Reference No.: AID-15-25
Position/Salary Range: Program Manager (Democracy, Human Rights and Governance); FSN-10
Additional benefits include allowances for Housing, Transportation,
Meals, Family, and Miscellaneous; 13th and 14th month bonuses;
annual and sick leave and medical coverage
Open To: All DRC citizens
Location: USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo
Kinshasa, DRC
Opening: August 26, 2015
Closing: September 17, 2015
Work Hours: Full-Time; 40 hours/week
USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an equal opportunity employer, seeks applicants for the above position.
Completion of a Undergraduate Degree in international relations, public administration, law or social sciences an good working knowledge in English (Level III) and fluency in French (Level IV) both in oral and written communication is a requirement for this position.
Basic Function of Position:
The incumbent shall serve as a program manager for the Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) portfolio. Under the supervision of the US Direct Hire DRG Deputy Team Leader, s/he shall serve as an integral member of the DRG Team and shall assume primary management of up to two activities each ranging from $ 500,000 to $5 million/year (to be identified after the incumbent is on board). The incumbent will be the lead for the DRG Office on monitoring and evaluation and shall assist in the daily management and monitoring of USAID-funded DRG related activities. The incumbent will contribute to the on-going development of a strategic approach to DRG programs in this evolving environment, coordinate DRG activities with other USAID teams, donors, government officials, local counterparts and DRG partners, and assist with various routine office tasks.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Program Management and Design: The incumbent shall serve as Contracting /Agreement Officer Representative (COR/AOR) for up to two grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts with DRG implementing partners. The specific instruments to be managed will be determined subsequent to the incumbent’s entry into service. Activity design, management and reporting shall consist of:
Leading the design of new activity, including serving in the Merit review committee as team Leader or member.
Assist in drafting various documents such as program descriptions, activity budgets, and internal request documents (GLAAS actions, action memoranda, justifications and waivers, etc.).
Maintaining close contact with NGO or contractor chiefs of party.
Developing and Approving work plans, Activity Management Plans (AMPs), and reviewing calendars.
Monitoring activity implementation by means of meetings with implementing entities, site visits, analyses of partners’ quarterly and monthly reports, drafting success stories and outreach materials.
Preparing procurement documents as required: scopes of work, scopes of objective, action memoranda, justifications, waivers, government cost estimates, pre-obligation checklists, Activity checklists, Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs), etc.
Preparing budget and work plan realignments when needed.
Recommending approval of key personnel.
Performing accrued expenditure calculations and funds pipeline analyses.
Coordinating USAID programs with other donors, Government officials and local NGOs.
Establishing synergies amongst the DRG partners and between them and other partners from the US Mission, especially from USAID, and from other counterparts as necessary.
Reporting on results achieved.
Assist in program management and evaluate results as a member of the DRG Team. Coordinate partner activities, activity calendars, monthly meetings, trainings, regular partners’ communications, and library of DRG materials.
Performing ad-hoc reports requested by Mission management and USAID/Washington.
Strategy and Program Development and Reporting and Learning and Knowledge Management: As the DRG Office lead on program monitoring and evaluation, the incumbent shall obtain background and information needed to guide USAID interventions and the development of USAID policy positions in the DRG sector. The incumbent shall assist the DRG Deputy Office Director in development of strategic documents which shall include: Mission program strategies; annual Operational Plans, Congressional Budget Justifications, Performance Plan and Reports, and other reports as required.
Monitor and report on the performance of all DRG program results achieved, and work with Program Office and other USAID staff as necessary on Performance Monitoring Plans, Results Frameworks, Mission Portfolio Reviews (MPRs), and annual Performance Plan and Report (PPR).
Serve as the DRG Team’s point of contact vis-à-vis the Program Office concerning any performance and impact evaluations and assessment s of DRG-related activities. The incumbent will participate on evaluation and assessment teams as needed.
Developing recommendations to enhance the impact of DRG programs in collaboration with the USAID/Monitoring & Evaluation staff: analyze policy and development trends, opportunities and issues that arise, create linkages with other USAID teams as needed, devise indicators and monitoring systems for programs.
Establishing synergies amongst the DRG partners and between them and other partners from the US Mission, especially from USAID, and from other counterparts as necessary.
Keep abreast of current events, sector assessments and evaluations, and research and analysis related to development and democracy, human rights and governance in order to strengthen the intellectual basis for USAID interventions and policy positions in the DRG sector.
Performing ad-hoc reports requested by Mission management and USAID/Washington.
Public outreach, including any and all briefing materials, including the drafting and updating of DRG briefing documents, success stories, press releases, website information and other outreach materials.
Working with the DRG Team to devise out-year and multi-year strategies for new programs, coordination with other stakeholders, and reporting.
Draft descriptions for new activities.
Serve on technical evaluation committees to review proposals for new programs and suggested modifications to current ones
Representation: The incumbent shall, on a regular basis, represent USAID at meetings, conferences, seminars and other events.
Communicating USAID’s position regarding DRG related issues to the host government, other donor or UN organizations.
Serving on DRG related sub-sector donor coordination groups, such as elections, civic and voter education, civil society, and governance.
