USAID Project Management Specialist – Malaria Data Management at USAID

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience.

Applications are invited for the position below:

Job Title: USAID Project Management Specialist – Malaria Data Management

Solicitation NO.: 72062020R10016
Location: Abuja, Nigeria with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.
Period of Performance: Five (5) years renewable, estimated to start O / A December 2020.
Eligible Offerors: Open to Cooperating Country National (Nigerians only).
Security Level Required: CCNPSC Clearance.

Statement of Duty
General Statement of Purpose of the Contract:

• The goal of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is to reduce malaria-related mortality by fifty percent (50%) across a number of high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and elsewhere, through rapid scale-up of proven and highly effective malaria prevention and treatment measures.
• Success requires participating countries, and their partners, to deploy the right resources at the right place and at the right time, through more accurate insights from existing data, and accelerating the data-to-action cycle.
• PMI has launched a new country quarterly reporting process to ensure operational decision-making at the country level is based on timely and granular program-relevant data, through the use of the “PMI MDIVE Platform,” which includes analytic tools to facilitate the use of relevant datasets, including visualizations of epidemiological, supply chain, entomological, demographic, programmatic, and financial data.
• As such, PMI has required all countries receiving PMI funding to add a Malaria Data Specialist to the Health staff to support surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, the strengthening of malaria-related data systems, and the building institutional capacity within Ministries of Health and National Malaria Control Programs to improve data quality and use.
• The USAID Project Management Specialist (Malaria Data Management) (the “Specialist”) leads the effort to strengthen malaria-related data systems, and efforts to build institutional capacity within Ministries of Health and National Malaria Control Programs.
• The Specialist provides leadership and guidance to data-related malaria control programs / projects / activities in coordination with USAID, USG, implementing partners (IPs), appropriate host-country ministries and the private sector.
• The Specialist provides technical advice on data collection, analysis, and use, reflecting best practices designed to improve data quality and use, and ultimately advance to malaria prevention, control, and elimination.
• The Specialist administers and monitors malaria data systems and is responsible for data collection and analysis and provides guidance and leadership in the strategic use of data for informed decision making. In addition, the Specialist serves as a Contracting / Agreement Officer’s Representative (C / AOR) or Activity Manager (AM) for malaria data systems related programs.

NB: This is a Standard Position Description (SPD), designed for use in multiple locations.

Statement of Duties to be Performed
Performance Management 35%:

• Leads the development and implementation of strategies to improve malaria data quality and data sharing, while establishing a culture of data-informed resource allocation within the hostcountry malaria control program in the Ministry of Health (MoH).
• Provides technical guidance to the host-country malaria control program, in order to build capacity in the conceptualization, development, design, administration, and monitoring of various information systems necessary for malaria control, including for malaria case management, vector control, and the supply chain of malaria commodities.
• Advises the supervisor, Office Chief, Mission Director and Deputy Mission Director, and others on local matters of importance to data quality, use, and transformation efforts, and providing oversight of IP programs.
• Provides guidance to other Mission colleagues, USG offices, and with IPs in the areas of data collection and use, and host-country malaria data systems.
• Provides technical expertise to other USAID / Mission Health Office staff in their performance monitoring, efforts as they relate to malaria program activities, including reviewing and providing technical feedback on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans submitted by PMIfunded IPs.
• Liaises with PMI backstops, and with Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation (SM&E) and Data Integration Teams in USAID / Washington and at CDC / Atlanta, and Mission staff overseeing PMI activities.
• Ensures that performance monitoring systems are in place and that periodic, reliable measures and indicators of portfolio impact are established; and, collects and monitors malaria program-related performance data on an ongoing basis.
• Contributes to performance monitoring reviews and reports, PMI reporting requirements, Portfolio Reviews, the Annual Performance Plan and Report, as well as other reporting requirements.
• Facilitates the negotiation of data-sharing agreements between the Mission and relevant host-government institutions, including the MoH and others.

Data Management 35%:

• Provides technical leadership to all areas of data management, including ensuring appropriate data collection (manual and automated), inventorying, and cataloguing in the PMI data platform, for all malaria-related datasets (e.g., financial, programmatic, epidemiological, entomological, supply chain, demographic).
• Designs, facilitates, and promotes efficient means to collect, organize, clean, store, analyze, and share disparate, complex datasets, with attention to security and confidentiality, and with sensitivity to the country context.
• Applies sound data science principles and methods to objectively and systematically track changes, and to measure progress towards national targets for malaria control in the host country.
• Conducts rigorous analysis of data from a variety of sources to locate implementation obstacles and opportunities, and to employ cutting-edge approaches and tools to generate visualizations.
• Facilitates the establishment and institutionalization of data use processes, with a focus on reducing the time in the information-to-decision cycle.
• Conducts data quality assessments on key performance indicators included in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans for PMI-funded IPs, as required under USAID policy (ADS 200).
• Trains and mentors the host-country and Mission colleagues in data analysis and visualization.

