GENERAL INFORMATION

USAID DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING) AND DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANT’S BANK ACCOUNTS.

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72061524R10009
2. ISSUANCE DATE: November 24, 2023
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: December 08, 2023 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).
4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Kenya and East Africa Human Resources, e-mail at [email protected]
5. POSITION TITLE: Project Management Specialist (Regional Humanitarian Assistance)
6. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-11 Step 1 (1: 4,792,523.00 KSH per annum) to Step 13 (8,147,267.00 KSH per annum). In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Kenya and East Africa. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The services provided under this contract are expected to be of a continuing nature that will be executed by USAID through a series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of funds, the continued need for services and successful performance. It is anticipated that the selection of the successful candidate will be completed within an estimated six-month period from the closing date of this solicitation.
8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya; with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.
9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Open to qualified Kenyan Citizens, including current locally hired employees of the US Mission in Kenya. Employees presently on probation are ineligible to apply.
10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security certification issued by the US Embassy RSO.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

In USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Sudans, East and Central Africa Regional Office (SECARO), BHA supported approximately $4.7 billion of humanitarian assistance in Fiscal Year 2022, partnering with public international organizations and non-governmental organizations on food assistance, nutrition, WASH, livelihoods and resilience-oriented activities. SECARO staff monitor the regional and country-specific emergency situation; directly oversee food and non-food assistance programs in countries where there are no BHA staff present; provide technical support to USAID Missions in countries that have BHA staff in-country; represent BHA in regional coordination forums; provide formal and informal training and mentoring for BHA staff in the region; provide surge capacity to respond to new emergencies or cover staffing gaps; and provide program logistics and commodity management support.

The USAID/Kenya and East Africa Mission Project Management Specialist (Regional Humanitarian Assistance) is responsible for overseeing the BHA SECARO regional humanitarian portfolio in conjunction with the BHA Regional Advisors based in Nairobi, Kenya and BHA country offices across the region. The incumbent advises/informs on humanitarian conditions, trends and issues, the BHA country offices’ humanitarian assistance strategy, and BHA activities. The incumbent regularly interacts with a broad range of actors, including the host governments, United Nations agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and donor counterparts. The incumbent contributes to the formulation of program strategy and provides technical, operational, and management support to carry out its lead role in facilitating and coordinating USG humanitarian assistance across the Sudans, East and Central Africa. The incumbent will be involved in the planning, design, monitoring, and evaluation of BHA activities, and will travel—security permitting—to monitor BHA program activities and conduct assessments throughout the region and will also engage extensively in remote monitoring efforts. The BHA Project Management Specialist will actively participate in all aspects of the BHA Regional portfolio to support emergency response, early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience programs, and will coordinate with BHA country office teams in Nairobi and across the region as well as other locations. It is expected that up to 35% of the Specialist’s time will be spent traveling throughout the Sudans, East, and Central Africa region to monitor program activities and provide technical expertise.

Statement of Duties to be Performed.

Policy and Technical Coordination and Advisory Duties (40%)

• Collaborates with responsible country officers at USAID missions within assigned countries, NGOs, international organizations, UN agencies, and host country officials to analyze evolving or ongoing humanitarian situations in assigned countries and determine projected needs. Conducts emergency needs assessments, field evaluations and analysis of program impacts to assist in the design of humanitarian assistance activities. The incumbent will regularly report through official cables and other means on field visit findings, meetings related directly or indirectly to BHA programs, overviews of humanitarian patterns and trends, and other issues that impact humanitarian relief efforts in the area of responsibility.
• Represents BHA and USAID position on humanitarian assistance regulations, criteria, procedures, and objectives governing the use of emergency assistance resources for humanitarian programs. In close coordination with the BHA Regional Advisors and BHA bilateral country teams, the incumbent will maintain regular contact with BHA awardees, including UN agencies, IOs, and NGOs, and liaise with host country officials to stay abreast of developing issues and concerns while ensuring government understanding of BHA activities and humanitarian assistance needs. He/she will also liaise with other USAID and USG staff to ensure mutual programming awareness while actively seeking out new opportunities for resource sharing and collaboration.
• Liaises with high level representatives of other donor governments, host government officials, IOs, NGOs, UN Agencies, USAID Missions, the State Department, including the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (State/PRM) and other USG agencies on programs in assigned countries. Where feasible, conducts joint monitoring visits and prepares joint action plans in order to identify critical humanitarian concerns and plan for projects and activities for addressing them, advance BHA’s strategic priorities, and help strengthen and coordinate USG and international humanitarian activities including assistance provided to displaced populations and host communities.
• Advise/inform on humanitarian needs, conditions, and issues, including the humanitarian coordination, humanitarian space and security/conflict events and liaise with key stakeholders to exchange information on humanitarian assistance, as appropriate. Represents BHA in regional humanitarian community working groups in order to remain up to date on emerging issues and initiatives as well as contribute to overall coordination and collaboration within the assistance community as well as among BHA partners.
• Advises BHA/Washington, BHA SECARO, other USAID Missions in the region on humanitarian needs and food assistance requirements for refugee and other displaced populations. This includes alerting changes to the food security situation, food pipeline concerns and needs, and recommending the appropriate response within the context of the local conditions related to food needs, environmental concerns, market conditions, transport requirements and the cultural and political situation. Advises relevant USAID offices managing development programming on improved humanitarian to development assistance coordination, including strategy on assistance to host communities surrounding refugee settlements to ensure USAID interventions are harmonized, balanced, and contributing to longer-term development goals in the area.
• Serve as a critical member of any USG disaster assessment team, Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), D.C.-based Response Management Team (RMT), or backfill for any other staff members in an overseas office as needed in response to crisis situations. Travel to the scene of actual or potential/anticipated disasters and participate in initial needs assessments to determine damages and humanitarian needs and participate in a broad spectrum of technical and/or needs assessments, including multi-donor/agency assessments, aimed at the identification of existing or emerging “hot spots” to determine humanitarian needs and priorities.
• Prepare and give presentations for use within the Mission and for other stakeholders on specific emergency situations and/or on BHA mandates, responsibilities, and programs, and prepare agendas and briefings for all official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.

