Project Management Assistant (Partnerships and Operations) At US Agency for International Development

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 21-173 **

2. ISSUANCE DATE: November 1, 2021**

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: November 12, 2021 (4:30 PM East Africa Time)

4. POSITION TITLE: Project Management Assistant (Partnerships and Operations)**

5. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-PSC 9 (Step 1 2,687,399.00 KSH to Step 13 4,568,579.00 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.*

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Initial six (6) months probationary period, with an additional six (6) months upon successful completion of probation period. Additional four (4) option years contingent on fully successful or better performance rating, funds availability and the continued need to retain the position.**

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya; with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Work.**

8. SECURITY CERTIFICATION REQUIRED: Prior to joining USAID, the selected candidate will be required to:**

· Undergo a comprehensive background investigation

· Undergo a health check to obtain medical clearance and;

· Obtain and retain an embassy issued Security Certification.

9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES: (See Below).

10. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to qualified Kenyan Citizens and current employees of the U.S. Government. USAID provides equal opportunity and equitable treatment for employment of all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.

11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The position requirements do not involve rigorous physical demands.

II. BACKGROUND

USAID/Kenya and East Africa (KEA) invests in population and health programs at regional, national, and county levels that aim to improve the survival, well-being, and productivity of the Kenyan and East African population by reducing the burden of major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and addressing the main causes of maternal and child illness and deaths. This includes cross-cutting work to strengthen healthcare systems and build capacity, and support to national governments to formulate policies and guidelines, while assisting sub-national units like counties to plan, manage, and finance quality health services to meet local needs. The Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) office is USAID/KEA’s largest office, managing a portfolio valued at over $400 million annually. USAID/KEA’s regional program is responsible for assistance and technical support to Regional Intergovernmental Organizations (RIGOs) that implement regional health programs consistent with its Regional Development Cooperation Strategy.

The primary purpose of this position is to: coordinate, manage, and complete a range of project management, monitoring, and evaluation and reporting requirements for the assigned team, and, to serve as an activity manager for assigned activities within the HPN Office. This position is generally assigned to cover specific projects/activity management sections; however, the incumbent may be assigned to assist with overall project support to the HPN Office, depending on needs. PMA’s operates independently of any other such position in the HPN Office, although cooperation in specific circumstances may be required, as directed by the Supervisor.

The PMA’s primary responsibility is to provide project management support to Project Management Specialists and A/CORs who manage projects in the HPN Office. This may include assistance with implementation, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, helping to direct any of the program/project activities within the HPN Office, contributing to the preparation of reports, including results reporting and data quality assessments (DQAs), coordination of project activities with implementing partners, government and county officials and other stakeholders, preparation of presentations, conducting pipeline analyses and accruals, and managing close-out actions. The incumbent shall act as the point of contact for the USAID Lifeline offices: Offices of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA), Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA), Development Outreach and Communications, and Financial Management (OFM) and the interagency where required. The PMA may be responsible for project management duties depending on the mission’s needs.

The large HPN portfolio requires flexibility in staff time to support teams to meet required goals. The incumbent may be called upon to support other teams when staff are away, to participate in joint site visits, or represent the team in meetings, among other tasks. The Project Management Assistant is not a dedicated administrative position. However, the incumbent may, in the absence of Administrative Assistants be directed by the supervisor or Office Director, to provide administrative support to other teams or the HPN Office. The PMAs are critical members of the HPN Office. The Assistant works under the supervision of the Partnerships Team Leader.

III. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Program/Project Management Assistance (50%)

