Development Program Specialist (IHO Operations) FSN-10 Equivalent (m/f)

Description

• The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Mozambique is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation
• SOLICITATION NO.: 72065622R10016 opened to all Mission current employees and external candidates who meet the stated qualifications
• MARKET VALUE: USD48,098 – USD67,337 per annum, equivalent to FSN-10 (Step1-12). In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Mozambique. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value
• PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The base period will be one year, estimated to start on or about November 2022
• Based on Agency need, the Contracting Officer may exercise an additional option period for the dates estimated as follows:
• Base Period: November 2022 - November 2023
• Option Period 1: November 2023 – November 15, 2027
• ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: To meet basic eligibility requirements, the applicant must be a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country
• SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Employment Certification (RSO Certification)
• The USAID Development Program Specialist is posted in the Integrated Health Office (IHO), USAID/Mozambique. The Specialist is responsible for the program and budget operations of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) program within IHO and coordinates with other USAID/Mozambique offices and stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of PEPFAR requirements for the USAID bilateral health program in Mozambique
• The Specialist performs five basic functions: 1) leads the preparation of program and budget specific documents for program implementation including the IHO procurement plan and supports the formulation of the PEPFAR budget, 2) monitors, analyzes and reports on PEPFAR program compliance with guidance on budget execution 3) leads IHO response to., Program Office and Executive Office on taskers, including reporting requirements from Washington D.C. as related to the budget., 4) advises IHO leadership and technical staff on budget and program matters, 5) liaises with USAID/Washington on program and budget issues. S/he serves as the IHO primary point of contact on matters relating to personnel and program management costs for the IHO PEPFAR portfolio. Travel within and outside the Mozambique is required on a limited basis
• In this role, the Specialist is required to coordinate multiple and competing IHO priorities and should be able to research, analyze and report on a variety of PEPFAR program and budget issues. S/he is expected to use a refined level of professional judgment when asked to provide guidance or approval, and is expected to provide guidance on, and compliance with Automated Directives System (ADS) rules. In addition, the Specialist must be familiar with budget analysis and computation principles with excellent organizational skills and a background in public health technical areas, most specifically, HIV/AIDS. The Specialist must exercise superior judgment of a skilled, highly capable, and experienced operations specialist
• In fulfilling these major functions, the Specialist occupies a critical position. S/he acts as an Specialist on budget and program management issues for the IHO Operations Division Chief, and staff. Inside the Mission, the Specialist routinely interacts with the IHO team members, budget staff in the Program Office (PRO) and the Financial Management Office (FMO), Directors of other Offices, Acquisition and Assistance Office (OAA), Executive Office (EXO) and Resident Legal Officer (RLO), members of other teams and, as needed, the Deputy Mission Director and the Mission Director
• Periodically, the Specialist facilitates, and may represent IHO at meetings and site visits
• The job holder may be expected to perform work-related travel
• This is a local position and compensation will be in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan
• USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs USAID regulations and policies governing CCN/TCN PSC awards are available at these sources:
• 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 https://www.acquisition.gov/aidar/aidar-appendix-j-direct-usaid-contracts-cooperatingcountry-national-and-third-country-national-personal-services-abroad and revised AIDAR Appendix J, General Provision contract clauses (GPs) titled “Leave and Holidays” (AAPD 20-08)
• Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms. Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award as described below:
• LINE ITEMS
• Item
• No
• (A) SERVICES (DESCRIPTION)
• (B) QUANTITY
• (C) UNIT
• (D) UNIT PRICE
• (E) AMOUNT
• (F) 0001 Base Period - Compensation, Fringe 1 LOT $ _TBD__ $_TBD at Award after negotiations CCNPSC Development Program Specialist (IHO Operations) SOL#72065622R10016
• Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs)
• Award Type: PSC
• Product Service Code: R497
• Accounting Info: with Contractor_ 1001 Option Period 1 – Compensation, Fringe
• Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs)
• Award Type: PSC
• Product Service Code: R497
• Accounting Info: 1 LOT $ _TBD__ $_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_ 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 
• 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
• 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

