revision of these strategies as contextual realties shift.
Make authoritative recommendations on difficult resource and programmatic trade-offs within the region and provide expert advice to inform global prioritization.
Ensure interventions within the region of responsibility align with appropriate strategies.
Serve a primary role in the management of the approved annual budget for the region to include timely identification of the need for additional resources or the availability of surplus.
Representation
Serve as the DCHA/OFDA lead representative and the primary point of contact on humanitarian issues in the area of responsibility.
Serve as an expert advisor on humanitarian and DRR issues to senior USG personnel in the region to include Ambassadors, Mission Directors, and other heads of agencies.
Develop and maintain relationships with representatives of host government, emergency/humanitarian donor governments (Department of International Development, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, etc.), international emergency and humanitarian organizations (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International committee of the Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, etc.) emergency/humanitarian divisions of NGOs, U.S. embassies and USAID missions to ensure efficient and coordinated humanitarian response and DRR activities.
Represent USAID in joint efforts to design, develop, and implement humanitarian strategies and intervention with local governments, donor, partner, and UN organizations, as appropriate.
Advise regional officials, including host country authorities and other USAID officials on disaster response, mitigation and risk reduction efforts, including the review of sector disaster response and disaster risk mitigation and DRR plans.
Work with local and regional institutions and private/public sector organizations to incorporate DRR into appropriate programs.
Leadership
Manage and prioritize daily activities of OFDA’s regional office and all related sub-regional and program offices.
Supervise emergency/humanitarian staff within the region to include provision of technical guidance and oversight, administrative approvals, and staff development and evaluation.
Provide current and future strategic direction to the regional office to include programmatic, liaison and representational prioritization, and human and financial resource requirements.
Participate in a leadership role in office-wide policy initiatives to ensure field perspectives are well-represented.
Serve as an early adopter of change through constructive engagement in policy, process, and management issues during development and implementation.
General Duties
Serve in a leadership role on DARTs and/or RMTs within and outside the region.
Ensure timely reporting of OFDA’s activities the region through written cables, analyses, strategies, and other requests for written information and/or oral briefings.
As needed, may serve on temporary details within the office to meet operational needs during staff shortages, not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and responsibilities as well as directly related to the scope of work provided.
SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:
The SRA will take direction from and report to the Africa Division Director or his/her designee.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The SRA is expected to independently plan, design, and carry out programs, projects, studies, or other work with limited administrative direction from supervisor in terms of broadly defined mission or functions. Results are considered technically authoritative and are normally accepted without significant change, reviewed in terms of fulfillment of program objectives, influence on overall program, or contribution to the advancement of the objective.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, there may be some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds).
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is primarily performed in an office setting. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, the work may additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions.
START DATE: Immediately, once necessary clearances are obtained.
POINT OF CONTACT: See Cover Letter.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including but not limited to international relations, political science, and disaster management) and eleven (11) years of progressively responsible experience in emergency relief and international humanitarian assistance, and/or disaster response, of which five (5) years were obtained overseas including on the-ground field experience in needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.
OR
Master’s Degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including but not limited to international relations, political science, and disaster management) and nine (9) years of progressively responsible experience in emergency relief and international humanitarian assistance, and/or disaster response, of which five (5) years were obtained overseas including on the-ground field experience in needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.
SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
Applicant is a U.S. Citizen.
Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
USPSC Application form AID 309-2. Applicants are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret level clearance as provided by USAID.
Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.
Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
APPLICANT RATING SYSTEM
The applicant rating system factors are used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified applicants in comparison to other applicants. Applicants must demonstrate the rating factors outlined below within their resume, as they are evaluated strictly by the information provided. The rating factors are as follows:
Professional Experience (10 points):
Direct donor-based experience with international humanitarian agencies such as USG international humanitarian agencies, UN humanitarian funds, or other international disaster response donor organizations.
Experience managing humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context across the entire disaster management cycle to include emergency response, early recovery and transition, disaster risk reduction, and resilience.
Specific experience managing humanitarian interventions including needs assessment, strategy development, budget management, resource prioritization, program development, and program management.
Management/Supervisory Experience (10 points):
Demonstrated experience managing a staff of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds working in a constant state of complex, international humanitarian crisis.
Experience managing a diverse team of program, technical, and administrative staff, including senior U.S. professionals, working in a constant state of in complex, international humanitarian crisis.
Skills and Abilities (10 points):
Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with host governments at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with other donors and diplomatic missions at senior levels in the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with international and national non-governmental humanitarian partners at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to effectively achieve humanitarian objectives within the USG at senior levels, including with the Department of Defense, Embassies, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch staff the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
Interview Performance (50 points)
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (20 points)
Total Possible Points: 100
