23-46 USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV – Pediatric Care and Treatment) Deputy Team Leader At US Agency for International Development

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.: 23-46

2. ISSUANCE DATE: April 5, 2023

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: April 21, 2023 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).

4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Kenya and East Africa Human Resources, e-mail at nairobiusaid.hr@usaid.gov.

5. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV – Pediatric Care and Treatment) Deputy Team Leader.

6. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-12 Step 1 (6,834,442 KSH per annum) to Step 13 (11,618,566 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. The base period will be for one year with the commencement date based upon successful medical clearance and security certification. Contingent on Agency needs, the Contracting Officer may exercise four additional option periods from the contract commencement date.

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.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) represents the US government response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Thanks to American leadership and generosity, alongside the work of many partners, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, averted millions of infections, and changed the course of the epidemic. As countries progress towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control, the point at which new HIV infections have decreased and fall below the total number of deaths among HIV-infected individuals, PEPFAR is now undertaking the challenge of controlling the pandemic.

The USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV – Pediatric Care and Treatment) is a senior professional and expert in strategic planning, program and activity design, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the full spectrum of HIV/AIDS prevention, detection, care, and treatment activities. The incumbent serves as the team’s senior advisor on HIV/AIDS issues and provides leadership in identifying opportunities for U.S. Government (USG) engagement in HIV/AIDS programming. This senior position ensures that the Mission has the necessary strategic, technical, and management expertise to handle and successfully implement HIV/AIDS programs and activities in the Health Office portfolio. The incumbent serves as the in-house subject matter expert on HIV/AIDS and the Mission’s senior representative in policy, strategic and technical engagements with the interagency, host country government, international and bilateral organizations, and donor agencies to address technical issues and coordinate efforts in implementation of HIV/AIDS activities.

The position is located in the USAID Office of Health and HIV/AIDS. The incumbent reports to the HIV Team Leader, or his/her designee, and supervises a team of up to five professional staff.

Statement of Duties to be Performed

1. Technical and Strategic Leadership 30%

• Serve as the lead technical officer for the USAID HIV/AIDS portfolio and provides expert direction in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS programs and interventions.
• Provide expert-level guidance to the Mission and the Ministry of Health including senior level officials in HIV/AIDS, serving as key advisor for all strategic and policy issues related to HIV/AIDS programming.
• Work closely with other units within the Health Office and across the Mission to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration and leveraging of resources across the different program components.
• Through literature review and other technical media research and regular communication with local and international stakeholders, keep abreast of emerging developments in the national and global HIV/AIDS landscape and advise accordingly on how these policies, strategies and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain the fidelity and relevance of its HIV/AIDS programs.
• Identify opportunities for integrated “state of the art” approaches, providing technical assessment and recommended strategies to pilot innovative interventions. Provide expert oversight and guidance to USAID implementing partners on newly emerging and highly efficacious approaches to HIV/AIDS program implementation.
• In collaboration with the other members of the Health Office, advise on the development of tools (such as dash boards, league tables) that support continuous learning and adapting to further improve and evolve the USAID knowledge base and data management capability related to HIV/AIDS activities. Advise on targeted analyses of HIV/AIDS data to inform program planning and implementation.
• The Jobholder provides a high level technical guidance, including clinical adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment and PMTCT recommendations, to the Mission and the Ministry of Health, including counterparts and senior level officials; provides direction in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment and PMTCT programs/projects/activities and interventions; and/ provides oversight to the annual portfolio budget, ensuring costs remain within budget planning levels, and that efficiency is maximized.
• Carries out a full range of consultative, technical advisory, development planning, and evaluation responsibilities providing technical input on all programs with adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment and PMTCT or other related components.
• Together with the Team Leader, the Jobholder works closely with other units within the HPN Office, and across the USAID Mission, to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration, and the leveraging of resources across the different program components; and, works closely with the Health Products and Technology Team to ensure adequate planning towards uninterrupted availability of key HIV commodities, including ARVs, test kits, and essential laboratory reagents.
• The Jobholder provides technical leadership in quality and performance improvement, working with key stakeholders to improve the quality of facility and community-level adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment and PMTCT services, by applying evidence-based guidelines, approaches, and tools; and liaises with other technical advisors and MOH staff to institutionalize and scale up quality improvement for adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment service delivery.
• Through literature review, research and regular communication with local and international stakeholders, the Jobholder keeps abreast of emerging developments in the national and global pediatric HIV Care and Treatment landscape, and advises accordingly on how policies, strategies, and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain fidelity and relevance in its adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment, and PMTCT programs.
• The Jobholder provides strategic and technical leadership in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning and reporting documents, including the Country Operational Plan, Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, and Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports; and, supports the annual PEPFAR budget preparation process, providing technical assistance to USG financial teams and technical working groups in completing the PEPFAR Funding Allocation to Strategy Tool (FAST), and any other new tools that may be provided for use in the planning processes.
• The Jobholder may directly supervise a team of up to seven adult or pediatric HIV care and treatment and PMTCT professionals and provides managerial support to the Team Leader in leading and managing the entire HIV Care and Treatment Team of 17 staff members. Provides advice and guidance to other HPN Office and HIV/AIDS Team colleagues on matters relating to adult and pediatric HIV Care and Treatment, and how best the other program components could contribute to ensure an effective service.

