Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Solicitation for Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention USAID/Ethiopia Solicitation Number 663-S-09-006 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER : 663-S-09-006 2. ISSUANCE DATE : August 6, 2009 3. CLOSING DATE : September 5, 2009 4. POSITION TITLE : Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention 5. MARKET VALUE : GS-14 ($83,445 -$108,483) 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE : 2 Years, with two one-year options to extend 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE : Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 8. AREA OF CONSIDERATION : U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents and Third- Country Nationals 9. SECURITY CLEARANCE : Employment Authorization 10. POSITION DESCRIPTION : See below POSITION DESCRIPTION: SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISOR FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION A. BASIC FUNCTION The Senior Advisor will provide technical, operational, and management support to the USAID Health, AIDS Population and Nutrition Office (HAPN). The incumbent will be a recognized expert in the field of HIV/AIDS and will perform a full range of consultative, advisory, program planning, financial management, and reporting, monitoring and evaluation functions. S/he will be responsible for providing direction, management, technical assistance and oversight to a portfolio of HIV/AIDS prevention projects/activities in the HAPN Office. S/he will serve as the Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR/AOTR) for prevention activities related to sexual and biomedical transmission and counseling and testing. She/he will be actively involved in the planning, design, and implementation and evaluation of those activities. A particular focus will be to address most at risk populations, early age of marriage, disenfranchised youth, gender inequity, and stigma and discrimination in prevention programming. S/he will be responsible for preparing the prevention component of the annual Country Operational Plan as well as ensuring that the HIV/AIDS Team achieves its Strategic Objective and Intermediate Results. The position will also chair the USG interagency Prevention Technical Working Group (TWG), working closely with other USG agencies to plan, monitor, and report on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs. Under the direct supervision of the HIV/AIDS Team Leader and in his/her absence, the HAPN Office Chief, the Senior Advisor will spearhead prevention activities and provide day-to-day program management and oversight for specific HIV/AIDS activities and cross-cutting, multi-sectoral approaches. S/he will facilitate programming that addresses intersecting prevention, education and health issues. The Senior Advisor will facilitate communication and maintain collaborative working relationships with mid to senior level government officials of the Ministry of Health; Regional Health Bureaus; HIV/AIDS Prevention & Control Office (HAPCO); Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; Ministry of Education; and other government offices and non-governmental organisations working in the areas of HIV/AIDS. The Senior Advisor will focus heavily on establishing and maintaining highly collaborative regional level relationships. This regional approach reflects the USAID core values of "achieving results", "teamwork and participation", "accountability", and "customer focus". Finally, s/he will assist in the implementation of policy related to Abstinence, Be Faithful, and Correct and Consistent Condom Use (ABC) as set forth by the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC). B. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention will provide technical advice for the implementation of USAID HIV/AIDS prevention activities in Ethiopia. S/he will monitor program progress and identify implementation achievements as well as problems in performance and initiate appropriate actions in consultation with the HIV/AIDS Team Leader and the HAPN Office Chief. Specific activities of the Senior Advisor include the following: 1.MISSION TECHNICAL ADVISOR (20%) •Provide technical leadership on HIV/AIDS prevention issues to the USAID mission. •Working with designated members of Strategic Objective Teams, support multi-sectoral programming and technical accuracy, particularly as it relates to achieving OGAC indicators. •Provide technical and program assistance (including drafting briefing papers, cables and memos for information and action) for HIV/AIDS prevention activities. 2.COORDINATION OF HIV PREVENTION ACTIVITIES (25%) •Liaise with middle/senior level officials of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (GFDRE), NGOs and other implementing agencies in the specialised areas for which the incumbent is responsible. •Coordinate lessons learned dissemination with all HIV/AIDS partners. •Develop and/or maintain linkages of preventions activities with other USAID-funded activities throughout the Mission. Help optimise the impact of the Mission's resources by facilitating cross-sectoral programming of HAPN resources through the education, agriculture, food security and governance sectors. •Chair the interagency USG Prevention TWG, collaborating with CDC, DOD, Peace Corps, and State and facilitating joint planning, monitoring and reporting of PEPFAR programs. 3.PROGRAM MANAGEMENT (35%) •Serve as Activity Manager and COTR/AOTR (once certified) and conduct day-to-day management of prevention activities. Provide technical input on annual work plans for HIV/AIDS implementing partners. •Review performance reports to ensure that partner(s) are in compliance with bilateral government agreements and with the performance expectations outlined in their work plan and in their contract / agreement(s) with USAID. •Ensure that implementing partners are in compliance with all relevant USAID regulations and procedures. Based on personal observations, assessment reports, performance statistics and other available data, make programmatic recommendations to the SO Team. •Responsible for the financial management of assigned activities which includes ensuring that obligations, expenditures, and budget pipelines conform to action plans. Ensure appropriate and timely incremental funding of activities. •Ensure that program activities are in compliance with USAID financial regulations. Report any financial discrepancies to the HIV/AIDS Team Leader, the HAPN Office Chief and Financial Management Specialist. Keep the Mission Controller and Financial Management Specialist informed on the liquidation of advances. Review and provide administrative approval for assigned activities. •Ensure compliance with Non-Federal Audits (NFAS) and closure of open recommendations. Maintain a monthly project financial management tracking system. •Work closely with USAID partners to ensure that program achievements and lessons learned are disseminated to sector representatives. Maintain an up-to-date summary of all program technical and geographic areas. 