Project Management Assistant (OFDA/FFP) Vacancy at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking to employ a suitable and qualified candidate for the position below:

Job Title: Project Management Assistant (OFDA/FFP) 

Solicitation No.: AID-620-S-00-18-00013-00
Location: Abuja
Security Level Required: SBU

Basic Function of the Position

• The Project Management Assistant is responsible for performing administrative, clerical, and financial, information management, programmatic support, and training support. These responsibilities are in support of four permanent staff and up to eight temporary duty staff assigned to the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) for Nigeria.
• The incumbent will be under the direct supervision of OFDA’s Senior Humanitarian Advisor (SHA) and operationally support all team members from USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and Office of Food for Peace (FFP) team in Nigeria.
• The incumbent may also be asked to deploy internationally as an administrative coordinator (AC) or Administrative Officer (AO) on DARTs internationally or USAID Response Management Teams (RMTs) in Washington, DC, and to train other new OFDA/FFP administrative staff globally.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
Administrative Duties and Responsibilities (50%):

• Serves as liaison for all OFDA/FFP staff and the various administrative offices of USAID/Nigeria, and OFDA /FFP in Washington, DC.
• Supports all administrative duties for the office including reception, clerical, and general secretarial functions, i.e., receiving incoming calls and directing to appropriate staff, mail screening and distribution, photocopying, filing, managing contact lists, etc. Manages the stock of expendable supplies and orders office supplies as needed.
• Arranges local and international travel for OFDA/FFP employees, high-level visitors/delegations, and temporary duty (TDY) staff to Nigeria. Responsibilities include preparing travel requests, electronic country clearance (eCC) requests, hotel and transport reservations, applications for visas and permits, diplomatic notes, and other required documentation; arranging for modifications for TDY travel, home leave, rest and recuperation (R&R), and other entitlement travel per USAID guidelines; accurately preparing travel vouchers ensuring all OFDA/FFP transport and travel needs are assigned and completed.
• Manages day-to-day travel for OFDA/FFP staff, including coordinating logistics with motor pool and other assigned drivers.
• Provides logistical support for USAID-financed events, such as workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, including preparation and timely transmission of correspondence to guests, preparation of background documentation and event materials, the arrangement of hotel bookings, and setting up of meeting rooms and equipment. Works with the USAID Executive Office to identify and procure suitable conference space and prepare related budgets.
• Submits access requests and serves as an escort for OFDA/FFP visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.
• Oversees use and maintenance of OFDA/ FFP office equipment.

Financial Management Duties and Responsibilities 20%:

• Serves as the primary liaison for all financial matters on behalf of the OFDA/ FFP staff to USAID/Nigeria and OFDA/FFP offices in Washington, DC. In consultation with the USAID/Nigeria Office of Financial Management (OFM), prepares the OFDA/FFP Nigeria annual office operating budget and procurement plan (approximately $1.4m in FY 18) and submits it to the SHA. Tracks pipelines in financial accounting systems, and maintains contract action and award dates.
• In liaison with USAID/Nigeria Executive Office, the controller and State’s OFM, ensure that funds are available and obligated in a timely manner.
• Examines and ensures that all vouchers submitted for payment have complete supporting documentation and administrative approval.
• Coordinates with the controller on the financial reviews of un-liquidated balances and the deobligation of un-liquidated funds for OFDA/FFP.
• Serves as OFDA/FPP liaison for all procurement activities with the USAID/Nigeria Office of Acquisition and Assistance Office (OAA) and maintains a tracking list of procurement actions. Serves as a primary requestor for administrative and program requisitions in USAID’s procurement system (Global Acquisition and Assistance System (GLAAS)). Prepares and submits all documentation, including purchase order requests, to USAID/Nigeria for the procurement of office equipment, supplies, furniture and services for OFDA/FFP in accordance with USAID guidelines and regulations.
• Serves as a member of Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) for OFDA/FFP procurements.
• Provides the USAID Executive Officer with any data call, including a breakdown of cell phone usage for OFDA/FFP staff (personal/official).

Information Management Duties and Responsibilities (15%):

• Responds independently, accurately, and on time to action and information requests from OFDA/FFP offices in Washington, DC, OFDA and FFP staff in the field, and other offices.
• Drafts response to technical and non-technical requests as appropriate and reviews and edits documents for the format, grammar, and punctuation.
• In coordination with OFDA/ FFP staff, drafts and disseminates meeting minutes as needed.
• Establishes and maintains a travel calendar showing planned staff travel and meetings regularly updated (minimum monthly).
• Establishes and accurately maintains a weekly staff whereabouts list with current contact information for OFDA/ FFP in Nigeria, including permanent and TDY staff. Also serves as the OFDA/FFP point of contact to provide travel and contact information to OFDA/ FFP in Washington, DC, regional, and other local offices.
• Updates and disseminates USAID/Nigeria administrative and programmatic procedures, including delegation of authority and action clearances, and ensure OFDA/FFP staff adherence to these procedures when planning, designing, and implementing activities, including travel.
• Develops and maintains an updated OFDA/FFP partner contact list and manages communication and coordination with partners, under the guidance of the SHA.
• Assists OFDA/ FFP staff in establishing and maintaining common program and administrative electronic files (currently in Google Drive). Ensures the files are well-organized and filing is completed in a timely manner. Retires OFDA/FFP general and program files in accordance with USAID guidelines.

