CANCELLED: Sol No. 72061524R10037 - USAID Project Management Specialist (Evaluation)

Overview

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.: 72061524R10037
2. ISSUANCE DATE: May 23, 2024
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: June 06, 2024 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).
4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Kenya and East Africa Human Resources, e-mail at nairobiusaid.hr@usaid.gov
5. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist (Evaluation)
6. MARKET VALUE: Ksh. 5,565,120.00 to Ksh. 9,460,674.00 KSH per year, equivalent to FSN-11 grade level in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Kenya and East Africa. The salary range provided is inclusive of all allowances and annual bonus. All applicable taxes will be deducted from the stated gross market rate. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years estimated to start o/a November 10, 2024. 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.
8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya; with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.
9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Open to qualified Cooperating Country National (CCN) (an individual who is a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country). Employees presently on probation are ineligible to apply.
10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security certification issued by the US Embassy RSO.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The Project Management Specialist (Evaluation) position is established within the Nairobi Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA) Office (Program Office). SPA provides leadership and support for the USAID/Kenya and East Africa Mission on: strategic planning; program and project activity development; and MEL of cross-cutting activities under the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and East Africa Regional Cooperation Development Strategy (RDCS).

The Project Management Specialist (Evaluation) position will focus on evaluation data, findings, and recommendations for programmatic learning, and ultimately more effective development outcomes. The Project Management Specialist (Evaluation) serves as the USAID/KEA (bilateral and regional) subject matter expert on evaluations and is the principal coordinator for approximately 90 implementing partners. The position is responsible for evaluation and related learning aspects, which accounts for approximately $450 million a year in U.S. Foreign Assistance funding. The incumbent will ensure collaboration on results reporting to increase transparency, accountability and locally owned, led, and managed development solutions. As a senior member of the MEL team, The incumbent is responsible for building, developing and providing support to technical offices on MEL capacity development and on the design and implementation of evaluation and learning of programs, projects and activities in the USAID/KEA bilateral and regional portfolios. The position also supports engagement across the Mission and technical offices through MEL staff, implementing partners, Government of Kenya (GOK) officials and other relevant stakeholders.

The Project Management Specialist (Evaluation) will also provide technical direction on the Mission’s evaluation needs and in the capacity as a Contracting and Agreement Officer's Representative (COR/AOR) for MEL mechanisms. The incumbent advises the Mission's MEL Working Group and serves as the Mission’s liaison to the USAID/Washington (USAID/W) Evaluation Working Group and shares responsibility on Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) - proving leadership and guidance to improve MEL approaches, and to promote adaptive organizational learning and evaluation practices. The incumbent also provides technical expertise on the design, review, implementation, and administration of programs, projects and activities, as well as the modification of MEL information management systems, such as the agency’s new Development Information System (DIS) and supports the annual data call for the Performance Plan and Report (PPR).

Responsibilities

Statement of Duties to be Performed

The Evaluation Specialist will manage various aspects of performance management—including monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) with a focus on evaluation for all USAID-funded programs in the Mission. In addition, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to USAID staff and implementing partner staff on evaluations and other MEL needs. The incumbent’s principal responsibilities include:

Serve as the Mission's Evaluation Specialist (65%)