 Program Monitoring (35%)

• Monitor BHA projects and identifies implementation achievements, challenges and problems in performance of awardees and initiates appropriate actions in consultation with the BHA SECARO office or BHA country office.
• Develop and maintain a regular monitoring schedule, to include BHA operations when feasible as well as remote monitoring efforts to ensure accountability of BHA awards. Through monitoring visits, meetings, and document reviews, the incumbent will ensure projects are being implemented competently, in a transparent manner, in full compliance with all relevant BHA regulations, policies, and procedures, and are achieving targeted objectives.
• Prepare a monitoring report and or front channel cable as requested on observations and recommendations based on findings.

 Program Management (25%)

• Execute program oversight, monitoring implementation and all administrative and documentation requirements dealing with the regional humanitarian assistance portfolio, which includes projects funded by BHA.
• Support the development and execution of BHA country offices’ multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance strategy and implementation plan through responding to humanitarian assistance needs of natural and man-made disaster affected populations, including for displaced populations and refugees; building resilience by supporting community-based mechanisms that incorporate disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness; and supporting coherent and coordinated national disaster preparedness and humanitarian response systems.
• Contribute to the design, budget planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of humanitarian assistance projects throughout the region, including assisting in the development and implementation of annual plans and response strategies; review and analysis of program progress reports; identification of achievements as well as problems and, in consultation with the Office Director or designee, developing strategies to capitalize on successes and rectify problems where they exist.
• Support BHA staff on communications with BHA partners regarding USAID/BHA rules and regulations, and on their obligations to USAID/BHA, in close consultation with the BHA Office Director or designee. The incumbent is responsible for tracking results and performance indicators; receives periodic reports to ensure that program benchmarks and goals are being met; regularly meets with partners on their monitoring plans; identifies and assists in resolving problems; prepares reports with findings and recommendations and supplements these with oral briefings to BHA SECARO leadership or BHA country office teams.

Supervision Received

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Office Director, or his/her designee.    

Supervision Exercised

The incumbent will not supervise staff.

Physical Demands

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Prior Work Experience

A minimum of five years of experience working in the Sudans, East or Central Africa, of which a minimum of three years must have been in humanitarian relief, recovery, or resilience work with the United Nations, International Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations or Embassies. This experience must include analysis of humanitarian response needs and appropriate humanitarian inputs. At least two years of project management experience in sectors such as health, nutrition, food security, protection, livelihoods, or water/sanitation, is required. This experience must show significant engagement with rural or displaced communities and the application of qualitative and/or participatory methods of inquiry.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1.  The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c).  In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers.  The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

Job Knowledge (60 points)

Knowledge of the structure of the international humanitarian system, knowledge of the function and operation of foreign aid programs, and familiarity with humanitarian relief operations, including a professional-level understanding of non-food, in-kind and cash-based food assistance interventions. In depth knowledge of disaster response and humanitarian assistance mechanisms and coordination structures in a complex emergency. The incumbent must be able to travel and interact independently with local decision makers, communities, and implementing partners. Demonstrate expertise and understanding of regional humanitarian developments and trends.

Skills and abilities (40 points)

Must be: (1) highly proficient in the use of computer technology and able to manage and use web-based information systems with little or no supervision; and (2) have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. The incumbent must also have:

• Good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of staff and representatives across a variety of cultures.
• Ability to review, evaluate and apply complex policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide rapid, concise, accurate reporting, both verbally and in written English.
• Ability to grasp and theorize the complexities of food security, the wide variety of dynamic influencing factors and the potential influence of international food assistance.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a multicultural team.
• Willingness to undertake extensive field work assignments, as necessary.
• A solution-seeking attitude.

Total possible points:  100

SUBMITTING AN OFFER

Step 1: Register in MyJobsInKenya at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 2: Complete the job application at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 3: Internal Offerors/Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages), a copy of your most recent Performance Evaluation Report, and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload them to MyJobsInKenya.

                        OR

External Offerors/Not Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages) and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload them to MyJobsInKenya.

Offerors must provide a list of minimum three (3) professional references who are not family members or relatives, with complete name, title, organization where he/she works, description of relationship, with working/accurate telephone numbers and email addresses. The offeror’s references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities.

Note to Applicants:

1. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted through myjobsinkenya.com.
2. Submissions will only be accepted through myjobsinkenya.com. Late and incomplete applications (those that do not contain the applicant’s most current and up to date detailed CV and relevant education certificates) will not be considered for the position.
3. All Applicants must provide at least three professional references, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about your past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation of the application.

LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD

The CO will provide instructions about how to complete and submit any required forms after an offeror is selected for the contract award.

BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

Benefits and allowances are offered in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan (LCP).

TAXES

The Contractor must observe Kenyan laws including those concerning income and related tax obligations.

USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing CCN and TCN PSC awards are available at these sources:

1. USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf.
2. ontract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms. Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract. 
3. Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs.
4. Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635.  See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations.
5. PSC Ombudsman
   The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information: https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman.

The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via: [email protected].