Sol No. 72061524R10042 - USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment)

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.: 72061524R10042
2. ISSUANCE DATE: May 24, 2024
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: June 09, 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 (HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment)
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 US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) represents the US government response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Thanks to American leadership and generosity, alongside the work of many partners, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, averted millions of infections, and changed the course of the epidemic. As countries progress towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control, the point at which new HIV infections have decreased and fall below the total number of deaths among HIV-infected individuals, PEPFAR is now undertaking the challenge of controlling the pandemic.

The USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment) serves as a technical leader and resource in strategic planning, program and activity design, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment programs/projects/activities. The Specialist serves as the in-house subject matter leader on HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, and the Mission and USG representative in policy, strategic, and technical engagements with the host-country Ministry of Health (MOH), U.S. Government (USG) interagency, international and bilateral organizations, and donor agencies to address technical issues and coordinate efforts in implementation of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment activities. The work includes serving as a Program/Project Manager and Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) for significant and targeted interventions, service as an Activity Manager for centralized programs, providing technical assistance to the appropriate host-country Ministry in the development of host-country policies, and the design and management of in-country programs/projects/activities, reflecting best practices in HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment. The Specialist works with the host government and other donors to ensure a well-coordinated approach to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment.

The position is located in the USAID Office of Health. The incumbent reports to the HIV Care & Treatment Deputy Team Leader and has no supervisory responsibility.

Responsibilities

Statement of Duties to be Performed.

Technical and Strategic Leadership (60%)

• The Specialist provides a high level technical guidance, including clinical HIV Care and Treatment recommendations, to the Mission and the Ministry of Health in HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment including counterparts and senior level officials; provides direction in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment programs/projects/activities and interventions; and/ provides oversight to the annual HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment budget, ensuring costs remain within budget planning levels, and that efficiency is maximized. The Specialist works closely with other units within the Health Office, and across the USAID Mission, to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration, and the leveraging of resources across the different program components; and, works closely with the Health Systems Strengthening Team to ensure adequate planning towards uninterrupted availability of key HIV commodities, including antiretrovirals (ARVs), test kits, and essential laboratory reagents. The Specialist provides technical leadership in quality and performance improvement, working with key stakeholders to improve the quality of facility and community-level HIV Care and Treatment services, by applying evidence-based guidelines, approaches, and tools; and, liaises with the other technical advisors and MOH staff to institutionalize and scale up quality improvement for HIV Care and Treatment service delivery.
• Through literature review, research and regular communication with local and international stakeholders, the Specialist keeps abreast of emerging developments in the national and global HIV Care and Treatment landscape, and advises accordingly on how policies, strategies, and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain fidelity and relevance in its HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment programs. The Specialist provides advice and guidance to other Health Office and HIV/AIDS Team colleagues on matters relating to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, and how best the other program components could contribute to ensure an effective service cascade.
• The Specialist provides oversight and guidance to USAID IPs newly emerging and highly efficacious approaches to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment program/project/activity implementation; with the Strategic Information Team, advise on the development of tools (dash boards, league tables, etc.) that support continuous learning and adapting to further improve and evolve the USAID knowledge base and data management capability related to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment activities; and, advises on targeted analyses of HIV/AIDS data to inform program/project/activity planning and implementation. . In addition, the Specialist provides technical assistance to USG financial teams and technical working groups in completing the PEPFAR Funding Allocation to Strategy Tool (FAST), and any other new tools that may be provided for use in the planning processes.

Program/Project/Activity Management (20%)

• The Specialist serves as a Contracting or Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) for Mission HIV Care and Treatment programs; keeps the supervisor informed regularly of program implementation progress, results, and issues/problems on a timely basis; perceives, determines, and arranges for procurement of Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA), ensuring that objectives and outcomes of the TA are consistent with and support the furtherance of the Mission HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment portfolio; participates in and ensures the effectiveness of Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) and other field visits to improve service delivery quality, including provision of clinical recommendations on HIV Care and Treatment; and, organizes site visits and prepares orientation materials for delegations from OGAC, USAID Headquarters, the Department of State, and other agencies, and plays a leading role in advising other Health Office colleagues on quality assurance/improvement methodologies and techniques in order to improve the performance of all health service providers.