• Serve as the Mission’s Evaluation Point of Contact; manage the Mission's Evaluation Schedule and the Evaluation Recommendations Tracker; ensure the Evaluation Mission Order is up-to-date and utilized and advise Mission on Evaluation Policy compliance (as outlined in the Agency’s Automated Directive Service-ADS 201); present evaluation policies, provide guidance and ensure utilization of evaluation findings; disseminate and socialize findings with Mission staff and other relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee and manage the design of performance and impact evaluation statements of work (SOW) or objectives (SOO); incorporate effective evaluation approaches in activity and project design and implementation; manage procurement of independent evaluations.
• Identify technical assistance required for successful program planning and learning, including assessments, studies, and evaluations—both performance and impact. Guide and advise technical office staff on all evaluation matters, including selecting activities and projects for evaluation, working with technical teams to develop quality evaluation questions, methodology, budgets, and timelines, and reviewing draft and final evaluation reports.
• Synthesize evaluation methods, findings, and recommendations on every evaluation for consumption by the public, Mission management, USAID/W, other donors and Mission counterparts. Analyze evaluations submitted by external contractors for quality control and circulate for peer review.
• Track evaluation recommendations and other MEL lessons and findings and ensure that they are utilized in new Mission procurements and inform ongoing decision-making at both tactical and strategic levels within KEA. Support incorporation of recommendations from evaluations into new activity, project designs and portfolio reviews. Support a learning culture to improve collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) surrounding Mission evaluations.
• Manage the development and implementation of capacity building programs, workshops, and other participatory activities that will broaden knowledge and practice of effective Mission evaluation, including Presidential and other special initiatives, and related activities at regional, national, sub-national (e.g. county), and partner levels.
• Track evaluation budget data and work closely with the Program Office Budget Team to ensure evaluations are funded appropriately and according to agency guidelines for MEL funding levels.
• Manage requisite contracts and other duties to potentially include approving key personnel, managing task order work plans, selecting peer reviewers and organizing peer reviews of evaluation documents, ensuring high quality and cost effective products, and completing all other relevant Contracting Officer's Representatives (COR) duties. Manage the contract budget as well as budget contributions from various technical offices.
• As COR/AOR, develop and implement annual work plans, schedules for budget allocation, obligation, and expenditure, portfolio reviews, audits, and closeouts. Support SPA, Mission, and USG efforts to ensure effective, cost-effective, and responsible programming and reporting in compliance with USG and USAID.

Lead and Manage Capacity Building in Performance Management (25%)

• Participate in relevant working groups and teams to provide technical expertise on performance and knowledge management and other related tools, systems, and issues, and lead such teams as necessary.
• Liaise and coordinate with key partners to build and strengthen relationships with relevant institutions to encourage optimal coordination, harmonization, and alignment of MEL processes.
• Collect and disseminate best practices and lessons learned at the bilateral and regional level.
• Support the Mission's Collaboration, Learning and Adapting Strategy (CLA) to ensure more effective and efficient programs and processes through evaluation recommendations and other learning and adapting strategies. Establish working relationships with counterparts to enhance CLA. Collaborate with other Performance Management Team members in the development and implementation of learning management and dissemination systems for use by all Mission staff. Establish a regional community of practice for knowledge exchange.

Interagency Duties (10%)

• Support the Mission's annual Performance Plan and Report (PPR) and portfolio review processes.
• Lead the MEL components of strategic planning, assessments of proposed programs, changes in the development environment, and other sector-specific and cross-sectorial assessments.
• Build and strengthen relationships with key relevant partner institutions and other key national, regional, and non-governmental institutions to encourage optimal coordination, harmonization and alignment of MEL processes, data dissemination tools and other developed knowledge management systems.
• Regular coordination with other donors and MEL staff in Kenya and the East Africa region.

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the United States, or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the "Foreign Service National" Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

Additional education

Education: Bachelor’s degree with specialized study in Statistics, Mathematics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Research Methodology, International Development studies or related fields.

Language Proficiency: Level IV English and Kiswahili are required. Ability to develop, write and present comprehensive reports.

Experience

Additional experience

Prior Work Experience: Minimum five years of specialized experience in strategic process, outcome, cost-benefit, and/or impact program evaluation and evaluation design and implementation with an International Development Assistance organization, non-governmental organization, Donor Agency or Embassy.

Skills

• Interpersonal skills
• computer literacy
• Organizational skills
• Multi stakeholder management
• ability to work in teams/collaboratively
• Presentation Skills
• Research

Additional skills

Supervision Received

The incumbent will report to the Mission's MEL Team Lead. The supervisor will provide overall supervision to the incumbent; however, the incumbent will exercise independent judgment in planning and carrying out tasks, resolving problems and conflicts, and taking steps necessary to meet deadlines.

