OTI Deputy Country Representative – Ecuador (GS-13)

The OTI Deputy Country Representative is a full-time/intermittent Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-13 equivalent level and located in Ecuador. Offers for this position are due no later than March 8, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern Time. For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.

INTRODUCTION: The OTI Deputy Country Representative – Ecuador is a member of the Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS)/OTI Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Team, and reports to the OTI Country Representative. The Deputy Country Representative’s principal responsibility will be development, oversight, and management of USAID/OTI’s Ecuador country program. The incumbent will support the OTI Country Representative with managing an implementing partner and may be called upon to represent OTI’s program to local partners, senior-level U.S. government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors, and local government officials.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Represent OTI interests during meetings with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international donors interested in CPS/OTI activities;

● Provide guidance on the identification and development of projects that meet OTI funding criteria, further OTI programmatic objectives, and complement other projects and programs implemented by other OTI offices, U.S. Government agencies and donor organizations;

● Provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick impact programming model in embassies or USAID Missions. Support to embassies and USAID Missions will include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming, including rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews and management reviews;

● Review proposals and grant concepts and work with diverse groups, many of which have not previously had international funding;

● Collaborate with the Country Representative in monitoring the performance of OTI implementing partners in the implementation of OTI-financed activities designed to achieve OTI strategic objectives;

● Travel to monitor and assess political conditions, implementing partner operational platforms, meet with potential grantees, host-country government and other program counterparts, and develop activity ideas;

● Mentor and train other OTI and implementing partner field staff;

● Take the lead on collecting information and drafting/editing regular reporting products, such as weekly reports, cables and digest reports;

● Assume higher representational responsibilities, potentially serving as Acting OTI Country Representative in their absence;

● Perform a wide range of administrative functions including budget preparation, financial management, records management, and travel assistance to help ensure programmatic success;

● Coordinate with the OTI Country Representative to develop an exit strategy that ensures reasonable time to transition from OTI programs to follow-on USAID or other donor programs;

● Communicate regularly and share program information with other USAID project managers, the US Embassy, bilateral donors, UN Organizations, International Organizations, and indigenous and international NGOs to ensure visibility and synergy of USAID/OTI activities;

● Support the Country Representative to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;

● Report to the OTI Country Representative and OTI/Washington on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation, 2) OTI contractor performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among OTI offices with other U.S. Government entities, 5) security concerns, 6) relations with local partners including local, state and national government representatives, and 7) other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

● Manage and/or supervise the FSN staff, including program officers, administrative assistants and drivers alongside of the Country Representative; and,

● Supervise staff as delegated by the Country Representative (e.g. Program Managers, Program Assistants, Program Administrative Assistants, etc.). Provide orientation, training and mentoring for USAID staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel and program and operations requests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: (Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position. See detailed instructions for demonstrating Education/Experience under “Submitting an Offer”)

At a minimum, the Offeror must have:

(1) A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;

OR

A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;

OR

An Associate’s Degree with eight (8) years of work experience;

OR

A High School Diploma/equivalent with nine (9) years of work experience; AND

(2) A minimum of five (5) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, domestic or international assistance organization, or non governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, political analysis, and/or human rights activities;

(3) One (1) year of overseas field experience (in person or virtual). A virtual temporary duty (TDY) is defined as work that would have been conducted in an overseas location if not for the COVID pandemic;

(4) One (1) year of supervisory experience (including but not limited to mentoring, training, and guiding staff);

(5) Demonstrated experience using Spanish in a professional setting.

Please direct questions about this position or the offer process to the OTI Recruitment Team at [email protected].