OFDA Disaster Response Deployments /Administrative Assistant (15%):

• Serves as a Project Management Assistant or Administrative Coordinator on a DART, RMT in the OFDA Operations Center in Washington, DC, or assessment teams, or provides coverage for other OFDA/FFP field offices within and outside the SWAN region for short-term and long-term deployments.
• Manages DART’s and OFDA/ FFP motor pool and transport needs during the deployments.
• While serving on an RMT, provides technical guidance to RMT and DART members regarding staffing, travel, grants, contracting and fiscal requirements and procedures.
• Trains new administrative assistants hired in other OFDA/FFP offices, as needed, including possible travel to other office locations.
• Develops administrative assistant training materials.
• Trains OFDA and FFP staff on OFDA/FFP and USAID-specific administrative procedures and guidelines.

Area of Consideration: Nigerians and all individuals eligible to work in Nigeria with a valid Work permit.

Physical Demands: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Minimum Qualifications Required for this Position

• Education: College/ University studies in Secretarial Studies, Business Administration, Human Resource Management, Public Administration, or related field is required.
• Prior Work Experience:  A minimum of three years in secretarial/administrative and logistics experience required.
• Post Entry Training: On the job training on USAID administrative procedures will be provided focused primarily on the Agency-specific established policies, procedures and regulations that govern: 1) USAID-specific Office Management, administrative support functions/responsibilities; 2) Agency-specific Petty Cash activities and reporting requirements: 3) Travel;4) Procurement; 5) General Services; and 6) Personnel.
• Language Proficiency:  (List both English and host country language(s) proficiency requirements by level and specialization) Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, speaking, and writing ability is required.
• Job Knowledge:  Basic administrative work knowledge and ability to handle many detailed tasks and challenging situations at once. Ability to organize files, draft messages, schedule appointments and support other staff. Basic knowledge of Nigerian political, social, cultural and economic environment.

Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal skills are required.
• The incumbent will need to possess the following personal traits: diplomacy, courtesy, patience, adaptability, initiative, flexibility, resourcefulness, cooperativeness.
• S/he must be able to remain levelheaded in a fast-paced and quickly changing environment.
• S/he must also be able to prioritize tasks effectively and to complete assignments in a timely and efficient manner.
• A solid knowledge base and demonstrated proficiency in computer operations, specifically Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, and Outlook) and typing various correspondence formats (i.e., memoranda, letters, reports, faxes, etc.), as well as standardized documents and forms, is required.

Evaluation and Selection Factors 
Applications will be required to have the minimum qualifications expressed in Section II. Qualified applicants possessing skills above the minimum requirements will be assessed based on the following factors:

• Education (10 points)
• Work Experience (20 points)
• Knowledge (30 points)
• Language Proficiency (10 points)
• Skills and abilities (30 points)

Market Value:

• N8,383,885.00 equivalent to FSN-8 In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of United States Mission, Nigeria (Effective July 8, 2018). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

Benefits/Allowances
As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:
Benefits:

• Health Insurance
• Annual Salary Increase (if applicable)
• Annual and Sick leave
• Annual Bonus

Allowance (as applicable):

• Transportation Allowance
• Meal Allowance
• Miscellaneous Allowance
• Housing Allowance

Taxes:

• The Mission emphasize to its employees of the fact that they are obliged to observe Nigerian Laws, including those concerning income and related tax obligations. Payment of such taxes is a matter between the individual employee and the Nigerian Government. In the absence of a specific international agreement, the U.S. Government will not withhold local taxes from an employee’s salary.

Deadline:4th September, 2018.

• Application for US Federal Employment (DS – 174) ; or a current resume or curriculum vitae that provides the same information as a DS – 174;
• Any additional documentation that supports or addresses the requirements listed above (e.g.transcripts, degrees, NYSC certificate/exemption etc.)
• A type-written and signed application letter specifically applying for this position, and addressing the minimum requirements as advertised. Please reference the job title and announcement number on the application letter.
• Limit all electronic (e-mail) submission to one entry/email not larger than 5MB. Please submit attachments in PDF and Word formats, not pictures.
• E-mails received without the appropriate subject line and incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section IV.
• To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission.

Note

• Per this scoring rubric, Work Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are the most important factors. Applications will initially be screened for conformity with minimum requirements and a short list of applicants developed.
• USAID reserves the right to interview only the highest ranked applicants in person or by phone OR not to interview any candidate.
• After the closing date for receipt of applications, a committee will be convened to review applications and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Applications from candidates which do not meet the required selection criteria will not be scored. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. No response will be sent to unsuccessful applicants.
• As part of the selection process, finalist candidates may be interviewed either in person or by telephone at USAID’s discretion. Reference checks will be made only for applicants considered as finalists. If an applicant does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the applicant’s cover letter, and USAID will delay such reference check pending communication with the applicant.
• Only finalists will be contacted by USAID with respect to their applications.