USAID/Ghana- Deputy Program Advisor

About Us

International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.

Job Title: Deputy Program Advisor

Department/Location: USAID/Ghana- West Africa Regional

Reports To: Activity Manager

Type: Regular Full-Time

Clearance Required: Secret

Overview:

The Bureau for Africa (AFR) is the USAID/Washington operating unit charged with managing USAID economic development and trade programs in Africa. The Africa Bureau’s Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD) provides strategic guidance and intellectual leadership to the Africa Bureau, conducts economic, social and political analyses critical to the development of AFR policies, strategies, budgets and activities, and supports, coordinates, and facilitates technical and budgetary priorities and personnel considerations for the field. AFR/SD’s technical responsibilities span across all areas of economic development – economic growth, trade, investment, agriculture, the environment, global climate change, biodiversity, water, democracy and governance, education and health. The Office’s work falls into four main components: providing technical assistance to Africa Missions; operationalizing Presidential Initiatives and global strategies; undertaking research and pilot activities to improve development programs in Africa; and support to USAID leadership and other USG departments and agencies including in developing policy.

The USAID West Africa Regional Mission partners with regional organizations, the private sector and with local partners to achieve peace and prosperity. Our strategic vision focuses on transnational, transboundary, and multi-country issues. Our regional programs reinforce and support the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Government’s bilateral investments, moving the region toward greater freedom, prosperity, health, resilience, and, ultimately, sustainability. Delivering our programmatic services at the local, national, and regional levels, USAID/West Africa engages with West Africans to leverage the benefits of collective action.

IBTCI is seeking a Deputy Program Advisor(DPA) for the Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM). CSSM is a U.S.-German partnership to promote regional stability.

The Deputy Program Advisor’s principal responsibility will be to support the development, oversight, and management of the Coastal States Stability Mechanism. CSSM is a regional mechanism with the ability to implement activities in select countries across Coastal West Africa (CWA) and the Sahel. The incumbent will be called upon to support CSSM’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials. In addition, the incumbent will collaborate closely with the US Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS) interagency implementation team across CWA, and actively participate in USAID/WA’s Peace and Security Unit. The incumbent will also collaborate closely with USAID/OTI’s Senior Regional Advisor in Accra, USAID/OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative, and USAID/WA’s Regional Peace and Governance Office.

CSSM is viewed as one part of the USG’s SPCPS implementation in CWA and a larger combined USG-German response to an evolving situation that also includes contextual monitoring and analytical tracking; support for pilot interventions; planning and initiating longer-term programs; enhancing regional coordination processes focused on regional stability across USG and German operating units, interagency and local partners, and other donors; and training and capacity building of personnel and implementers in the region.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Represent CSSM interests during meetings with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, or other USG colleagues. The incumbent may relay the interests of CSSM to external parties, including host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international donors interested in CSSM activities, but will not serve in any representative capacity to external parties;
• Provide information and recommendations to the Regional Program Representative on the identification and development of projects that meet CSSM funding criteria, further CSSM programmatic objectives, and complement other projects and programs implemented by other U.S. government agencies and donor organizations;
• Provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow CSSM’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 CSSM Regional Program Representative in monitoring the performance of CSSM’s implementing partners in the implementation of activities designed to achieve CSSM 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 (the incumbent will not give any technical direction as a result of these monitoring visits);
• Mentor and train other CSSM 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;
• Potentially serve as Acting CSSM Regional Program 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;
• 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/CSSM activities;
• Support the Regional Program Representative to ensure the use of CSSM systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;
• Report to the CSSM Regional Program Representative and USAID/West Africa on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation, 2) CSSM contractor performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among CSSM 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 CSSM’s program objectives;
• Mentor staff as delegated by the Regional Program Representative. 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.

NOTE: The incumbent will not perform other inherently governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Mission.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Five (5) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization, in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, stabilization, peace building, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis;
• One (1) year of overseas field experience.
• One (1) year of supervisory experience (including but not limited to mentoring, training, and guiding staff).
• Fluency in English is required and a working proficiency in French is strongly preferred.

Education: At a minimum, the offeror must have:

• A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;
  OR
• A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Technical Expertise: Demonstrated ability to provide high-level analysis and technically sound recommendations on complex crises issues, policy design or support, dynamic country contexts, and/or stabilization issues and technical expertise in conceptualizing strategies and designing and managing programs to address stabilization and/or other complex crisis issues.
• Teamwork: Proven track record of working effectively and collaboratively on diverse teams, as a team leader (if applicable) and as a team member and sound judgment and collegiality when working in environments with colleagues of diverse backgrounds, diverse opinions, and diverse roles and responsibilities.
• Communication: Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with high- level officials with minimal editing or supervision, proven track record of quickly gathering, analyzing and synthesizing information for use by principals, and demonstrated productive and positive communication with colleagues and peers.

Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment. Currently the company is allowing for remote work due to COVID 19 in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area. This can be updated by the company.

COVID Vaccine status: As a condition of employment, IBTCI requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Candidates should be prepared to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon hire or request for an accommodation with HR that is consistent with our COVID-19 safety protocols and policies.

Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: International travel may be required and may include travel to fragile and/or conflict-prone zones.

Work Authorization: Candidate must be authorized to work in Ghana.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).