22-181 USAID Project Management Specialist (Democracy & Civil Society).

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.: 22-181

2. ISSUANCE DATE: October 19, 2022

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: November 2, 2022 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).

4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Kenya and East Africa Human Resources, e-mail at [email protected]

5. POSITION TITLE: Project Management Specialist (Democracy & Civil Society).

6. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-10 Step 1 (3,341,686 KSH per annum) to Step 13 (5,680,858 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 Government in Kenya. Employees presently on probation are ineligible to apply.

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security certification issued by the US Embassy RSO.

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Kenya and East Africa (KEA) Mission seeks a qualified Kenyan for the position of Project Management Specialist in the Democratic Governance, Peace and Security (DGPS) Office. This position requires technical expertise in the field of good governance, devolution, civil society and media freedom and capacity, as well as practical knowledge of program design, activity management, and monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning. The incumbent provides support to the USAID governance portfolio.

S/he must possess a high degree of competence and maturity, and the ability to manage relationships with the Embassy, other donors, the private sector, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and private voluntary organizations (PVOs) working in Kenya and the East Africa region. The position also entails building and maintaining partnerships and effective communication with local and national government representatives, ensuring that USAID/KEA is fully engaged in governance and civil society issues in Kenya. The incumbent is expected to incorporate science, technology, innovation and partnerships (STIP), as well as Collaborative Learning and Adaptation (CLA) into all activity design, implementation and evaluation duties. The position functions under the supervision of the Deputy Office Chief, unless otherwise directed by the Office Chief.

The DGPS Office is responsible for the design and achievement of USAID democracy, human rights, governance, conflict mitigation and CVE objectives and manages both Kenya-specific and regional activities. In Kenya, the office works collaboratively to effectively implement devolution by partnering with county governments, national government, civil society and citizens to ensure effective implementation of devolution. Protecting the rights of vulnerable populations, preventing and mitigating conflict, and countering violent extremism are included in the DGPS strategic approach. DGPS seeks to improve democracy, rights and governance systems, institutions and practices that will contribute significantly to the legitimacy of local and national governments and their ability to provide improved services to citizens. Within the East Africa region, DGPS will continue to support stakeholders, including regional institutions, national and local governments, and cross-border communities to improve the management of risks that cross borders such as conflict and violent extremism. USAID/KEA partners with regional bodies to advance the development and implementation of regional efforts aimed at interrupting the radicalization process and stopping terrorist groups from gaining appeal among vulnerable populations. USAID/KEA also supports regional institutional capacity to conduct early warning and early response to cross-border conflict. Advancing gender equity as well as increasing the visibility, effectiveness and influence of women and youth leaders is strategically integrated across the DGPS portfolio.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED

This position operates under the direction of the Governance Deputy Office Chief, but personally performs the complex work focused on good governance and civil society. S/he must understand and apply a technical body of knowledge, as well as applicable laws and agency regulations and instructions on a day-to-day basis. Once the Project Management Specialist is fully on-boarded, guidance received from the Deputy Office Chief is almost wholly related to policy, program objectives, and office priorities. Within such guidelines, the holder of this position designs and manages important activities and carries them to completion without significant supervision. Demands are heavy on personal initiative, resourcefulness and sound judgment. S/he will work independently, while informing and consulting within DGPS, USAID/KEA, and the US Embassy, as necessary. S/he will be required to travel within Kenya.

The Specialist will provide support to DGPS in the following ways:

1. Program Management and Related Duties (55%)

The incumbent manages new and existing governance and civil society programs and activities as a team member in the DGPS Office. These duties include participation in activity design, spearheading technical contributions to procurement processes, and activity implementation, identifying and resolving issues, ensuring activities are carried out in a technically sound and cost-effective manner, and in accordance with all applicable Mission and Agency directives and requirements. S/he will serve as the Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR/COR) or activity manager for activities that include capacity development for the Government of Kenya, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society organizations (CSOs)in order to achieve development objectives, including effective implementation of devolution, as outlined in the Kenya Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). In addition, he/she will manage programs aimed at safeguarding civic space, including support to civil society and media sector. Adaptability and flexibility will be required as the Project Management Specialist’s primary responsibilities may change over time as new USAID strategies and priorities emerge.

S/he will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of implementing partners and their activities, for obtaining and reporting on results and possible setbacks, and for initiating programmatic adjustments, when necessary. The incumbent is responsible for monitoring and evaluation at the project/activity levels, including developing project and activity-level Monitoring and Evaluation plans, conducting Data Quality Assessments, supporting the design of technical evaluations, and analyzing data and information sources to inform programming decisions. The incumbent is responsible for drafting narratives and providing other inputs into the annual planning (Operational Plan) and reporting (Performance Plan and Report; Mission Resource Request, Congressional Budget Justifications, portfolio reviews, etc.).

As AOR/COR, the Project Management Specialist is responsible for the reviewing and approving annual work plans, schedules for obligating funding, monitoring expenditures, burn rates, and pipelines, portfolio reviews, evaluation planning and implementation, audits, development and outreach communications, and closeouts. These responsibilities are defined in the AOR/COR letter issued by the USAID/KEA Office of Acquisition and Assistance. The Specialist will support DGPS, Mission, and USG efforts to ensure effective, cost-effective, and responsible programming and reporting in compliance with USG and USAID regulations and ethics standards, and, ultimately, help USAID achieve its development objectives related to governance and civil society.