• The principal responsibility of this position is to provide support to the administration and oversight of all assigned partnership and operations activities and projects, to identify problems—and recommend corrective actions—that may be encountered in the implementation.
• Draft and prepare, with guidance from A/CORs and Team Leaders, documents related to program planning, implementation and management, including action memoranda/letters, reports, acquisition and assistance requests and pre-obligation documentation, analysis of ongoing/past/planned activities and results, will prepare Fixed Amount Award Implementation Letters, focusing on Program Descriptions and Budgets, Senior Obligation Alignment Reviews, action memos and justifications for exceptions to competition, and will contribute to drafting program/project Scopes of Work (SOW), PDDs, etc.
• Participate fully with AOR/COR/AMs in managing and maintaining project records for projects/activities assigned to them or for all projects in their teams following the USAID requirements.
• Provide coordination of HPN development portfolio with the assigned team, such as site visits, program monitoring, and implementation, partner communication, and interfacing with relevant USAID’s Life-Line offices and USG agencies.
• Participate and take responsibility for assigned roles in in the development of evaluation plans and assessments.
• Provide assistance to the Team Leader and other relevant team members to prepare briefings, presentations, performance narratives, and routine reports, including all team-specific operational plans and reports (OP, PPR, MOP, COP, MER, POART, ER etc.), prepare the team’s input to Mission Resource Requests, Congressional Budget Justifications, and Congressional Notifications, and other documents as needed.
• Collect information from other sources (implementing partners, donors, host government, etc.) and identify opportunities to strengthen team programs/projects.
• With guidance from the supervisor and the HPN management team, the incumbent may be selected to serve as an Activity Manager, or alternate, for bilateral implementing mechanisms and field support activities. Activity Manager responsibilities include independent site visits, monitoring and reporting, as well as delegation to clear implementing partner vouchers, accruals and administrative approvals.
• Support A/COR/AMs, Team Leaders/Deputies as they provide technical assistance to RIGOs through regular evaluation of needs to strengthen HIV/RH/MCH or other relevant activities such as activity design, implementation, compliance management, and evaluation, while promoting critical thinking, innovative approaches, and good practices for sustainability.
• Assist the Team Leader/Deputy to ensure that USG efforts in the East and Horn of Africa for HIV/RH/MCH and related technical areas are complementary to the efforts of other donors and regional private, non-governmental and public sector organizations. Actively identify and develop opportunities for improved coordination of regional actors to leverage greater results in the health sector.

B. Financial/Budget/Procurement Planning and Management (20%)

· Work with the Program Office (PO) and Office of Financial Management (OFM) to ensure effective budget management for his/her areas of responsibility. This includes five year/annual/quarterly budget preparation, coordination, and monitoring, financial planning and reporting, and budget preparation the operational plan (OP). **

· Monitor and manage budgets for contracts, grants and cooperative agreements within the assigned team. Undertake administrative responsibility for financial operations, perform financial audit responsibilities and have primary responsibility for budget forecasting, budget formulation, analysis for an annual budget of $5 – $10 Million.

· Assist Teams to budget program funds, in line with the overall budgets levels as defined for respective areas. Incumbents are required to prepare internal budget documentation and estimates to process procurement actions and forecast expenditures.

· Participate fully with AOR/CORs to maintain project records and reports, including quarterly technical and financial reports, develop pipeline analysis, accruals, and budget tracking tables, and partner expenditures and budgets. Using the PHOENIX financial tracking system, perform an in-depth analysis and track pipelines in close consultation with the PO.

· Work with OFM staff to prepare budget reprogramming tables, OP change notices and updates (OPUs), and pre-obligation documentation, including forward funding analyses, IGCEs, supplemental certifications, etc., to ensure that funds are allocated according to Agency standard requirements.

· In consultation with OAA and OFM, facilitate the close-out of expired awards and subsequent de-obligations, and any other after action review from the previous QFR meeting.

· Undertake procurement-related responsibilities for the HPN Office or for particular project/activities. Such responsibilities include procurement planning, coordination with the OAA, monitoring and managing procurement processes for the Team, managing obligation and documentation requirements, etc. Incumbent reviews contracts for the Team’s performance management and evaluation.

· Responsible for procurement requisitions related to their projects/activities as the Team’s designated GLAAS requester. Is responsible for preparing requisitions in GLAAS for goods, services, contracts, and agreements, as well as REQs for CCN personnel.

· Responsible for data cleaning and entry into the Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System (FACTS Info), the Mission-wide Indicator Tracker and other databases in line with U.S. Government Agencies guidance.

C. Monitoring and Evaluation (15%)

· Advise the team on performance management policies and procedures, including the HPN Office’s and implementation partners’ compliance.

· Participate in the Activity Management Teams (AMT) for implementing partner performance monitoring, including supporting field visits and development and revision of tools for activity monitoring e.g, RMNCAH, SIMS and Surge monitoring tools.

· Provide substantive M&E support such leading in monitoring compliance with DQA provisions in awards, FP policy and statutory requirements, environmental compliance, financial management, and fraud risk assessment.