Delivering speeches.
Giving interviews to local media (in coordination with the US Embassy’s Public diplomacy).
Additional USAID/DRC Activity Support: The incumbent shall support USAID/DRC through a variety of assigned tasks. S/he will participate in the Organization of VIP visits at post in drafting required documents including BCLs, Bios, and serve as translator.
Required Qualifications at the Full Performance Level:
Education:
Undergraduate Degree in international relations, public administration, law or social sciences.
Prior Work Experience:
A minimum of three years of progressively responsible work experience in Democracy, Rights & Governance or Conflict Transition programs, or in another development field with demonstrated program strategy preparation, design, monitoring & evaluation, or direct implementation. Experience may include program management and evaluation as well as strategic planning and analysis in the context of a developing country. The position requires a combination of managerial, technical, and analytical, abilities combined with the demonstrated ability to manage resources, programs, and people. The position requires leadership experience in managing resources and/or project implementation. This experience and knowledge is essential in order to effectively manage USAID-funded projects and advise the DRG Office and Deputy Office Directors, Mission stakeholders, GDRC, and other donors on matters pertaining to the DRG sector.
Language Proficiency:
Level III English (Good working knowledge) is required in order to be able to understand and follow program meetings, respond immediately to questions posed in English, and read routine and strategic documents. Level IV French (Fluent) is also required.
Knowledge:
Familiarity with Democracy, Human Rights & Governance and/or Conflict Transition issues.
Evaluation Criteria and Weights:
Education/Weighted 20% based on initial application review;
English Language Skills/Weighted 15% based on application review, written assessment and interview;
Prior Work Experience/Weighted 20% based on application review and interview;
Knowledge/Weighted 25% based on written assessment and interview; and
Skills and Abilities/Weighted 20% based on written assessment and interview.
How the selection will be made:
The successful candidate will be selected based upon
A preliminary review of the applicant's submitted package to establish that minimum educational and English writing fluency requirements are met.
Tests to include an English writing skills test, a Microsoft Office proficiency test that might include any of the following: Word, Excel, PowerPoint; and any technical skill test that might be deemed appropriate.
A personal or telephone interview.
Reference checks.
USAID/DRC’s Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) and Human Resources Section will perform the preliminary review (Step 1 above) to eliminate those applications that do not meet the minimum educational and written English language requirements.
The TEC will review each of the applications which meet the minimum qualifications against the established evaluation criteria to develop a shortlist of applicants to be tested and possibly interviewed. Applicants will be contacted for testing (Step 2) and interviews. Based on the results of the tests, however, an applicant otherwise identified for interview could be dropped from the interview list.
Following the interview (Step 3) during which the applicant will be evaluated against the established criteria, the TEC will make a preliminary determination of candidates to be considered for employment and forward that list to HR. HR will conduct and document the reference checks (Step 4) prior to advising the TEC of the results of these checks. Please note that references may be solicited from current as well as former supervisors in addition to the references you provide in your application package.
References will only be solicited for those interviewed applicants who are being considered for ranking.
Based on this final input, the TEC will make its final decision on which candidates to rank order, prepare a Selection Memo for review and approval by the Contracting Officer, after which an offer of employment will be made to the successful candidate, and unsuccessful candidates who were interviewed will be contacted and advised of their non-selection.
As positive medical and security clearances are a condition of employment, the selected candidate will undergo stringent investigation prior to employment with USAID/DRC.
USAID/DRC reserves the right to hire an applicant who does not meet the required experience level at a trainee level. However, an applicant who does not meet the minimum educational requirements cannot be hired at either a trainee or full performance level
Compensation:
The position will be compensated in accordance with the U.S. Embassy’s Local Compensation Plan (LCP). The successful candidate’s salary level will be based on prior job-related experience and salary history.
To Apply:
ONLY applicants who meet the minimum educational and good working knowledge of English requirements as stated in the solicitation document will be considered. Interested applicants who do not meet these requirements are encouraged NOT to apply since these applications will not be considered.
A complete application package consists of the following:
Application for U.S. Federal Employment, DS-174 - Job Application Form. The form can be found in the US embassy website (http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/opportunities/jobs.html)
A cover letter demonstrating how prior experience and/or training address the minimum qualifications and selection criteria,
A current resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and
Names and contact numbers of three professional references.
Ensure that all communications (including your Cover Letter) include the Announcement Reference Number (AID-15-25) and the Title of the Position(s) for which you are applying (Program Manager, Democracy, Human Rights and Governance).
Submit the complete application package via email, to [email protected]
Failure to comply with these instructions may result in your application being considered “non responsive” and eliminated from further consideration.
Point of Contact:
Sandra Kiyanga: [email protected]
Only short-listed candidates will be acknowledged.
DEFINITION:
Foreign Service National (FSN): A host country national employed at a U.S. Mission abroad, who is not a U.S. citizen, nor a family member of a direct-hire Foreign, Civil, or uniformed service member under Chief of Mission authority.
Closing date for this position: September 17, 2015.
The U.S. Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides 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. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also strives to ensure equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.