Supervision Exercised

Supervision of other employees is not anticipated at this time.

Physical Demands

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Terms and conditions

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 incumbent must have a solid understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems, regulations, and objectives. The incumbent must be well versed in performance evaluations and their respective tools, including developmental evaluation, impact evaluations, end of program evaluations, process evaluations, diagnostic studies, benchmark data collection, participatory evaluations, and theory based, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. The incumbent will also be familiar with impact evaluations and their relevant designs including experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental. The incumbent must be experienced in translating evaluation findings into actionable learning and have a good understanding of the nature of development program goals and U.S. foreign policy.

Skills and abilities (40 Points)

The candidate should have demonstrated initiative, responsibility, strong presentation skills and creativity. Candidates will be expected to show experience in performing successfully at high levels, with minimal supervision and daily direction.

Due to frequent interaction with external stakeholders in high stakes environments, the jobholder must be able to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions and communicate effectively to ensure positive working relationships are maintained, in addition, sound judgement and the ability to effectively and diplomatically collaborate with a variety of customers. The individual must be able to develop and maintain an extensive range of contacts with senior and working level staff throughout the Mission as well as key development partners, donors, GOK officials and other stakeholders. The incumbent will be expected to demonstrate experience in performing successfully at high levels, with minimal supervision.

The incumbent must be able to work independently and collaboratively in a team and know how to build consensus; demonstrate strong research and interpersonal skills. Skills to analyze and resolve a wide range of challenges in project and program MEL are necessary. The incumbent must be comfortable developing outreach strategies and presentations. Good coordination and organizational skills within a multicultural work environment is required along with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and work effectively under pressure. The individual will handle many different overlapping tasks and projects characterized by shifting priorities. The individual must therefore apply the highest analytical skills and judgment to determine the best solution from the range of possible alternatives. The incumbent must have demonstrated computer skills, including intermediate to advanced level mastery of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as statistical software. Monitoring and evaluation system development and maintenance skills, including data management, are required.

Total possible points: 100

SUBMITTING AN OFFER
Step 1: Register in MyJobsInKenya at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 2: Complete the job application at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 3: Internal Offerors/Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages), a copy of your most recent Performance Evaluation Report, and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload them to MyJobsInKenya.

OR

External Offerors/Not Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages) and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload them to MyJobsInKenya.

Note to Applicants:
1.Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted through myjobsinkenya.com.
2.Submissions will only be accepted through www.myjobsinkenya.com. Late and incomplete applications (those that do not contain the applicant’s most current and up to date detailed CV and relevant education certificates) will not be considered for the position.
3.All Applicants must provide at least three professional references, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about your past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such
information in its evaluation of the application.

LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD
The CO will provide instructions about how to complete and submit any required forms after an offeror is selected for the contract award.

BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES
Benefits and allowances are offered in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan (LCP).

TAXES
CCNPSCs are required to pay PAYE and statutory deductions. All applicable taxes will be deducted from the stated gross market rate.

USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs
USAID regulations and policies governing CCN PSC awards are available at these sources:

1.USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/aidar
2.Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms. Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award.
LINE ITEMS
ITEM NO (A) - 0001
SUPPLIES/SERVICES (DESCRIPTION) (B) - Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs)
- Award Type: Cost
- Product Service Code: [ R497]
- Accounting Info: [insert one or more citation(s) from Phoenix/GLAAS]
QUANTITY (C) - 1
UNIT (D) - LOT
UNIT PRICE (E) - $ TBD
AMOUNT (F) - $_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_

3. Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs.
4. Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635. See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/resources_standards-of-conduct.
5. PSC Ombudsman: The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information:
https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman.
The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via: PSCOmbudsman@usaid.gov.
6. FAR Provisions Incorporated by Reference
52.204-27 - PROHIBITION ON A BYTEDANCE COVERED APPLICATION - JUN 2023