4.SUPERVISION AND MONITORING (20%) •Maintain a regular schedule of project site visits at headquarters as well as field level. Make recommendations for adjustments of program activities as appropriate. Conduct regular site visits to review program implementation and meet with beneficiaries. Based on the information collected during field visits, communicate findings and recommendations to the SO Team and, as appropriate, implementing partners and GFDRE counterparts. •Assist the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with updating the Performance Monitoring Plan on an annual basis. Responsible for verifying the quality, tracking and synthesis of HIV/AIDS performance indicators, in particular those provided through prevention activities. Ensure all routine and ad hoc reporting requirements reflect fully the entire Mission’s HIV/AIDS prevention indicators and reporting against targets. •Prepare the HIV/AIDS sections of the Mission's Annual Report of program performance and the Semi- Annual OGAC requirement. •Supervise two staff on the USAID Prevention Cluster – the Counseling & Testing Advisor and MARPS Advisor. C.EVALUATION CRITERIA: 1.Education (10 Points): Completion of a master’s level education program in public health or a related Social science discipline is required. 2.Prior Work Experience (50 Points): A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in HIV/AIDS strategy development and implementation is required. Demonstrated ability in maintaining close counterpart relationships, both governmental and in the community, is highly preferred. The ability to work in teams, direct the work of consultants, and apply good listening and interpersonal skills is important. Strong writing skills are required. Experience in behaviour change methodologies and their application to HIV/AIDS is particularly desired. An understanding of international health and familiarity with large-scale initiatives is preferred. Demonstrated ability to apply policy directives to activity design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. 3.Knowledge and Skills – all required (40 Points): Must have thorough knowledge of HIV/AIDS program design, implementation and evaluation. Must have strong working knowledge of computer applications to carry out management and statistical analysis. Must possess a comprehensive understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention and community-based health care initiatives. Must be performance-based and have demonstrated experience working in stressful environments and under tight deadlines. Word processing skills are essential; spreadsheet development and graphics applications are highly useful. Good organisational and management skills, strong analytical and research skills, good social and professional judgement, strong listening skills, excellent interpersonal skills in cross-cultural and multi-level settings; ability to interact effectively with mid and senior level government officials and to maintain collaborative working relationships within a team structure. Capable of generating high quality work, particularly the production of documents and materials, often under time pressure and in complex situations. Applicants must be able to communicate effectively in writing and verbally in English lead and participate in discussions and meetings effectively. Able to rapidly analyse information, evaluate data, and prepare reports and related documents. D.TERMS OF PERFORMANCE, COMPENSATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS: The term of the contract will be for two years from on/about November 1, 2009 (earlier if clearances can be completed) to on/about October 31, 2011 (unless otherwise agreed). Within 2 weeks after written notice from the Contracting Officer that all clearances have been received or, unless another date is specified by the Contracting Officer in writing, the incumbent shall proceed to Addis Ababa to perform the above services which may be extended upon mutual agreement and subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. The salary range for this position has been established in the GS-14 range. The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated depending on qualifications and previous salary history, but will not exceed the top of the range. In addition, the Mission has a 25% Post Differential allowance. FICA and federal income tax will be withheld by USAID. E.POSITION ELEMENTS 1)Supervision Received: The employee will work under the direct supervision of the HIV/AIDS Team Leader and in his/her absence, the HAPN Office Chief. The Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention should require little supervision in carrying out routine responsibilities, and only general guidance for most tasks. The scope and flexibility of the duties will demand a great deal of initiative to identify and test innovative approaches and solutions to complex situations and the ability to work independently. 2)Available Guidelines: General guidance for program initiatives can be found in the Mission Strategic Plan, Annual Report documents, and other USAID briefing papers. The ABC Guidance #1 for United States Government In-Country Staff and Implementing Partners Applying the ABC Approach To Preventing Sexually-Transmitted HIV Infections within the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief For project information, guidelines can be found in the Strategic Objective Agreements and Implementation Letters quarterly reports and formal evaluations. 