2. Technical Specialist and Representational Duties (35%)

The incumbent will serve as a technical advisor to the DGPS Office and may be requested to advise USAID Missions in the region on governance, civil society, civic space and related issues. The Project Management Specialist will keep abreast of and analyze political, social, economic and other trends and legislation/policies affecting governance, civil society and civic space in Kenya, and will keep the Mission informed of these trends/legislation/policies. S/he will be considered a resource on civil society and civic space issues and will be expected to participate actively in internal and external strategy discussions, including active engagement across sectors at the Mission. The DGPS Office manages programs that focus on other democracy and governance areas including elections and political process, devolution, conflict and CVE that contain program elements related to civil society and civic space. The Program Management Specialist will contribute to the development of analyses and recommendations for these other programs as issues arise related to civic space and civil society.

The Project Management Specialist will identify ways to further USG foreign policy objectives related promotion of democracy and governance, including safeguarding civic space and press freedom or other issues that may arise. This includes liaising with USAID’s Global Development Lab on technical solutions, as appropriate, and assisting with the development of new, innovative concepts and program designs which engage both traditional and non-traditional partners, with a focus on local solutions. The incumbent will actively contribute to monitoring, evaluation, analysis and learning at the CDCS and Development Objective level. Independently or in coordination with the senior governance specialists, s/he will synthesize trends at the regional/national levels and incorporate learning from all analysis into current and future programming and share extensively across all stakeholders. S/he will participate in strategy development and project design teams including drafting USAID project documents and ushering such strategies and projects through the approval process.

S/he will be required to maintain relationships with a wide range of contacts in government, intergovernmental organizations, private sector, civil society organizations, donor agencies, implementing partners, and other stakeholders related to governance, civil society and civic space, and to represent USAID and the USG with internal and external audiences, as required. S/he will lead or participate in donor and internal and external sector working groups. S/he will work to best facilitate knowledge management through exchange of technical information and ideas, to collaborate on cross-cutting issues, to provide effective collaboration among actors in the governance and civil society sector, and to promote program/project synergies.

The incumbent will ensure a cross-cutting, cross-sectoral and inclusive approach for civil society, civic space and governance, including participating in cross-sectoral teams and the design and management of other democracy and governance or other sector programs with a civil society component. This will include providing technical expertise to other sectors, USAID Mission and other donors. It will also include incorporating cross-cutting issues — such as gender, youth and persons living with disabilities — into the governance, civic space, civil society programming. The incumbent will actively facilitate learning within USAID, including support for organization of training, symposia, and knowledge building activities in the areas of governance, civil society and civic space.

3. Strategic Planning and Performance Reporting (10%)

Participates in USAID and USG strategy development, portfolio reviews, quarterly financial reviews and other USAID performance and planning processes. Drafts substantive contributions based on her/his area of expertise to annual performance reports, operational plans and other USAID performance management documents.

Supervisory Relationship

The PMS will work under direct supervision of the Governance Deputy Office Chief and general supervision of the Office Chief. The Office Chief, the Deputy and other USAID and USG staff will provide technical guidance as necessary. However, the incumbent is largely independent of technical supervision; guidance provided by the supervisor is primarily about policy, priorities, results to be achieved, basic approaches to be followed, and the basic content of reports. Work is assigned primarily in terms of desired results and suggested approaches. As the incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of independence, s/he must be able to establish priorities, adhere to and meet established deadlines, and perform responsibilities and duties with minimal supervision and limited follow-up. The incumbent must be able and willing to work beyond specific duties detailed in this position description, as assigned by DGPS office, in direct support of USAID/KEA and USG strategic objectives and goals.

Supervisory Controls

This position is designated as non-supervisory; however, the incumbent plans, organizes and oversees the work of implementing partners’ projects and program activities; provides guidance and technical expertise; reviews the work produced, and evaluates the accomplishments of such contractors or grantees.

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.

1. Education: Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Governance and Civil Society, Public Policy and Administration, Law, Development, Community Planning/Development, International Studies or related field is required.

2. Prior Work Experience: Minimum of five years of experience directly relevant to the governance and civil society field is required, ideally in Kenya or elsewhere in East Africa. Prior work experience with a donor/international development agency is also required.

3. Language Proficiency: Level IV English (fluent) written and spoken ability is required. Level IV spoken Kiswahili 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 //www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

• Job Knowledge (60 points)

Must have a strong understanding of program management and development assistance in the governance and civil society field. Demonstrated knowledge of civil society, civic space and devolution issues in Kenya, as well as an understanding of development priorities. Demonstrated knowledge of international best practice in governance, civil society and civic space is required.

• Skills and abilities (40 points)

Ability to develop and maintain a range of mid-level working relationships within the U.S. government, with the Government of Kenya, international donor partners, civil society, media and with the private sector is required. Ability to quickly understand the basics of development activity management including the requirements for financial and programmatic reporting is required. Proficient use of word processing, spreadsheet, Google Docs, and PowerPoint software programs, and willingness to use these programs to prepare reports, draft correspondence, prepare presentations, and take notes is required. Candidate must be able to communicate well in writing and verbally to a diversity of audiences. Diplomacy, confidentiality, and sound judgement are required in handling sensitive issues. Ability to work as part of a team within the DGPS Office and across the broader Mission is essential as is proven ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Total possible points: 100