Duties

Portfolio Budget, Planning and Financial and Management: 50%

• Portfolio Budgeting -- The Specialist oversees and provides technical guidance and facilitation on the PEPFAR budget for IHO. S/he oversees program and operating expense budgets, general financial management issues, responses for program and financial audits, and budget management related to strategic planning for the unit. S/he prepares and monitors PEPFAR budgets and interprets financial data relating to the technical team’s programs and project funding. S/he advises IHO technical staff on forward funding guidelines, funding source policy, and other financial management responsibilities that may be required
• Financial Management -- S/he provides instructions and guidance to the Agreement/Contracting Officer Representatives (A/CORs) on the Automated Directives Systems (ADS) in the areas of budget and obligation management, pipeline, forward funding. The Specialist prepares final summary tables for portfolio reviews including financial information on all projects in the portfolio, such as funding breakdown, earmarks, Life of Project (LOP), mortgage, pipeline, expenditure rates, and accruals
• Budget Management and Reporting -- S/he is IHO’s primary point of contact with Financial Management Office (FMO) and Program Office (PRO) to track and record allowances, commitments and obligations against budgets throughout the year for consolidated reporting to PRO and assures obligations are made in time, in accordance with approved procurement plans and sound financial judgment i.e. prior year carryover funds are obligated first. S/he plans, tracks and reports on PEPFAR budgets allocated to Mission priorities
• Procurement Plan -- Working with all technical teams across IHO, s/he develops, tracks, and manages the IHO procurement plan. S/he provides support directly to technical teams by ensuring that all approvals, authorizations, pre-solicitation, and pre obligation requirements are met prior to the obligation/sub-obligation of funds for IHO activities and project staff contracts
• Earmark Monitoring and Reporting -- The Specialist leads the reporting process for Congressional earmarks and directives, Presidential Initiatives, and USAID initiatives to assure they are reflected in the Operating Year Budget (OYB) and procurement plan and implemented
• Activity Budgeting and Management -- The Specialist coordinates and serves as an advisor to A/CORs in activity level budget planning and analyses, counterpart contribution and Value Added Tax (VAT) reporting. Analyzing financial reports generated by FMO and/or the implementing partners, s/he provides appropriate guidance to A/CORs and Activity Managers on necessary funding actions. S/he drafts Independent Government Cost Estimates in support of project designs

Portfolio Operations and Management: 30%

• Bilateral Agreement - S/he is responsible for providing advice to the IHO leadership on PEPFAR financial plan and budgets, and on matters relating to fulfilling the requirements for formulating and signing assistance agreements and their amendments
• The Specialist is responsible for managing and tracking the agreement (s) regularly in coordination with host country counterparts. In particular, s/he interacts routinely with the RLO, and PRO in managing the relationship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as it pertains to budget matters
• Inter Office Coordination on Procurements/Awards -- S/he functions as the IHO primary point of contact to OAA, FMO and PRO in all phases of pre-award, award administration, and close-out for PEPFAR funded mechanisms
• Portfolio and Activity Compliance -- The Specialist is responsible for ensuring portfolio and activity compliance with the documentation requirements needed to authorize a funding obligation; ADS requirements; and legislative and legal considerations, including compliance to earmarks and directives. The incumbent supports the IHO Director and Deputy Director by ensuring that all mandatory requirements have been met for activity approval, working with the Resident Legal Officer (RLO), PRO, OAA and FMO on compliance requirement, and guiding A/CORs on meeting these requirements prior to Mission approval of activity approvals
• Program and Activity Audits – S/he coordinates and serves as an advisor to the IHO Leadership on PEPFAR program and financial audits, and with A/CORs in activity level audit planning, management, and resolution
• Procurement Requisitions through GLAAS (Global Acquisition and Assistance System) – The Specialist is responsible for supporting IHO on identifying and using appropriate program elements and funding accounts in GLAAS requisitions. S/he is the authorized requestor under the GLAAS for IHO procurements
• Administration and Management -- The Specialist shall actively participate in other team activities, becoming fully informed of all substantive and administrative implementation issues confronted by the C/AORs in order to be able to provide budget support for programs and staffing, if needed

