OTI Program Manager – Washington, D.C. (GS-11/12) At US Agency for International Development

The OTI Program Manager is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-11/12 equivalent level and located in Washington, DC. Offers for this position are due no later than October 14, 2021 at 1:00pm Eastern Time. For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.

INTRODUCTION:

The Program Manager is a member of the Conflict Prevention and Stabilization Bureau (CPS)/OTI Regional Team in the Field Programs Division (FPD), reports to the OTI Regional Team Leader or their designee, and is based in Washington, D.C. OTI currently has six regional teams: West and Central Africa, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Southern and Eastern Africa (SEA), Europe, and Asia. OTI’s regional teams are responsible for all program implementation-related activity in the specific region. OTI/Washington D.C. staff provide administrative and programmatic support for OTI programs in close coordination with field staff.

The Program Manager’s principal responsibility is to assist one of OTI’s regional teams in the administration and management of existing country programs and new country programs as needed. This is a program-funded USPSC position, which OTI anticipates will focus approximately 80 percent of the time on country program implementation support, and approximately 20 percent of the time supporting strategic planning and program development. The Program Manager must have a strong interest in assisting countries in transition and be able to accomplish a wide range of administrative functions (budget and financial preparation and management, records management, and travel assistance) to help ensure programmatic success. The program manager is responsible for preparing written materials to represent the program; representing the program on key issues; and preparing others to represent the program. Since work may require continued changes in program direction and implementation, including frequent coordination, the individual should be highly flexible and comfortable working under conditions of ongoing change. The successful offeror will demonstrate sound judgment and excellent communication, interpersonal and analytical skills, and possess a well-developed understanding of U.S. foreign policy and interests.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

At the GS-11 Level:

Note: Duties and responsibilities are listed in order of importance for this position

Participate in the implementation of current and new country program operations with a primary focus on administrative, budget, logistics, personnel and contractual support, as well as maintaining program files and records;
Manage assigned country program(s) including headquarter-based contractors and grantees working under such programs; in consultation and agreement between you and your supervisor, provide support as an auxiliary team member in the field, being prepared to travel to difficult overseas posts in conflict or post-conflict areas for an agreed upon period of time;
Provide backstopping and troubleshooting support to field-based staff through frequent communication and administrative support;
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with OTI’s three divisions (Operations and Management Division (OMD); Field Programs Division (FPD); and Program, Learning and Innovation Division (PLI));
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with USAID divisions and bureaus, the Department of State and other U.S. Government agencies and departments, non-governmental organizations, international donors, and other stakeholders interested in particular OTI country programs, to coordinate and effectively implement interagency efforts;
In consultation with FPD Management or supervisor, coordinate closely with the appropriate OTI teams to support monitoring and evaluation, program performance management, knowledge management, data analysis and/or training needs;
After an initial learning period, serve as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) for Task Orders or Grants or Cooperative Agreements, ensuring OTI’s requirements are met (serving as COR/AOR requires the successful completion of USAID training);
In conjunction with the supervisor, manage and/or participate in the selection of program implementers such as grantees, contracts, and personal services contractors;
Prepare documentation for required contracts, grants or cooperative agreements in accordance with agency and office guidelines;
Respond to requests for information regarding OTI programs from within and outside of the agency in collaboration with OTI’s Program Office; develop outreach materials in collaboration with the OTI Communications Team;
Represent OTI at inter-office, inter-bureau, or inter-agency committees or in meetings where issues discussed relate to OTI’s program goals; prepare written materials to represent the program; prepare senior staff to represent key aspects of the program/portfolio;
After an initial learning period, provide orientation, training, and mentoring for other OTI Program Assistants and Program Managers;
Support the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model;
Assume higher representational responsibilities, such as Acting Deputy Team Leader, Team Leader or Deputy Country Representative in their absence; and,
Serve on temporary details within OTI, other USAID bureaus/offices, or other USG agencies under this scope of work for a period not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail must be directly related to the scope of work. Contracting Officer (CO) approval will be required for details exceeding six months.

At the GS-12 Level:

Note: Duties and responsibilities are listed in order of importance for this position

Participate in the design and implementation of new country program operations to include management of administrative, budget, logistics, budget, personnel and contractual support, as well as maintaining program files and records;
Perform complex country analysis and support program design to develop existing and future programs and strategies in high priority countries;
Manage assigned country program(s) including headquarter-based contractors and grantees working under such programs; in consultation and agreement between you and your supervisor, provide support as an auxiliary team member in the field, being prepared to travel to difficult overseas posts in conflict or post-conflict areas for an agreed upon period of time;
Provide orientation, training, and mentoring for other OTI Program Assistants and Program Managers;
Provide backstopping and troubleshooting support to field-based staff through frequent communication and administrative support;
In collaboration with the field program team, both in DC and in the field, develop, monitor, evaluate, and recommend performance measures for country programs and individual projects, including the work of contractors and grantees;
In consultation with FPD management or supervisor, coordinate closely with the appropriate OTI teams to support programs monitoring and evaluation, program performance management, knowledge management, data analysis and/or training needs;
Manage and/or participate in the selection of program implementers such as grantees, contractors, and personal services contractors;
Serve as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) for Task Orders or Grants or Cooperative Agreements, ensuring OTI’s requirements are met (serving as COR/AOR requires the successful completion of USAID training);
Prepare documentation for required contracts, grants or cooperative agreements in accordance with agency and office guidelines;
Respond to requests for information regarding OTI programs from within and outside of the agency in collaboration with OTI’s Program Office; develop outreach materials in collaboration with OTI’s Communications Team;
Present OTI information on complex concepts through public speaking and presentations to a wide range of audiences;
Represent OTI at inter-office, inter-bureau, or inter-agency committees or in meetings where issues discussed relate to OTI’s program goals; prepare written materials to represent the program; prepare senior staff to represent key aspects of the program/portfolio;
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with OTI’s three divisions (Operations and Management Division; Field Programs Division; and Program, Learning and Innovation Division);
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with other USAID divisions and bureaus, the Department of State and other U.S. Government agencies and departments, non-governmental organizations, international donors, and other stakeholders interested in particular OTI country programs, to coordinate and effectively implement interagency efforts;
Support the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model;
Assume higher representational responsibilities, such as Acting as Deputy Team Leader, Team Leader or Deputy Country Representative in their absence; and,
Serve on temporary details within OTI, other USAID bureaus/offices, or other USG agencies under this scope of work for a period not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail must be directly related to the scope of work. Contracting Officer (CO) approval will be required for details exceeding six months.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

At a minimum, the offeror must have:

At the GS-11 level:

1. A Master’s Degree with three (3) years of work experience;

A Bachelor’s Degree with four (4) years of work experience;

An Associate’s Degree with six (6) years of work experience;

AND

2.Two (2) years of project management experience including, but not limited to, experience managing budgets, administrative tasks, reporting, and/or logistics;

3. Six (6) months of overseas experience (either 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 global COVID pandemic. Overseas experience includes, but is not limited to: study abroad; conducting volunteer work overseas (paid or unpaid); and/or an internship.

At the GS-12 level:

1. A Master’s Degree with four (4) years of work experience;

A Bachelor’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;

An Associate’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;

AND

2.Three (3) years of project management experience including, but not limited to, experience managing budgets, administrative tasks, reporting, and/or logistics;

3. Nine (9) months of overseas experience (either 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 global COVID pandemic. Overseas experience includes, but is not limited to: study abroad; conducting volunteer work overseas (paid or unpaid); and/or an internship.

Please direct questions about this position or the offer process to the OTI Recruitment Team at otijobs@usaid.gov.