Development Program Assistant

I. 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.: 22-67

2. ISSUANCE DATE: May 13, 2022

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: May 26, 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: Development Program Assistant.

6.MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-8 Step 1 (2,152,002.00 KSH per annum) to Step 13 (3,658,410.00 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.

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. **

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 Mission in Kenya. Employees presently on probation are ineligible to apply.

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

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The USAID Development Program Assistant (DPA) position is established in the Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA) Office. The SPA Office is responsible for broad program support, coordination, and project management functions for the combined USAID platform in Nairobi which manages two operating units (OUs)– the bilateral Kenya and the East Africa Regional OUs. The SPA Office provides leadership and serves as principal advisor to the Mission Director on: (a) social, economic, and cross-cutting developmental issues; (b) strategic planning and programming; (c) project and activity development; (d) monitoring and evaluation and learning of the platform’s portfolio; (e) management of current year budget obligation and out-year mission-wide budget planning; and (f) program implementation of activities that fall within the platform’s ongoing Development Objectives under the $2 billion Kenya Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and $300 million East Africa Regional Cooperation Development Strategy (RDCS). In addition, this office keeps a pulse of major development trends in Kenya and the East Africa region to inform new programming needs.

The incumbent will be collectively responsible for supporting the Project design team in carrying out the entire program cycle for the Kenya and East Africa Operating Units. The incumbent is expected to support a variety of tasks and processes and backstop other Specialists to ensure continuity of operations, maximize customer service, and improve efficiency. The DPA will provide support in overall, cross-Mission program management (including but not limited to serving as mission POC on one or more cross-cutting key issues; strategic, project, and activity planning, design, and implementation backstopping for one or more technical offices; and program documentation and reporting and general administrative support for the development and implementation of programs/projects across sectors (democracy and governance; health, population, and nutrition; education and youth; environment; and economic growth) within both the bilateral and regional portfolios managed by the Nairobi platform. The DPA will also assist the USAID/KEA mission in various aspects of capacity development and training functions.

Statement of Duties to be Performed

1. Project and Activity Planning, Design, and Implementation Support 60%

· The DPA’s primary responsibility is to provide support to the Project Design Team Lead and the Development Program Specialists with a variety of tasks and processes to ensure continuity of operations, maximize customer service, and improve efficiency while carrying out the entire program cycle. The DPA may be called upon to provide backstop support to one or more of the technical offices. S/he is expected to become part of the technical office they support, attending staff and other meetings to maintain a pulse on all critical actions. S/he provides up-to-date information on the technical office to the SPA Office and serves as the point of contact within the SPA Office for all key information for the technical office from a strategic, project, and activity planning and implementation lens; to ensure to and compliance with Mission/Agency strategies, policies, procedures, Mission Orders, and best practice.

· The incumbent provides guidance and leads the development of required program documentation for the technical office s/he backstops. S/he assists in the conceptualization, research, development, writing and editing of documents, in the preparation of concept papers and designs for new programs, projects, and activities. In this capacity, the incumbent coordinates the review, approval, authorization, and obligation process for assigned technical and strategic portfolios. The Assistant is responsible for monitoring and updating technical office procurement plans and pipeline reports she backstops, performing analyses as necessary to ensure that actions required are planned and executed in a timely fashion for obligation/sub-obligation. S/he ensures that all pre-obligation requirements have been met and provides support to the technical office s/he backstops during quarterly financial reviews.

· The DPA is responsible for supporting in preparation of all necessary internal and external USAID Project Design and Implementation documents to include action memos, memoranda/letters, reports, budget tables and other supporting documents.

· Provide support to the CDCS and RDCS Strategic development, implementation and stocktaking processes, including participation and support in strategic and performance portfolio reviews and mid-course stock takings, intended to examine progress towards achievement of the strategy and project reports and expectations regarding future progress and status of critical assumptions and changes in the country and regional context.

· In order to effectively support the East Africa Regional portfolio, the DPA will be required to be familiar with the Strategies of the Bilateral Missions to ensure that the specific programming meets those strategic priorities. The Assistant will be required to be informed on regional trends in East Africa and cross-border regional priorities to support the design of regional programs. The incumbent assists all USAID staff in assuring that programs/projects/activities are executed in a timely manner and in accordance with proper procedures as defined by USAID regulations.**

1. Program Documentation, Reporting and General Administrative Support 40%

· The DPA assists in the development and implementation of Project Design Documents ((PDD)s, the annual Operational and Performance Plans and Reports, portfolio review planning, Congressional taskers, and other reports required to ensure that the Mission is able to accomplish its development objectives. The DPA, in consultation with Development Program Specialists in the SPA Planning and Design Team, will support administrative actions related to the implementation of the Kenya and East Africa strategies such as the preparation of action memorandums, budget tables, and supporting documents. The Assistant helps to identifies, collects, and compiles information for regular and ad hoc reports and data calls (including but not limited to the Foreign Assistance Data Redaction), maintains summary materials on results for use in presenting and explaining the program portfolio, and supports the preparation of documents for regular and ad hoc reports and presentations, for Administration and Agency priorities which require deep knowledge of USAID processes and programs to develop responses. Ad hoc reporting and information requests and taskers are numerous, particularly from the Africa Bureau counterparts.

