Ethiopia: USPSC Senior Humanitarian Advisor

Position Title: Senior Humanitarian Advisor

Solicitation Number: SOL-OFDA-15-000070

Salary Level: GS-14 Equivalent: $86,399- $112,319

Issuance Date: August 6, 2015

Closing Date: September 4, 2015

Closing Time: 5:00 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 Humanitarian Advisor (SHA) 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:

Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, your resume must include:

(a) 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.

(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.

(c) 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.

(d) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.

(e) U.S. Citizenship.

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.

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 Reed

Contracting Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This position requires an individual to manage and represent the humanitarian portfolio for Ethiopia. The SHA will serve as the primary contact and liaison for OFDA's ongoing humanitarian assistance activities in Ethiopia, as well as for disaster risk reduction programs. The SHA will be responsible for program analysis and strategy development and work closely with the USAID/Ethiopia mission staff, the U.S. Embassy, other donors, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, U.S. military representatives, USG interagency partners, IOs, NGOs, and the UN, in responding to humanitarian needs and sudden onset disasters. The SHA will also be responsible for reporting to OFDA ECA Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, and to OFDA Washington.

Because of the substantial coordination requirements of this position, an individual with a highly collaborative work style is required. The SHA must be prepared to function effectively in a challenging and restrictive work environment and be willing to strictly adhere to U.S. Embassy security guidelines.

Working directly under the guidance and supervision of the OFDA Senior Regional Advisor for ECA, with regular interaction with the designated Regional Advisor covering Ethiopia and in consultation with USAID/Ethiopia, the individual will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Contextual Specialty

· Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian and disaster risk reduction issues within Ethiopia.

· Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and stakeholder interests specific to Ethiopia.

· Monitor incipient disasters, international disaster response plans and efforts, and major humanitarian issues and challenges in the area of responsibility through a wide range of USG and international sources.

· Identify humanitarian issues, priorities, lessons learned, and opportunities within and relevant to Ethiopia and apply those to program strategy development and implementation.

· Prepare and/or provide substantive assistance in the preparation of regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on Ethiopia.

Portfolio Management

· Lead efforts to identify and assess humanitarian new assistance requirements, target beneficiary groups, and locations, oversee the general direction of existing relief and transition-oriented programs, and broadly recommend the types of interventions and budget levels required in Ethiopia.

· Closely collaborate with Mission colleagues on program coordination to share information, avoid overlap, and explore opportunities for synergies and transition efforts. Maintain ongoing dialogue with the ECA Regional Office and OFDA/Washington on these efforts.

· Monitor ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Ethiopia. Liaise with partners and other donors, coordinate with ECA Regional Office on issues of mutual interest, and provide coordinated field feedback to the partners.

· Coordinate collection of information and provide updates and recommendations through written reports on issues related to the humanitarian situation, including the following:

o Capacity and ability of UN, IOs, NGOs, and local institutions to carry out programs;

o Capacity of the logistics infrastructure to support programs;

o Security situation of beneficiaries, personnel, convoys, and relief operations in general;

o Role of in-country UN leadership and the UN Mission in Ethiopia in facilitating humanitarian assistance;

o Contributions by other donors, problems arising from implementation of relief and reintegration programs, and any other issues that require the attention of OFDA; and

o Humanitarian coordination issues and any recommendations for change.

· Provide guidance to organizations that are developing proposals for OFDA, based on OFDA’s Guidelines for Unsolicited Proposals and Reporting.

· Review concept papers and proposals and provide timely recommendations/comments to OFDA/Washington and OFDA/ECA Regional Office.

· Ensure reporting on a timely basis to OFDA/Washington and ECA Regional Office on the quality of grantees’ work, noting deficiencies, attributes, and evolving operational conditions.

· Maintain regular, close coordination and communication with the ECA Regional Office and OFDA/Washington.

Representation

· Represent OFDA in-country at senior level meetings within the USG and humanitarian stakeholders and convey humanitarian concerns and priorities from the OFDA perspective through oral and written briefings.

· Coordinate policy development meetings such as:

o Meetings with individual and groups of implementing partners discussing programmatic priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;

o Discussions, meetings, and papers informing USG foreign policy in areas with humanitarian concerns or impacts;

o Donor and implementing partner coordination forums.

· Serve as the principal point of contact in-country for OFDA/Ethiopia for humanitarian issues, and serve as a liaison on program issues among USAID mission staff, the U.S. Embassy and other USG agencies, military representatives, OFDA/Washington and the overall humanitarian community.

· Present OFDA perspectives to NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies relating to humanitarian assistance strategies and priorities, including OFDA’s approach to sustainable, resilience- oriented humanitarian programs. Work closely with the Regional Advisor and OFDA’s technical advisors to discuss and understand sectoral priorities.

· Represent USG humanitarian interests at national and international meetings and conferences, and facilitate, as requested, travel and briefings for official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.

· Engage as the humanitarian specialist in U.S. Embassy policy conversations, remaining available to provide timely reporting and clearances in response to high-level USG queries originating from the region or from Washington, DC.

Leadership

· Provide recommendations on current and future directions of OFDA’s Ethiopia portfolio to include programmatic, budgetary, and human resource requirements.

· Serve in a leadership role within USAID/Ethiopia, in coordination with Mission senior leadership, to incorporate humanitarian concerns into Mission activities and identify opportunities to leverage USAID interventions.

General Duties

· Serve in leadership, planning, or program positions on response teams, assessment teams within and outside the region.

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 study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, East African studies, or a related field or country; and nine (9) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, disaster risk reduction and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including, but not limited to, four (4) years of overseas humanitarian field experience.

OR

Master’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, East African studies, or a related field or country; and seven (7) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, disaster risk reduction and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including, but not limited to, four (4) years of overseas humanitarian field experience.

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.

● Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET up to a TOP SECRET/Sensitive Compartmented Information level security clearance as provided by USAID.

● Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.

● 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)

· 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.

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 DOD, Embassies, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch staff the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.

Leading Teams Experience (10 points)

· Demonstrated experience leading teams of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds working in a constant state of complex, international humanitarian crisis.

· Experience leading a diverse team of program, technical, and administrative staff, including senior U.S. professionals, working in a constant state of complex, international humanitarian crisis.

Interview Performance (40 points)

Timed Writing Test (20 points)

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (10 points)

Total Possible Points: 100

BASIS OF RATING:Applicants who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated in accordance with the Applicant Rating System. Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks.

Applicants are required to address each factor of the Applicant Rating System in their resume, describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received as it pertains to each factor. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to address the selection factors and/or Applicant Rating System factors may result in not receiving credit for all pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.

The most qualified candidates may be interviewed and required to provide a writing sample. OFDA will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection. Note: Please be advised that references may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by an applicant. OFDA reserves the right to select additional candidates if vacancies become available during future phase of the selection process.

APPLYING:

Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter.

Qualified individuals are required to submit:

Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, your resume must include:

(a) 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.

(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.

(c) 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.

(d) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.

(e) U.S. Citizenship.

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.

Additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

By submitting your application materials, you certify that all of the information on and attached to the application is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith. You agree to allow all information on and attached to the application to be investigated. False or fraudulent information on or attached to your application may result in you being eliminated from consideration for this position, or being terminated after award, and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment.

To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any email.

DOCUMENT SUBMITTALS

Via email: recruiter@ofda.gov