Representation and Reporting (20%)

• The Specialist represents USAID and PEPFAR at designated national, regional, and international meetings, in particular those relating to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, including regular participation in national-level HIV/AIDS technical working groups and related committees; represents USAID on the inter-agency USG PEPFAR Inter-Agency Technical Team, along with the Team Leader; represent USAID at meetings outside of the HIV/AIDS field, as requested by the Mission Director, Health Office Chief, or the Team Leader; responds to a wide range of work-related requirements as a member of the PEPFAR Team, including responding to requests for information from USAID Washington, OGAC, and the Congress; establishes strategic working relationships with senior host-government officials at the national and district level, donor agencies, civil society organizations, private-sector health counterparts, and Medical Associations in order to enhance the sharing of information on HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, including changes in key policies, and legal and regulatory environments that could affect the implementation of USAID programs/projects/activities; and, serves as a USAID representative on inter-agency forums related to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment.
• The Specialist provides strategic and technical leadership in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning and reporting documents, including the Country Operational Plan, Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, and Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports; and, supports the annual PEPFAR budget preparation processes.

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: The work requires the equivalent of a US-style Master’s Degree in Public Health, in a field related to HIV, Health, Social Work, International Development, Social or Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Biology, Infectious Disease, Organizational Development, Political Science, Business Administration or a closely related field.

Language Proficiency: Level 4 (fluent proficiency) English and local language proficiency, both oral and written, is required.

Experience

Additional experience

Prior Work Experience: A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in the field of public health programming in developing or middle-income countries, with a focus on HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, is required. This experience must demonstrate that the Specialist has strong clinical skills in HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment. The Specialist must have demonstrated technical leadership in public health program management, planning, policy experience, and problem-solving skills while working on complex programs/projects/activities in a highly sensitive environment.

Skills

• Presentation
• computer literacy
• verbal and written communication
• Technical Leadership

Additional skills

Supervision Received

The Specialist works under the very general supervision of the Health Office Chief, and the closer but general supervision of the HIV Care & Treatment Deputy Team Leader. The supervisor makes assignments in terms of overall objectives and resources available. Completed work is reviewed in terms of achievement of program/project/activity goals, effectiveness in meeting host-country and USAID objectives, and integration with other initiatives in the Health Office and Mission portfolio. Some technical direction may come from other professionals in the Office; in general, however, the Specialist will be expected to exercise considerable autonomy and best judgment in discharging the duties of the assignment.

Supervision Exercised

Continuing supervision of other Health Office and/or Mission staff is not contemplated. Oversight of short- and medium- term technical contractors and TDYers is contemplated, requiring the Specialist to prepare interim performance assessments for long-term TDYers and contractors. The Specialist provides mentoring and coaching in key areas of HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, especially on newly emerging evidence and approaches to foster common knowledge across the portfolio.

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 Specialist must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to managing HIV/AIDS care and treatment activities in the host country, and the problems and policies of the host country from the business, political, civil society, and social perspectives. The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of the host country and the region; development problems in the HIV/AIDS sector in the host country and the region; an understanding of the resources, resource constraints, and overall development prospects and priorities of the host country and the region; and, knowledge of USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment activities, of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities.

Skills and abilities (40 Points)

The Specialist should be able to facilitate and link culturally appropriate assessments, counseling, treatment deficits, and related issues and facilitation of linkages to food security programs, including water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion; and, be able to use this data for decision making. The Specialist must be able to provide technical leadership in HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment; and, apply this knowledge to advanced programming in the host country and the region. The Specialist must have the ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats. The ability to independently conceive, plan, organize, manage, and evaluate important, diverse and complex work projects, to drive high-level performance and outcomes of USAID HIV treatment programs is required. The Specialist must possess the ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures. Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to work effectively with people at all levels in a culturally diverse environment, accept divergent points of view and help find consensus to achieve team goals, is required. Excellent computer skills including in Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing, including the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly is 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