2. Project Planning, Management, Monitoring and Evaluation 20%

• Provide strategic and technical leadership in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning and reporting documents including the Country Operational Plan, Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports.
• Support country-level PEPFAR annual budget preparation process, providing technical assistance to USG financial teams and technical working groups in completing the PEPFAR Funding Allocation to Strategy Tool (FAST) and any other new tools that may be provided for use in the planning processes.
• Provide oversight to the annual HIV/AIDS budget and ensure costs remain within budget planning levels and that efficiency is maximized.
• Analytically assess the HIV/AIDS portfolio, the performance of partners, the available budget, the need for additional activities or ending activities, and facilitate design of new projects or activities necessary to achieve strategic objectives.
• Participate or take the lead on each stage of project design for new activities, including drafting and getting approval for concept papers, writing scopes of work, evaluating applications/proposals, and starting up new projects.
• Ensure that implementing partners abide by their reporting requirements, including quarterly reports, trip reports, accruals, PMPs, annual reports, and other requirements such as PEPFAR reporting or other requests. This includes supportive supervision and guidance to other technical and support staff in the HIV/AIDS office as necessary.
• Lead routine meetings with implementing partners to discuss technical and programmatic direction of the HIV/AIDS program. Conduct field visits to USAID-supported HIV/AIDS activities to meet with implementing partners and government health officials as appropriate to provide technical, programmatic, and administrative guidance, as necessary.
• Maintain a technical portfolio as Contracting Officer’s Representative/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) and/or Activity Manager, which includes review and approval of workplans, budgets, quarterly and annual reports, performance monitoring plans, monitoring activities through field visits and ensuring that financial reporting (accruals/vouchers) are submitted to the Financial Management Office as required.
• Identify opportunities and strengthen existing opportunities for integration of HIV/AIDS with health, economic growth and governance activities, and other areas of the Mission as appropriate.
• Technically advise and makes recommendations on the need for short-term technical assistance (STTA) from USAID/Washington central projects and write the technical components of the scope of work for the consultants.
• In collaboration with other members of the Health Office, manage the HIV/AIDS analytical agenda for national HIV/AIDS surveys such as the UHIA and other studies.
• In collaboration with other Health Office staff, initiate and coordinate targeted analyses of HIV/AIDS data to generate trends and patterns to inform planning and programming.
• Participate in and ensure the effectiveness of Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) and other field visits to improve quality of service delivery.

3. Representation and Reporting 30%

• Represent USAID and PEPFAR at designated national, regional and international meetings that relate to HIV/AIDS including regular participation in national level HIV/AIDS technical working groups and related committees.
• Represent USAID on the inter-agency USG PEPFAR Inter-Agency Technical Team.
• As requested by the Mission Director, Health Office Director or Deputy Director, represent USAID at meetings outside of the HIV/AIDS field when needed.
• Organize site visits and prepare orientation materials for delegations from Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), USAID Headquarters, State Department, and other agencies.
• As a member of the PEPFAR Team, respond flexibly and capably to a wide range of work-related requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/Washington, Congress and OGAC.
• Establish strategic working relationships with senior government officials at the national and district level, donor agencies, civil society organizations, private sector health counterparts and medical associations to enhance regular and timely sharing of information on HIV interventions in the country, including changes in key policies, and legal and regulatory environments that could affect the implementation of USAID programs.
• Serve as the Mission’s representative on all inter-agency forums related to HIV.
• Prepares reports and responses to USAID/Washington requests for information.

4. Supervision, Coaching/Mentoring and Staff Support 20%

• Supervise Co-operating Country Nationals, which includes developing annual work objectives, identifying appropriate training opportunities, mentoring and coaching them in facilitation of professional development. Conduct regular performance reviews and address any performance challenges that may arise.
• Works with direct reports to determine training needs, helps identify appropriate training opportunities and ensures fair participation in training.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to direct reports on matters relating to HIV/AIDS and how best the other program components could contribute to ensure an effective service cascade.

Supervisory Relationship

The USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV – Pediatric Care and Treatment) will report to the HIV Team Lead, or his/her designee. Most assignments are self-generated and occur in the normal course of work and the incumbent exercises independents in most phases of his/her job responsibilities but determines those situations that must be coordinated with the supervisor or other team members. Completed work is accepted as technically correct and the overall work is reviewed in terms of results achieved.

Supervisory Controls

The USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV – Pediatric Care and Treatment) will supervise up to five (5) professional staff.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.

a. Education: A Master’s degree in Public Health, International Development, Health, Social or Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Biology and/or Infectious Disease.

b. Prior Work Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in public health programming in developing or middle-income countries, with experience spent on HIV/AIDS-related work in Africa are required.

c. Language Proficiency: Level IV fluency in both oral and written English and in the host-country business language is required.

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 (55 points)

Extensive knowledge of multi-sectoral HIV/AIDS approaches and interventions, as well as the host country context including priorities and challenges, funding of the epidemic and the key stakeholders engaged in the response is required. Thorough knowledge of the host-country’s economic, political, social and cultural characteristics and the history of development assistance, in particular the response to HIV/AIDS, including current trends and directions. The incumbent is expected to have an in-depth understanding of US Government foreign assistance to the host-country government and familiarity with central aspects of U.S. Government policy in the host-country. Working knowledge of USG and USAID’s strategic direction, its chief accomplishments and its challenges.

· Skills and abilities (45 points)

The incumbent must possess strong skills in communication (oral and written), advocacy, and networking. S/he must have strong conceptual and analytical skills to be able to quickly grasp and translate new concepts into operational plans and results. This position requires an outstanding ability to exercise flexibility and prioritization skills to be able to accept and react to evolving planning and implementation contexts. Ability to exercise sound judgement, take initiative and offer leadership. S/he demonstrates timely decision-making and extensive judgment in planning and carrying out tasks.

The incumbent must have the ability to identify significant economic, political and social trends in the host country and assess their importance and impact on USAID development assistance objectives and programs.

The incumbent must demonstrate excellent computer skills including skills with Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing.

Total possible points: 100