SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Program Office Director, GS-15
- Notice Date
- 3/10/2016
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Overseas Missions, Bangladesh USAID-Dhaka, Dept. of State, Washington, District of Columbia, 20521-6120
- ZIP Code
- 20521-6120
- Solicitation Number
- SOL-388-16-000008
- Archive Date
- 4/30/2016
- Point of Contact
- Ismat Zerin, Phone: 880255662501, Deena Shahabuddin, Phone: +8802 8855500 ext. 2503
- E-Mail Address
-
izerin@usaid.gov, dshahabuddin@usaid.gov
(izerin@usaid.gov, dshahabuddin@usaid.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Competitive 8(a)
- Description
- SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL-388-16-000008 ISSUANCE DATE: March 11, 2016 CLOSING DATE: April 2, 2016, at 4:30pm, local time in Dhaka Bangladesh POSITION TITLE: Program Office Director MARKET VALUE: GS-15 Equivalent ($102,646 - $133,444 per annum). The final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based on the successful candidate's salary history, work experience and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Dhaka, Bangladesh PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two years from the date of appointment AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens/Third Country Nationals SECURITY ACCESS LEVEL: Employment Authorization DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Deputy Mission Director I.POSITION DESCRIPTION: PROGRAM OFFICE DIRECTOR BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has seen more than a decade of robust economic growth, along with significant reductions in fertility and maternal and child mortality that further reduced poverty and improved the quality of life. Nonetheless, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest and most densely populated countries. More than 65 million people still live in poverty, chronic malnutrition remains pervasive, and inadequate infrastructure threatens the sustainability of growth. And while the readymade garment industry has provided employment to millions - especially women - poor work place safety and substandard labor conditions are pervasive. Bangladesh is the world's most vulnerable country to tropical cyclones and sixth most vulnerable to flooding, with these events disproportionately affecting the poor who often live in marginal, flood-prone lands. The ongoing effects of climate change further exacerbate this already serious problem. Poor delivery of basic health and education services, weak governance and corruption are also key challenges. Again this past year, prolonged civil unrest, political violence and crippling national strikes caused significant loss of life, damage to property and lost income. In this context, USAID/Bangladesh supports three Presidential initiatives addressing global health, food security and climate change. USAID/Bangladesh has the second largest Feed the Future (FTF) portfolio in the world in terms of budget and can boast of significant achievements under the USAID Forward agenda. The Food for Peace development program in Bangladesh is also one of the Agency's largest at $42 million annually. Overall, the Bangladesh program budget was $188 million in Fiscal Year 2015, with an annual Operating Expense budget of $10 million. In 2015, mission staff included 40 USDH employees (with 8 first-tour officers), four US Personal Services Contractors, two Fellows, four Third Country Nationals and 95 Foreign Service National employees. BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION: The Program Office supports the entire Mission in a wide variety of responsibilities including budget and strategic planning, quality control on program design and implementation as well as monitoring project effectiveness, liaising with other Embassy staff and the host Government, and ensuring the Mission follows USAID policy and procedures. The Program Office acts as a clearinghouse for information for the entire Mission and as an informal secretariat for the Front Office. The Deputy Director of the USAID/Bangladesh Program Office (PRO) supports the Program Office Director in executing these functions, in addition to directly overseeing the communications and budget teams in the Program Office. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Contextual Specialty •Develop and maintain contextualized understanding of the region to include political, social, economic and operational issues. •Develop and maintain knowledge of USAID, USG, donors, and NGO/UN stakeholders in the region. •Interprets and provide guidance to the USG community at Post and the Government of Bangladesh counterparts on the application of US legislation and Agency/Mission policies and procedures. Portfolio Management •Develop and maintain a detailed working knowledge of USAID/Bangladesh's portfolio. •Lead the USAID Mission in working with other USG agencies and other relevant bodies to ensure the coordination of programs, policies, objectives and priorities. •Guide activities of Mission communications (social media, press, etc.) team •Manage the ongoing strategic planning being undertaken for the next Country Development Cooperation Strategy. •Make recommendations to the Mission on program directions and management. •Conduct and supervise administrative and financial analyses, develop and track budget preparation, and oversee implementation and other budget requirements for the USAID/Bangladesh portfolio. Reporting •Upon request of the Front Office, provide reports on site visits, meetings, general atmospherics and other issues that impact USAID/Bangladesh development efforts. •Ensure compliance with monitoring and evaluation policies and procedures •Prepare briefing papers, notes and presentations on the USAID/Bangladesh portfolio. •Contribute to development of all mission reports, including Country Operational Plans, portfolio reviews; semi-annual and annual reports; quarterly financial reports; quality assessments; site monitoring reports; etc. Representation •Serve as member of USAID senior management team and other relevant forums in planning and improving the USAID and USG development portfolio. •Liaise with government counterparts, USG stakeholders, donors and others on a regular basis tio further USAID development objectives •With guidance from the Resident Legal Officer (RLO) and Front Office (FO), coordinate with the donor community on policy issues affecting development operations. •Manage, in concert with the RLO and FO, documentation and negotiations with the Government of Bangladesh on all USAID assistance related issues and agreements. Mentor to Junior Officers and FSNs •Provide senior level support, training, and mentoring on project management, AOR/COR responsibilities as well as state-of-the art, specialized knowledge of technical and programmatic approaches in implementing USAID programs to new and junior US Direct Hire and FSN staff working in the Program Office. II.OTHER ITEMS A. SUPERVISION The Program Office Director will be supervised by the Deputy Mission Director. B. SUPERVISION RESPONSIBILITIES The Program Office Director is expected to supervise one or two mid-level or senior FSN employees. C. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Personal Services Contract {PSC) will be for 24 months, starting on/around June 2016 and ending in June 2018. D. SECURITY CLEARANCE The selected applicant must be able to obtain and maintain an employment authorization security clearance and appropriate medical clearances. III.QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum Qualifications listed below. Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the Evaluation Factors. Additionally, interviews and writing samples may be requested only from the top scoring candidates. Please note that not all applicants will be interviewed or contacted. USAID will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews unless expenses are preauthorized. Reference checks may be conducted on those candidates selected for an interview. The applicant's references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities. Applicants are required to write a brief cover letter to demonstrate how prior experience and/or training addresses the Minimum Qualifications and Evaluation Criteria listed below. IV.EVALUATION CRITERIA: The following factors will be the basis for the evaluation of all applications. All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. Applicants are required to provide a cover letter addressing how they meet the requirements of each criterion below and submit three to five professional references with complete contact information. Candidates will be evaluated and ranked based on the following selection criteria (listed in descending order of importance): 1.Experience: Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional or program experience in development programs, with multilateral and bilateral donors, NGOs, and/or government is required. Experience with donor agency/mission organization, procedures, and operations systems (e.g., development approaches; procedures for programming funds, defining objectives, and monitoring results; and procedures for awarding grants and contracts) are required. South Asia experience is desired. At least five years' experience in managing development programs is required. 2.Skills and Abilities: Strong analytical, management and organizational skills are required. The position requires demonstrated ability in strategic planning, technical and socio~ economic analysis, and budget preparation and reporting skills. Considerable confidentiality, sensitivity, poise and maturity are mandatory as the applicant will represent USAID in meetings with mid to senior level Bangladeshi government officials and with private sector and donor partners. The applicant should possess strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, the ability to work within a team setting and with minimal supervision. Strong leadership and negotiating skills are required; in particular the demonstrated ability to work USG stakeholders, technical and senior GOB officials, USAID Implementing Partners, donors, and civil society. Demonstrated knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel are required. Familiarity with Microsoft Access and PowerPoint is desired. 3.Knowledge: Broad knowledge of technical and programmatic approaches in development assistance approaches and principles is mandatory. This may include demonstrated knowledge in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, communications, activity design, performance monitoring and/or budgeting for results. Knowledge and skill in conceptualizing programming, policies, and plans, and developing strategies for their implementation is required. Significant knowledge of current USAID program management and monitoring and evaluation methods as well as a broad range of issues related to development assistance is required. Knowledge of the structure and workings of the US government is desired. Knowledge of the Bangladeshi context, government {GOB) organizational culture, structure, policies, programs and operations and development priorities is desired. 4.Education: The applicant must have at least a Master's Degree in a field relevant to the duties described above such as in economics, business, international development, sociology, anthropology, management, public administration, or other related social sciences, or a related discipline. In cases of exceptional work experience, other relevant graduate degrees and/or work experience will be taken into consideration. 5.Language: Excellent English writing and speaking ability is required. The candidate should have a demonstrated capacity to communicate complex policy, strategy, and program issues orally and in writing in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner. Candidates meeting the required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application and reference checks. USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the most highly ranked applicants. Candidates meeting the required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application and reference checks. USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the most highly ranked applicants. V.OTHER POSITION REQUIREMENTS The selected applicant must be able to obtain an employment authorization security clearance and appropriate medical clearances. (The below points determine basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.) •Applicant is a US/Third Country National; •Completed and signed Federal Form AID-302-3 is submitted; •Supplemental documents, especially a resume and/or additional information addressing the Evaluation criteria, is submitted; •Medical Clearance; and •Ability to obtain a security clearance or employment authorization clearance, as provided by USAID. VI.INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS: Interested individuals are requested to submit fully completed and hand-signed copy of an Optional Application for Federal Employment Form (Form AID-302-3), cover letter and a current resume/curriculum vita (CV) containing the following information which clearly demonstrates their