Resident Hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor (U.S.PSC) Communication Advisor

Solicitation No.: MN 21-145

Issuance Date: September 27, 2021

Closing Date/Time: October 15, 2021, 04:30 p.m. (Nairobi Time)

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Services Contractor (U.S.PSC) Communication Advisor, GS-13

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. Citizens and/or U.S Resident Aliens to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation.

Submissions must be in accordance with the solicitation instructions. Applicants should retain copies of all offer materials for their records. Applications must be submitted electronically via email to nairobipscjobs@usaid.gov by the closing date and time indicated above. Late, incomplete, or unsigned applications will not be considered. Scanned copies are accepted by email. Applicants must prominently reference the solicitation number in the application submission.

This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offer.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the attached information.

Sincerely,

-s-

Kion Turner

Executive Officer

Attachment 1:

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: Mission Notice 21-145
2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 27, 2021
3. CLOSING DATE/TIME: October 15, 2021, at 04:30 p.m. (Nairobi Time)
4. POSITION TITLE: Communication Advisor
5. MARKET VALUE: $79,468 to $103,309 annually equivalent to GS-13. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two (2) year base period, with three one-year options subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance or better.
7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya
8. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens and/or U.S Resident Aliens[1]. Citizenship, if dual, must be clearly stated.
9. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: USAID/Washington-issued clearance level at the Facility/Computer Access Level
10. POINT OF CONTACT: Executive Office/Human Resources, Patrick Bii, HR Assistant, email at pbii@usaid.gov
11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The primary location of work will be on the U.S. Embassy/USAID compound in Nairobi, Kenya. No special demands are required to perform the work.
12. STATEMENT OF DUTIES/POSITION DESCRIPTION

Background/Introduction

The employee will develop and help manage communications throughout OEGI’s seven technical areas of Trade, Investment, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Feed the Future Kenya and Regional, Energy and Resilience. In addition, the employee will promote USAID/Kenya and East Africa (KEA)’s resilience platforms that cut across several technical offices within KEA or across missions within the region, namely Kenya’s Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth (PREG) and the regional Horn of Africa Resilience Network (HoRN). The employee will manage all communications to numerous internal and external stakeholders including bilateral USAID Missions, USAID/Washington, and other U.S. Agencies or Departments. Using various resources to produce both internal and external communications, the employee will ensure messages are consistent with the overall USAID/KEA objectives to explain, promote, and raise awareness of OEGI and resilience platform activities. This will include developing communication materials, top-line messages, case studies, white papers, newsletter content, social media content, speeches, briefing checklists (BCLs), and other tools as necessary to raise awareness of the portfolio and highlight success stories to ensure that all stakeholders are well informed of OEGI and resilience platform activities and to maximize opportunities for coordinated programming, sharing of best practices, and improved knowledge management across the region. In addition, the employee will develop and provide training for OEGI and its implementing partners to strengthen communication skills and practices and will support, as requested, a broad range of communication approaches including public events and social media.

OEGI implements programs to increase food security, promote resilience, improve water and sanitation, enhance trade and investment, expand access to energy, and increase sustainable economic integration in Kenya and East Africa. OEGI provides intellectual leadership to design, implement and evaluate programs and strategies in response to the Global Food Security Strategy, the Power Africa Initiative, and other U.S. Government and USAID initiatives and priorities. At the Kenya bilateral level, OEGI manages a $90 million portfolio of activities across multiple sectors including agriculture, livestock, trade, investment, and energy, as described below. At the regional level, OEGI manages a $25 million portfolio, which includes energy and resilience activities, as well as direct engagement with Regional Intergovernmental Organization (RIGO) partners, including the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). OEGI’s work with the RIGOs focuses on promoting regional economic integration and expanding regional and international trade, particularly in agriculture goods.

OEGI works collaboratively with USAID technical offices within USAID/KEA, bilateral USAID missions across East Africa, regional USAID missions across Africa, and USAID/Washington, as well as with USAID/KEA lifeline offices and USAID/KEA management, to achieve the objectives of the USAID/KEA Kenya Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS).

OEGI supports USAID/KEA’s Kenyan and regional communications strategies. OEGI communicates and coordinates knowledge management on Kenyan and regional programming and policy priorities to USAID bilateral missions and embassies, and works closely with USAID/Washington and inter-agency colleagues to coordinate U.S. Government activities in Kenya and the region.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Outreach and Communications: 65%

● Develop and implement a strategic communications plan and support messaging to highlight the progress of OEGI-funded activities towards the achievement of their overall goals and USAID/KEA objectives.

● Coordinate closely with the USADI/KEA Development Outreach and Communication (DOC) team regarding OEGI communication efforts, including the development and implementation of the OEGI communication strategy; overall USAID/KEA communication strategy, and ensuring Mission leadership priorities are reflected and aligned with in OEGI communication efforts. Establish excellent working relationships and strategic engagement with a wide range of senior figures within the development and USG community related to communications, including communications officials in other USAID Missions, AID/Washington, the USAID/KEA DOC team, the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Kenya, the Kenya and regional donor community, and OEGI’s implementing partners throughout the East Africa region.

