Solicitation for U.S. Personal Services Contractor (U.S.PSC) Communication Advisor, GS-13 At US Agency for International Development

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: Mission Notice 21-193
2. ISSUANCE DATE: November 18, 2021
3. CLOSING DATE/TIME: December 3, 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] currently residing in Kenya. 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

The employee will develop and help manage communications throughout the Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) Office’s technical areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In addition, the employee will promote USAID/Kenya and East Africa (KEA)’s health platform that cut across several technical offices within KEA and the interagency space, or across missions within the region. The employee will manage all communications to numerous internal and external stakeholders including bilateral USAID Missions, USAID/Washington, PEPFAR Coordination Office, and other U.S. Agencies or Departments. Using various resources and tracking programs 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 HPN’s health activities. This will include developing communication materials, case studies, white papers, newsletter content, social media content, remarks, 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 HPN activities and to maximize opportunities for coordinated programming, sharing of best practices, and improved knowledge management. In addition, the employee will develop and provide training for HPN staff 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.

USAID/KEA is a large, full-service Mission. Sectors targeted are: health, governance, agriculture, private sector development, environmental conservation, and education. The HPN Office programs are expansive, providing quality health care to millions of Kenyans nationwide through a mix of integrated and vertical services designed to strengthen local capacity. It offers life-saving treatment to over one million HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral drug therapy. The FY 2022 health budget is over $280 million; the estimated five-year budget is over $1.5 billion. Kenya is one of the largest recipient or resources through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

The incumbent must meet the following requirements in education and professional experience:

1. Education: A Master’s degree in a relevant professional discipline such as media, journalism, communications, international relations, marketing and/or public health degree.
2. Professional Experience: The candidate is required to have a minimum of seven years of experience directly involved in media, outreach and 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. Prior experience with USAID outreach and communication protocols is preferred.

3. 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 the 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 health and development, preferably in Kenya/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 health programming.

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.

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