education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities as they relate to the evaluation criteria. Broad general statements that are vague or lacking specificity will not be considered as effectively addressing particular selection criteria: 1.Personal Information: Full name, mailing address (with zip code), email address, day and evening phone numbers, social security number, country of citizenship, highest federal civilian grade held (also give job series and dates held); 2.Education: High school, name, city and state, date of diploma of GED; colleges and universities, name, city and state, majors, type and year of any degrees received (if no degree, show total credits earned and indicate whether semester or quarter hours); 3.Work Experience: Provide the following information for your paid and non- paid work experience related to the job for which you are applying (do not send job descriptions); job title (includes series and grade if federal job), duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours per week, salary. Indicate if we may contact your current supervisor; 4.Other Qualifications: Other pertinent information related to the qualifications required for the position, as noted above including job-related training courses (title & year), job-related skills; for example, other languages, computer software/hardware, tools, machinery typing speed, job related certificates and licenses (current only), job related honors, awards, and special accomplishments, for example, publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership, activities, public speaking and performance awards (give dates but do not send documents unless requested). 5.Reference: Applicants must provide a minimum of three and a maximum of five references within the last five years of the applicant's professional life from individuals who are not family members or relatives. Three references must be from direct supervisors who can provide information regarding the applicant's knowledge of contracting work. Applicants must provide e-mail addresses and/or working telephone numbers for all references. 6.Date of availability to begin assignment in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Forms are available at the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/forms/. Applicants should note that the salary history for the purposes of the Form AID-302-3 is the base salary paid, excluding benefits and allowances such as housing, travel, educational support, vehicle use, etc. NOTE: Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. This position requires the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described in this section. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your not being considered for employment. This office must receive your application prior to the closing date and time specified in this solicitation in order for you to be considered for this position. Please note all applications must be signed - unsigned applications shall NOT be considered. Please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any cover letter. Interested candidates should send above electronically to Dhaka-jobs@usaid.gov, to the attention of the addresses indicated below. To ensure that the application is considered for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number and title of position on your application and as the subject line in any cover letter. E-mail applications must be received by the closing date and time specified in the solicitation. Address:Supervisory Executive Officer Executive Office USAID/Bangladesh C/O American Embassy Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka,, Bangladesh Only qualified and shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Additionally, only candidates that are interviewed will be notified if the position is filled. VII. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT: As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC recruited off-shore is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances: BENEFITS •Employer's FICA and Medicare Contribution* •Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance •Pay Comparability and Adjustment •Annual Salary Increase •Eligibility for Worker's Compensation (USPSC only) •Annual & Sick Leave •Shipment and storage of household effects •Shipment of POV (Private Own Vehicle) •Access to Embassy medical facilities, and pouch mail service •Defense-based Accreditation and Medevac insurance *Note: If a US citizen, the contractor's salary will be subject to employee's FICA and Medicare contribution. ALLOWANCES: TCNs will be paid allowances in accordance with the Bangladesh Mission Order. Details are available on request. USPSCS will be eligible for allowances listed in the Standardized Regulations Government Civilian Foreign Areas Sections cited below - if applicable. 1.Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120) 2.Living quarters allowance (Section 130) 3.Post Allowance (Section 220) 4.Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230) 5.Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) 6.Education allowance (Section 270) 7.Educational Travel (Section 280) 8.Post differential (Chapter 500) 9.Payments during Evacuation/authorized Departure (Section 600) 10.Danger Pay (Section 650) 11.Consumables Allowance VIII.LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC: Forms outlined below can found at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms 1.Federal employment form (Form AID-302-3).* 2.Contractor Physical Examination (AID Form 1420-62).* 3.Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National 4.Security) (SF-86), or * 5.Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85). * 6.Finger Print Card (FD-258). * * Forms 2 through 5 shall be completed only upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. ALL QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, COLOR, SEX, CREED, NATIONAL ORIGIN, LAWFUL POLITICAL AFFILIATION, NON-DISQUALIFYING HANDICAP, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AFFILIATION WITH AN EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION, OR OTHER NON-MERIT FACTOR.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OM/BAN/SOL-388-16-000008/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USAID/BANGLADESH, C/O AMERICAN EMBASSY, MADANI AVENUE, BARIDHARA, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
- Record
- SN04047421-W 20160312/160311000837-8d15d3fba8031636b767744dec9a7fd2 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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