· The DPA is responsible for supporting in preparation of all necessary internal and external USAID Project Design and Implementation documents to include action memos, memoranda/letters, reports, budget tables and other supporting documents.

· The DPA helps to identify, collect, and compiles information for regular and ad hoc reports, data calls and presentations (including but not limited to the Foreign Assistance Data Redaction), maintains summary materials on results for use in presenting and explaining the program portfolio, for Administration and Agency priorities which require deep knowledge of USAID processes and programs to develop responses.

· The DPA supports Contracting Officer/Agreement Officer Representative (COR/AOR’s) in the SPA Office in maintaining activity records and status reports, including quarterly and financial reports, accruals and budget tracking tables, preparing and updating project documentation, pipeline analysis, and tracking contractor expenditures and budgets.

· The DPA will take the lead responsibility for the timely and accurate preparation of acquisition and assistance request documentation for their teams or for particular projects/activities assigned. This includes procurement planning, coordination with the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA), monitoring and managing procurement processes for the Office, managing obligation and documentation requirements for the Office, assisting with the contract/agreement closeout process, preparing and submitting requisitions in GLAAS for goods and services.

· DPAs cultivate productive working relationships with other teams and members of the SPA Office as well as other technical and support offices to ensure coordination and efficiency across both Kenya and East Africa Portfolio’s.

· Maintenance of Project design and implementation trackers and documents.

· Serves as the point of contact for unsolicited proposals; composes and writes replies to non-technical and general correspondence on activities from current and potential recipients of AID funding based on personal knowledge of AID activities and research of project/program documentation; maintains a comprehensive record of such correspondences; coordinates review of unsolicited proposals with technical offices.

Supervisory Relationship

The Assistant works under the supervision of the Project Design Team Lead, who makes assignments orally and in writing. Assignments occur in the normal course of the work, but the Assistant is required to determine those that must be coordinated with the supervisor. Additionally, Development Program Specialists may assign work to the Assistant. The supervisor provides a review of the assignment, the goals and objectives to be achieved, and the results expected. The Assistant seeks advice and assistance as required. Work is reviewed in terms of results achieved.

Supervisory Controls

Supervision of other employees is not anticipated.**

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.**

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITIONAny application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.

a. Education: Two-year collegiate studies in Project Management, International Relations, Business Management/ Administration, or similar field is required.

b. Prior Work Experience: A minimum of three years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in strategic development, program planning, financial and policy analysis, management, economics, and analysis or a closely related work experience in development program and/or project implementation. At least two years of this experience should have been in development-related work for International Development Organization, Non-Governmental Organization, Donor Agencies, Embassies, governmental organizations, or private-sector institutions which include planning and management, program/project/activity design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data.

c. Language Proficiency: Level IV English and Kiswahili proficiency is required. Ability to prepare and present concise reports is required.

III. 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 https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

– Job Knowledge (60 points)

The work requires substantial knowledge and understanding of development program/project/activity management principles, practices, and reporting, and a solid understanding or the potential to acquire knowledge of USAID programming and management policies and techniques. The Assistant must have working-level knowledge of modern development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to program management. A sound understanding of Kenyan and regional political, economic, social, and cultural characteristics and developments is expected. In addition, the Assistant must have, or be able to gain, a good knowledge of USAID policies and regulations, procedures and methodologies, and documentation and reporting requirements, and a good understanding of the administrative procedures and operations of major donors and non-governmental organizations.

– Skills and abilities (40 points)

The work requires outstanding organizational skills and the ability to multitask, handle stressful situations, and meet firm deadlines, and the ability to convene and convince colleagues and counterparts to make specific actions and activities a priority. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills are required; and the ability to explain the wide array of applicable rules, regulations, and policies governing assigned activities, clearly and concisely, to other USG staff and external stakeholders. The work requires outstanding written and spoken English, and the ability to communicate clearly through verbal reports and presentations. The Assistant must be skilled in office management, administration, and planning and computers, including Word, Excel, database software, and PowerPoint software. Excellent verbal and writing skills, tact, and diplomacy are also required, to establish and maintain effective working relationships within the USG and external stakeholders.**

Total possible points: 100