3)Exercise of Judgment: Exercise of judgment will be very important in this position which involves working with emergent institutions in areas of political and social sensitivity. The incumbent must have a clear understanding of the implementation of public health programs, health seeking behaviors, and developing world health priorities. The success of the HAPN program depends on an understanding of these sensitivities and the development of a flexible approach to dealing with potential implementation problems. In addition, good judgment will be necessary in assessing progress in meeting performance criteria, technical assistance finding solutions to complex situations and making the appropriate recommendations to facilitate progress towards program goals. 4)Authority to Make Commitments: The Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention cannot make financial commitments on behalf of the U.S. government. S/he can however, make commitments to follow through or review a certain action. The Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention should exercise this authority when timely feedback is important to the execution of a project or program initiative. There will be extensive contact with GOE organizations, NGOs and other donors. The incumbent will work closely with mid to senior level officials of the Government, to assure project implementation. Incumbent will work directly with technicians and directors of non-governmental organisations to determine program needs and priorities. The Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS Prevention frequently communicates with USAID/Washington activity managers to clarify project needs and concerns. Reporting within the Mission is done directly during general staff meetings and team meetings. Contact with projects will be on a regular basis and involve office visits as well as field visits. 5)Medical and Security Clearance: The selected candidate must be able to obtain clearance for employment and a medical clearance. 6)Benefits: AS A MATTER OF POLICY, AND AS APPROPRIATE, AN INDIVIDUAL MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF AN OFFSHORE HIRE USPSC IS NORMALLY AUTHORIZED THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS. [TCNPSCs WILL BE AUTHORIZED THE USUAL TCNPSC BENEFITS AS STIPULATED IN APPENDIX J OF THE AIDAR UNLESS ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCES ARE AUTHORIZED BY THE MISSION DIRECTOR]: a. Benefits (1) Employee’s FICA Contribution (2) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance —50% of Health Insurance Annual Premium (not to exceed $7,750 for a family and $3,410 for employees without dependents) —50% of Life Insurance Annual Premium (not to exceed $500) (3) Pay Comparability Adjustment—Annual across the board salary increase for USG employees and USPSCs (4) Eligibility for Worker’s Compensation (5) Vacation & Sick Leave b. Allowances* (If Applicable): As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, an offshore USPSC is normally authorized the following allowances: (1) Post Differential (Section 500) (2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130) (3) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120) (4) Post Allowance (COLA)(Section 220) (5) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230) (6) Payments during Evacuation (Section 600) (7) Education Allowance (Section 270) (8) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) (9) Danger Pay (Section 650) (10) Educational Travel (Section 280) * Dept. of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). c. Other Benefits: Additional benefits are available for individuals hired from outside Ethiopia in accord with the AIDAR, Federal Travel Regulations and Standardized Regulations, e.g., international airfare from place of residence, R&R, international shipment of personal effects, unaccompanied baggage allowance, consumables allowance, POV Shipment, Repatriation Travel, furnished housing and educational allowances for dependent children. F.FEDERAL TAXES: USPSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income taxes under the foreign earned income exclusion. G.LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs: For initial consideration: 1.OF-612 or SF-171 Upon advice by the Contracting Officer that the applicant is the successful candidate: 2.Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17) 3.Contractor Physical Examination (AID Form 1420-62). 4.Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86) 5.Finger Print Card (FD-258). **(Available from the law enforcement offices or in USAID/Washington). The list of required PSC forms above can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms/ H.APPLICATION PROCESS: Qualified individuals are requested to submit a U.S government OF-612 which is available at the USAID website http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/forms.asp, or at Federal Offices. Alternatively, the old SF-171 may be submitted in lieu of the OF-612. All application forms must be signed and dated prior to transmittal. Applicant’s detailed CV and a cover letter of application should also be included. All applications should be submitted electronically to [email protected] To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application and as the subject line of cover letter. The highest ranking applications may be selected for interview. Applications must be received before the closing time and date in item number three of this solicitation. Applications received after that date and/or time may not be considered. ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPDs) PERTAINING TO PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT (PSC): AAPDs contain information or changes pertaining to USAID policy, regulation and procedures concerning acquisition and assistance. A number of AAPDs pertain to Personal Service Contracts. Please refer to the USAID website http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/psc_solicit/ to locate relevant AAPDs. Additionally, AIDAR Appendix D also applies to PSCs and can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf I.POINTS OF CONTACT 1. Robert Appiah, Supervisory Executive Officer, USAID/Ethiopia, E-MAIL: [email protected] 2. Roger Heller, Supervisory Administrative Specialist, USAID/Ethiopia, E-MAIL: [email protected] 3. Wondwossen Bekele, HR Specialist: [email protected]