Other Reporting and Taskers: 20%

• Program Reporting -- The Specialist serves as the IHO lead for PEPFAR program s/he serves as a primary contact for office reporting and other documentation, including drafting, preparing and editing key reports, budget narratives and documents including the Country Operational Plan, the Mission Performance Plan and Report, other required annual IHO PEPFAR reporting; semiannual portfolio implementation reviews, and other reports and plans, as required. S/he will coordinate reporting inputs with the appropriate IHO management and technical focal specialist(s). S/he will liaise with interagency counterparts and senior officials, as required for completing USAID inputs into PEPFAR quarterly and annual reporting and ad hoc data calls or taskers
• Information Requests and Taskers -- The Specialist serves as the office lead for responding to scheduled and ad hoc requests from Washington D.C., US Embassy, Mozambique Government, specific Congressional requests and other teams on IHO’s programmatic and funding issues, including funding levels. S/he serves as IHO’s key contact person and inter-office liaison, on behalf of the IHO Operations Division Chief, on budget issues, strategic resource and staffing costs planning, budget formulation, justification and implementation procedures. S/he serves as the focal point for drafting and coordinating responses on behalf of IHO, first obtaining critical information needed from IHO team members and then appropriate IHO and Mission level clearances, for information requests from U.S. Government stakeholders in Washington D.C., Maputo, and the USAID Mission. S/he manages and ensures timely response to requests for information from the Mission Front Office, Program Office and others, working with and through the IHO Operations Division Chief for all IHO related approvals
• Travel: The job holder will be expected to perform work-related travel

Position elements

• Supervision Received: The Specialist works under the day-to-day supervision of the Budget Team Leader, general guidance from Operations Division Chief and IHO Deputy Director. Assignments are made orally and in writing. Most assignments occur in the normal course of work. The Specialist exercises independence in most phases of the assignment and seeks guidance and approval in situations that must be coordinated with the supervisor and/or higher-level Mission management. The supervisor provides a review of the assignment, the goals and objectives to be achieved, and the results expected. The Specialist is expected to carry out those tasks independently and seeks advice and assistance as required
• Supervision Exercised: Supervision of other staff is not contemplated. The Specialist does provide work guidance to the IHO Team Leaders and members, verifies work submitted for accuracy, and clears documents for administrative action
• Available Guidelines: The Specialist follows available guidelines which include USAID Mission Orders, Mission Country Cooperation and Development Strategy, USAID’s Global Education Strategy, the Automated Directives System (ADS), the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the Foreign Assistance Regulations (FAR), USAID’s Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), and other published and unpublished guidelines. Guidelines are often general in nature and not specific to the situation at hand, requiring considerable interpretation, or working with others to interpret these guidelines
• Exercise of Judgment: Substantial independent judgment is required in determining budgets for the various activities, their impact on Mission Development Objective (DO) Teams and activities, and in recommending choices among conflicting demands for resources. Judgment is required in planning, monitoring, and evaluating design and program activities vis-à-vis proposed and allocated budgets. Judgment must be exercised in resolving technical and/or operational problems encountered, as well as in determining the need for consultation with superiors when circumstances require
• Authority to Make Commitments: The Specialist has no personal authority to make financial commitments on behalf of the USG
• Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The Specialist interacts with tact and good judgment with senior and mid-level officials, both inside and outside the U.S. Government, and throughout the region, concerning design and program issues, policies, coordination, and consultation. Internal contacts include the Front Office, the Program Office, and IHO Team Leaders and members; external contacts include mid-level to senior officials in of host and regional government departments/ministries, and senior officials from the donor community, other associated agencies, and the private sector
• Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: One year
• Support Items: The incumbent will be provided with office space, equipment, and supplies