· Assist teams to manage activity/project indicators, including quality control, collection and reporting, tracking and analyzing targets against actual results, drafting performance evaluation SOWs, providing input to portfolio reviews, and in preparing and maintaining Performance Monitoring Plans, and serve as a subject matter expert for evaluation processes and developing new M&E approaches.

· Compliance Monitoring: PMAs support A/COR/AMs in ensuring that compliance monitoring systems are in place, e.g. Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (GLGHA), FP and HIV/AIDS requirements, Initial Environmental Examination, Branding and Marking requirements, an all other relevant agency policy or regulation.

· Work with A/CORs/AMs to monitor gender programming in the program portfolio.

· Collect and monitor data from IPS, prepare program/project status reports, and provide information on progress in achieving compliance and results for HPN activities, as needed.

· Support A/COR/AMs to disseminate PLGHA, PEPFAR and other USG guidance to HPN Teams and IPs, and track adherence to the requirements, compliance status for each IP, Team and Office-wide staff.

D. Information Management (15%)

· Monitor developments in the relevant health sectors and help to maintain data in team databases (i.e. DATIM, GH surveys). Upload narratives and indicator information into appropriate databases, collect and verify indicator data and information, and provide input into narrative preparation in reports for Agency and Presidential initiatives.**

· Develop, update, and maintain information on HPN programs including but not limited to HIV, Malaria, FP/RH, MNCH, Nutrition, WASH, and gender-related activities, success stories, fact sheets, activity geographical inventory and coverage, briefers, and website materials for public consumption, using software tools such as Microsoft Office, (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,) and to a limited extent basic GIS software.**

· Work with A/COR/AMs to collect and update activity, project, and strategic-level data, summarize, and synthesize information, and prepare written reports and oral briefings for use by superiors, as appropriate. PMAs generate complete or partial program-related COP, MOP, OP and PPR reports from the Agency’s database for programmatic actions.

· Work with SI staff and A/COR/AMs to conduct data quality assessments, draft DQA checklists, finalize DQA reports, and help track corrective actions.

· Assist Team members in responding to Mission, Washington DC, and GOK information requests and taskers

IV. POSITION ELEMENTS:

A. Supervision Received: Works collaboratively with assigned A/COR/AMs, and under the general supervision of the Partnerships Team Leader. Assignments are made orally and in writing, including a discussion with the Supervisor of any elements of the assignment that are new, or to determine priority. Once the office workflow is established, most assignments will occur in the normal course of the work week, but the incumbent must be aware of situations that must be coordinated with superiors. The Team Leader or their designee provides a review of assignments, the goals and objectives to be achieved, and the results expected. The incumbent must seek advice and assistance as required. Work is reviewed in terms of results achieved.

B. Supervision Exercised: Continuing supervision of other Mission staff is not contemplated.

C. Available Guidelines: Available guidelines include USAID, PEPFAR, and PMI guidance, rules, and requirements; USAID Mission Orders, the Mission CDCS strategy, other USAID strategies, and other relevant reports and documents; the Automated Directives System (ADS); USAID Mandatory and Standard Provisions, the FAR and AIDAR, and other published and unpublished guidelines. Many guidelines are general in nature and not specific to the situation at hand; in situations where considerable interpretation is required, the incumbent will coordinate with appropriate superiors.

D. Exercise of Judgment: Good judgment is required to analyze, interpret, and adapt prior experience to this evolving context, particularly as guidelines are updated and new activities developed. Within a range determined by the incumbent and superiors, the incumbent exercises independent judgment in planning and follow-up of program actions and other assignments. The work involves many different, complex, and interrelated processes. The very nature of public health programming requires sensitivity and discretion in developing interventions and working with diverse stakeholders. These positions support the assigned section and the full HPN Team, other relevant USAID and other USG agency staff, and staff of partners (MOH, other donors, NGOs, private sector). The incumbent will exercise significant judgment in resolving operational problems encountered, and in determining the need for consultation with superiors when required.

E. Authority to Make Commitments: The incumbent has limited authority, but within the limits of training and experience-during times of backstopping A/COR/AMs – the incumbent exercises the authority given to all USAID activity managers and may make administrative arrangements consistent with ADS guidance and Mission policy. The incumbent acts and establishes priorities based on available guidelines and practical judgment, but guidance must be sought when needed. Within the scope of the authority delegated, the incumbent may indicate to counterpart and IP officials that they will make a recommendation to USAID on a specific issue or problem.

F. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The incumbent has a wide range of contacts within the Mission and maintains contact with counterparts and peers in contractor and grantee organizations implementing USAID-funded programs/projects in the sector. Host-government, local, and other contacts vary widely with the type of activity being implemented but are usually at the counterpart level. When traveling with or in lieu of a A/COR/AM, the incumbent has frequent and substantive personal contacts with IPs, local officials, and other stakeholders, and may be called upon to explain and defend PEPFAR, PMI, and USAID policies, objectives, and procedures, and upon return to transmit and interpret local official and private sector attitudes and concerns to superiors.

G. Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: One year.

V. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated. Only short listed applicants will be contacted. If you have not been contacted within one month from the closing date of this advertisement, please consider your application unsuccessful.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

A. Education: A completion of secondary schooling, and an additional two years of post-secondary study in business management, business administration, economics, international development, public policy, public finance, or similar field is required.

B. Prior Work Experience: At least five (5) years of professional-level experience in finance, budget management, development assistance, public policy development, monitoring and evaluation, or closely related work that includes the analysis and interpretation of complex data, and the presentation of findings in written form.

C. Post Entry Training: Familiarization training in USAID-specific procedures, regulations, and methods. Orientation to working from a donor agency perspective will be provided. On-the-job training regarding USAID, PEPFAR, PMI, and other relevant policies, procedures, and regulations, including the Automated Directives Systems (ADS), Mission Orders, and all planning and reporting databases, will be provided. Formal A/COR certification courses (necessary because of the substantive back­stopping role and project management) and other appropriate training will be provided as courses become available, subject to availability of funds.

D. Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, speaking and writing, is required. Fluency (Level IV) in Kiswahili is required.

E. Job Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of project management, financial and budget management, business administration, and program/project implementation in the areas of strategic partnership development in the public and/or private sectors are required. Excellent knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation techniques and principles is required. Substantive practical knowledge of business correspondence, database management, and budget preparation is required. A good understanding of the external environment (local/national culture in which the organization operates), and thorough knowledge of Kenya’s economics, politics, and international relations is required**.** The position requires familiarity with the public health issues related to HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, family planning, maternal and child health, gender-based violence, and women’s empowerment in Kenya. The incumbent must be familiar with USG programs, policies, and regulations. Must possess a good knowledge of USG law relating to development assistance, and knowledge of USAID budgeting practices, programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation.

F. Skills and Abilities: Must be able to develop and maintain a wide range of working-level management-level contacts on public health-related topics, in government, non-governmental, and private sector circles. Must be able to work effectively in a team environment and coordinate well with others. Office management skills and experience are required in order to support the assigned section and the overall HPN Team in developing and implementing USAID/KEA programs/projects, including financial, budget management, performance monitoring, and administrative skills sufficient to track the IP performance and program/project activities. Ability to obtain, analyze, organize, and interpret data and present findings in oral and written form. Ability to prepare complete and accurate reports, and to develop and present briefings. The work requires skills in the following areas: financial tracking, budgeting, strong analytical skills, computer software, including Word, Excel, database programs, and PowerPoint, and the ability to clearly present written and oral information. Exceptional verbal and writing skills, tact, and diplomacy are also required, to establish and maintain effective working relationships within USAID, the broader USG, and with the public and private sectors.

VI. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

Applicants must submit a resume/cv which describes how their relevant professional experience and education has prepared them to meet the specific challenges of the duties and responsibilities described above. As part of the interview process, those applicants ranked highest may be required to submit a timed writing sample on a topic provided. The selection committee may conduct reference checks at any time during the selection process.

Applications that do not meet the required minimum qualifications will not be scored.

• Prior work experience (30 points)
• Language (Pass/Fail)
• Job Knowledge (40 points)
• Skills and abilities (30 points)

Total possible points: 100

Candidates meeting the above required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application and reference checks. References will be asked to assess the applicant’s technical knowledge, work performance, communication skills, and group dynamics, using the above criteria. USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the top ranked short-listed applicants. The interview will be one of the determining factors in the final selection.