● Support and advise OEGI leadership to ensure uninterrupted proper internal and external messaging for all of OEGI’s activities. The employee will need to be thoughtful, diplomatic, consensus-building, strategic, analytical, and a leader. The employee must be able to use excellent judgment and have the ability to deal with ambiguity at all levels.

● Support logistics for OEGI and USAID/KEA resilience conferences, training events, press interviews, VIP visits, launches of project activities, or other events to ensure events run smoothly and meet USAID messaging goals.

● Write and/or edit briefing checklists (BCLs), speeches, talking points, blogs, success stories, video scripts, press releases and other communications materials as needed by OEGI, the USAID/KEA resilience platforms, USAID/KEA senior management, the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, or other VIPs as directed, in support of USAID-sponsored public events.

● Develop external communication materials, case studies, white papers, regional newsletter content, social media content, and other tools as necessary to raise awareness of OEGI and USAID/KEA resilience activities and success stories, and ensure that stakeholders, including bilateral missions in the region, are well informed of OEGI activities.

● Advise and make recommendations to USAID staff, the USAID Mission Director, technical offices, implementing partners, and others to communicate about the work and achievements of OEGI. Ensure that all activities are well-coordinated with other donor activities through regular updates given to USAID stakeholders and external development partners, including Annual Reports, Portfolio Reviews, Congressional Budget Justifications, briefings, newsletters and talking points.

● Ensure strategic communication is streamlined into all new project designs. Assist OEGI staff to periodically review implementing partner communication strategies and practices, and provide guidance on USAID branding and marking requirements as required by each award.

General Management: 35%

● Maintain a current database with all relevant communications contacts that are involved in the implementation of OEGI and USAID/KEA’s resilience platform activities (i.e. spokespersons and programmatic focal points from implementing partners, USAID Missions in East Africa, AID/Washington, Embassy Nairobi agencies, other donors, etc.).

● Proofread and edit OEGI materials to provide quality control.

● Maintain an OEGI repository of publications, factsheets and briefers and work with the DOC to ensure periodic publications are completed and submitted on time. These include the Annual OEGI Report and OEGI input into the annual USAID/KEA Events Calendar

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

The incumbent must meet the following requirements in education and professional experience:
Education: Master’s degree in a relevant professional discipline such as media, journalism, communications, international relations, international development, history, anthropology, human rights and/or law degree. However, 10 years or more of substantive and specifically relevant experience may be acceptable in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Professional Experience: The candidate is required to have a minimum of seven years of experience directly involved in strategic communications in development partner and/or donor contexts. The candidate must have excellent interpersonal and networking skills and the ability to liaise authoritatively with representatives from the development sector, local media, local government, USG, and other relevant actors. Clear understanding and demonstrated skills in outreach and coordination of organizational messaging is required.

The candidate must have demonstrated experience in leading consultations and facilitation of various teams with diverse backgrounds and development perspectives; applying broad USG (or similar development organizations) principles, policies and strategies; leading effective USG interagency, partner country, and donor coordination; and working with USG leadership at the working- and senior-levels.

Additional Desired Skills:

1.Working knowledge of USG policies, priorities and strategies;

2.Demonstrated familiarity and expertise with a diverse range of communications software.

3.Ability to lead meetings and presentations with internal and external stakeholders.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

Applicants who clearly meet the skills and qualifications requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of Evaluation Factor responses submitted with the applicant’s application.

Applicants are required to address each of the following Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. The evaluation factors will be used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified applicants in comparison to other applicants. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.

Applicants should cite specific, illustrative examples for each Evaluation Factor. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any words above the limit will neither be read nor scored.

Factor #1: Demonstrated experience designing and managing strategic communication programs related to economic growth and development, preferably in East Africa.

Factor #2: Demonstrated experience preparing outreach materials for a wide range of outlets and audiences including print, video, and social media.

Factor #3: Demonstrated experience coordinating with U.S. Government agencies, international organizations, national or local governments, and/or other high-profile entities supporting economic growth.

The most qualified candidates may be interviewed, required to provide a writing sample, and demonstrate an ability to operate commonly used office applications. USAID will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. In addition, applications (written materials and interviews) will be evaluated based on content as well as on the applicant’s writing, presentation, and communication skills. In the event that a candidate has fully demonstrated his/her qualifications and there are no other competitive applicants, USAID reserves the right to forego the interview process. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection.

Applicants selected for an interview will be asked to submit three examples of previously developed visual and/or written materials in order to demonstrate experience editing and developing a range of visual and/or written materials for external and internal communications, including websites.

Evaluation Scoring:

Factor #1 – 25 points

Factor #2 – 25 points

Factor #3 – 10 points

Examples of Materials – 10 points

Interview Performance – 30 points

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned)

Total Possible Points: 100

[1] U.S. resident alien means a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.