OTI – USPSC Country Representative – Angola (FS-02)
Location | N/A, Angola |
Date Posted | December 23, 2024 |
Category |
Political / Government
|
Job Type |
Full-time
|
State | International |
Description
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INTRODUCTION
The Country Representative is a member of the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS)/OTI Southern and East Africa (SEA) Regional Team, reports to the OTI SEA Regional Team Lead or designee, and is based in Angola. The incumbent may be required to travel regionally as necessary. The Country Representative’s principal responsibility will be development, oversight and management of CPS/OTI's Angola country program. The incumbent will be called upon to represent OTI’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.
CORE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The work of the Country Representative requires teamwork, the exercise of discretion, judgment, and personal responsibility. As a member of a highly operational office, you are willing and able to perform a wide range of administrative functions to help ensure programmatic success. You have a high level of integrity and attention to detail to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation. You are highly flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change, and remain professional and respectful of colleagues and authority in a diverse workforce. You place a premium on the building of positive relationships with your respective team in Washington, D.C., colleagues in the field, and with key stakeholders both in and outside of USAID. You are able to prioritize and complete tasks without follow-up by the supervisor, while also filling in gaps as needed to ensure the responsiveness of the team. You are a strategic
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thinker, articulates innovative ideas, presents solutions, and are a positive role model for
colleagues both in and outside of OTI. You are also committed to upholding USAID/OTI’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility’s (DEIA) Vision and Values as outlined in the background.
Under the direct supervision of the Washington-based CPS/OTI Regional Team Leader for the Southern and East Africa team or his/her designee, the Country Representative will perform the following duties:
● Manage a high-profile program in a dynamic environment and provide strategic, programmatic, and operational guidance to OTI’s implementing partners (contractors and/or grantees) while leveraging critical local staff input, and the partner’s role in strategy co-creation, to ensure that activities are contributing to OTI’s program objectives;
● Conceptualize and design program strategies and objectives in close coordination with OTI staff in Washington and in the Field, the Embassy, Host Country Government, implementing partner staff and local civil society actors based on political and context analysis and U.S. Government policy; Initiate strategy reviews as needed in line with changes in context and policy;
● Analyze, synthesize and report on current political developments, security concerns, and other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives; Monitor local and regional political developments and regularly brief OTI and partner staff on their potential programmatic impact;
● Responsible for managing program effectiveness; ensuring strategic accountability; setting realistic intended program results and program achievements by utilizing OTI’s programming principles and processes and regularly engaging with the resources available to support and measure program effectiveness;
● Articulate program strategy, as well as communicate and coordinate OTI’s in-country activities between OTI and its implementing partners, USAID, the Embassy and other donor organizations; prepare and disseminate programmatic, financial and periodic reports to USAID/Angola, OTI/Washington and other organizations as appropriate;
● Serve as OTI’s primary liaison with USAID/Angola personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, Host-Country Government Officials, UN Organizations, Indigenous and International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholder organizations. Develop and maintain collaborative relationships to ensure close coordination at the field level, identify the widest range of potential local partners and opportunities, and achieve maximum synergy with other programs;
● Build, lead, supervise, and motivate a team composed of USPSCs and a significant number of implementing partner staff in Angola. In close coordination with the 7 | Page Implementing Partner, continuously review and design staffing plans to meet overall program objectives; Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate the performance of in-country OTI staff. Maintain staff morale in a difficult security and work environment;
● Provide recommendations to the Washington-based Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or the Regional Team Leader on implementing partner performance, budgets, contract modifications, among other partner related issues;
● Provide USAID concurrence on all implementing partner activities, including final approval of grantees for grants under contract, in accordance with the USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS);
● Ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds and programming;
● Ensure that OTI’s programs and activities are monitored and evaluated and that lessons learned are applied to ongoing or future activities;
● Prepare operational plans in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, including logistics and property use guidelines, closeout and hand-over, security procedures, and contingency and evacuation plans; Review and concur on OTI program budgets for field operations;
● Ensure that all OTI field staff adhere to in-country security guidelines set by the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer and other organizations such as the United Nations or host government, as appropriate; Coordinate closely with Implementing Partner senior management to provide relevant security related information from the Embassy;
● Travel within the country/region to monitor and assess political conditions, and implementing partner operational platforms, meet with potential grantees, senior host-country government and other program counterparts, and develop recommendations to respond to evolving dynamics; and,
● Serve on temporary details within OTI, other USAID bureaus/offices, or other U.S. Government (USG) agencies under this scope of work for a period not to exceed six (6) months. Duties performed while on detail must be directly related to the scope of work, but may not be directly related to OTI programs or activities. Contracting Officer (CO) approval is required for the temporary detail. Any extension past the six (6) months requires CO approval.
SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:
The Country Representative – Angola will report to OTI’s Washington-based Team Leader for the Southern and East Africa (SEA) Regional Team or his/her designee. The Country Representative is expected to take initiative, act independently, and manage his/her tasks with minimal supervision. Though this is a senior field-based position, the incumbent is expected to 8 | Page
actively and proactively collaborate with OTI/Washington leadership, and to fully utilize, embrace, and become an expert on OTI systems and processes. Failure to adequately perform the scope of work above and/or failure to take direction from the supervisor may result in corrective actions, including denial of step or grade increases, extension of contract probationary periods, performance improvement plans, and/or termination for the convenience of USAID/OTI.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
At the FS-02 level, the supervisor provides administrative direction in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. The incumbent independently plans, designs and carries out projects, studies, and programs. Results of the work are considered technically authoritative. There is no higher level official technically responsible for administering the program/project.
12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
While in Angola, the work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. However, the position may require travel throughout the country of assignment, which may involve some additional physical exertion, including long periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds).
13. WORK ENVIRONMENT:
While at post, the work is generally performed in an office environment. However, the position also requires travel throughout the region, which may additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions.
II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION (Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position. See detailed instructions for demonstrating Education/Experience under “Submitting an Offer”)
Education/Experience Required:
At a minimum, the Offeror must have:
(1) A Master’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s Degree with nine (9) years of work experience;
OR
An Associate’s Degree with ten (10) years of work experience;
OR
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A High School diploma/equivalent with eleven (11) years of work experience; AND
(2) Six (6) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, domestic or international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, political analysis,
and/or human rights activities;
(3) Two (2) years of overseas field experience (in person or virtual). A virtual temporary duty (TDY) is defined as work that would have been conducted in an overseas location if not for the COVID pandemic;
(4) Three (3) years of supervisory experience with at least one direct report; (5) Demonstrated experience using Portuguese in a professional setting is preferred.