Requisites

• Minimum Qualifications Required for This Position:
• Education: Completion of a University or Bachelor’s degree in any of the following fields: Public/Business Administration, Financial Management, Accounting Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, Social Science, Public Health or other relevant fields is required
• Prior Work Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience in accounting, financial analyses, or budget planning, justification, and execution is required. Experience in project design, program planning, program/project budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, or closely related work is required. At least two years of this experience should have been in the field of development assistance related to health.
• Post Entry Training: The Specialist is expected to possess the necessary technical training and skills to perform the duties and responsibilities required of the position. Familiarization training in USAID-specific procedures, regulations, and methods and orientation to working from a donor-Agency perspective, etc., will be provided. Other training to maintain professional capability in the field, and courses offered for professional USAID staff, as appropriate; and, courses, seminars, conferences, and other activities in fields related to the sector and needed to maintain and update professional qualifications will be provided as they become available, subject to offerings and the availability of funds
• Language Proficiency: Level IV language proficiency in English and in Portuguese in both oral and written form is required
• eJob Knowledge: A thorough knowledge and understanding of budget and accounting principles, theories, practices, and terminology, and a thorough knowledge, or the ability to quickly gain such knowledge, of United States Government (USG) appropriation, allotment, accounting, and other budgeting procedures used in maintaining, reconciling, balancing, and closing accounts; USAID accounting policies, regulations, and procedures; disbursements ,reimbursements; and, the principles and practices of cost accrual is required. A good understanding or ability to quickly gain understanding and knowledge of the USAID administrative and functional structure; USAID goals for the region; and, the USAID regional program portfolio; an understanding of the political and economic situation in the region, and constraints to development; areas of USAID manageable interest/involvement; and, an awareness of key donor organizations, private organizations, non-government organizations, and other workings in the country. The Specialist must have demonstrated knowledge of development in Mozambique, with background of the health and/or social sectors in Mozambique
• Skills and Abilities: The Specialist must have the ability to plan and analyze program budgets, and have excellent written and oral communication skills; must be able to collect and analyze complex data and prepare precise, accurate, and complete reports; must be able to analyze accounting records and determine the need for various types of entries and adjustments; to record, reconcile, and balance accounts; and, to relate the purpose and objectives of programs/projects to their costs and fiscal requirements. The Specialist must be able to relate funds management to Mission Development Objective Teams and regional needs; and, to understand changes in strategic program priorities and deadlines, their implications for budget management, and to recommend appropriate adjustments to Mission financial plans. S/he must have problem-solving skills and the ability to recommend solutions in complicated situations, taking into consideration myriad factors and variables, such as late budget appropriations and delayed availability of funds, uncertain funding levels, and unexpected budget reductions. Must have strong oral and written communications and presentation skills. S/he must have advanced knowledge of sophisticated cloud platforms e.g. Google; skills in multiple budgeting software programs; and skilled in manipulating spreadsheets, analyzing and synthesizing budget data over a complex health portfolio. The Specialist must be skilled in MS Office applications, such as Word, Excel, and Power Point, and other data management tools and familiarity with other database management applications

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

The following evaluation factors are established:

• Education: 10 points
• Prior Work Experience: 25 points
• Job Knowledge: 30 points
• Skills and Abilities: 25 points
• Language Proficiency: 10 points
• Maximum Points: 100 points

Notes

• A cover letter in English with CV/Applicant Resume as well as academic transcripts/diplomas
• Names, contact numbers, and e-mail addresses of three professional references from individuals who are not family members or relatives. Reference checks will be conducted for the final selected candidate for the Contracting Officer to make a responsibility determination. USAID/Mozambique reserves the right to solicit references from other sources as deemed appropriate
• Any application received in Portuguese will not be considered. Only English applications will be considered
• 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
• Per this scoring Skills and Abilities and Job Knowledge are the most important factors, followed by Prior Work Experience, Language Proficiency and Education. Applications will initially be screened for conformity with minimum requirements. Only applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position will be considered. Candidates will be evaluated based on relevant education, prior work experience, knowledge, language proficiency, skills and abilities demonstrated in their application packages. A Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) will be convened to review applications and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Applications from candidates who do not meet the required selection criteria will not be scored. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and will be invited for a language test. Candidates successfully passing the language exam will be invited for an oral interview and may also be required to pass a written test. No response will be sent to unsuccessful applicants
• Professional references will be conducted for the top ranked candidate and will be utilized to supplement the TEC’s recommendation to the Contracting Officer to offer the position to the top ranked candidate. USAID/Mozambique reserves the right to solicit references from other sources as deemed appropriate Final selection will be based on the application package, language abilities, oral interview and reference checks. This is a local position and compensation will be in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan
• Please note that USAID and the U.S. Government NEVER require payment of any money in connection with a job application
• Physical Demands: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands
• Point of Contact: Mission-Maputo-HR@usaid.gov