Program / Project / Activity Management 30%:

• Serves as a COR / AOR or Activity Manager (AM) for malaria data systems strengthening related projects, with responsibility for providing financial and programmatic oversight to ensure contracts and grants achieve anticipated results, and are linked to and enhance attainment of the Health Office, Mission and USG objectives.
• Conduct site visits as required in order to monitor progress, and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and judicious use of USG funding.

Supervisory Relationship:

• The Specialist works under the very general supervision of the Health Population Nutrition Office Chief, and the closer but general supervision of a lower-level supervisor, such as the HIV / AIDS and / or Malaria 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 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.

Supervisory Controls:

• Continuing supervision of other Health Office and/or Mission staff is not contemplated.

Physical Demands:

• The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Minimum Qualifications Required for this Position
Education:

• The work requires a Master’s Degree or host-country equivalent in a Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Epidemiology, Health Informatics, Public Health, Infectious Disease, Zoonotic Disease, Biology or other quantitative disciplines.

Prior Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience, with a focus on data collection and analysis in the area of malaria-related public health is required.
• Demonstrated experience in the programming of malaria data-collection and dataquality programs / projects / activities. This experience must demonstrate that the Specialist has strong public health and applied data science skills.
• The Specialist must have demonstrated technical leadership in data systems as they relate to malaria prevention and control, program management, planning, policy development, and problem-solving skills while working in a sensitive environment.

Language Proficiency:

• Level IV (fluent proficiency) in English, and in the appropriate host-country business language, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested.

Job Knowledge:

• The Specialist must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of techniques and approaches for gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and conducting surveillance of data, as well as using this information to drive decision making.
• The Specialist must have knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to malaria prevention, control, and elimination activities in the host country and / or region, and the problems and policies in 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; development problems in the health 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.
• Working knowledge USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to malaria assistance, of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities.
• The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the organization and respective roles of the different levels of the host government, in order to enhance effective communication, and to develop consensus on program / project / activity strategy and implementation.

Skills and Abilities:

• The Specialist must have the ability to facilitate and link culturally appropriate malaria assessments and related issues to other health and related programs, such as food security, water, sanitation, and hygiene; and, be able to use this data for decision making.
• Ability to provide technical leadership in malaria data collections; and, apply this ability to programming in the host country and the region.
• The Specialist must have the ability to issue precise and accurate factual reports using rigorous analytical and interpretive skills.
• Excellent communication skills both writing and speaking, especially in being able to communicate technical subjects to clients with the nontechnical background are required.
• This role requires 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 computer and software skills including ability to manage large amounts of data in excel, SPSS, STATA, R and / or other analytical databases, and the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly, is required.

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
  • Education (as stated above) 10 points
  • Prior Work Experience (as stated above) 20 points
  • Job Knowledge (as stated above) 30 points
  • Language Proficiency (as stated above) 10 points
  • Skills and abilities (as stated above) 30 points
• After the closing date for receipt of applications, all applications will initially be screened for conformity with minimum requirements and a shortlist of applicants developed. Applications from candidates which do not meet the required selection criteria will not be considered.
• A committee will be convened to review the shortlisted applications and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria as stated above. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. No response will be sent to unsuccessful applicants.
• USAID reserves the right to interview only the highest-ranked applicants in person or by phone OR not to interview any candidate.
• Reference checks will be made only for the successful candidate. If a candidate does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the application letter.

Submitting an Offer

• Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 309-2. (Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals); or a current resume that provides the same information as AID 309-2 form.
• 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 I.
• Offeror submission must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.
• All documentation that supports or addresses the requirements listed above (e.g. certificates of education (degree), NYSC certificate / exemption etc.) MUST be attached to the application.
• A type-written and signed application letter specifically applying for this position and addressing the minimum requirements as advertised.

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.

List of Required Forms for PSC Hires
The CO will provide instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms after an offeror is selected for the contract award.

• Medical History and Examination Form (Department of State Forms)
• RSO Security Questionnaire
• BI Guide Questionnaire
• THOR Enrollment Intake Form

USAID Regulations, Policies and Contract Clauses Pertaining to PSCs

• USAID regulations and policies governing CCN PSC awards are available at these sources:
• 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/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf
• 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 as described below:
  • Supplies / Services (Description) (B): Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs):
    • Award Type: CCNPSC
    • Product Service Code: R497
    • Accounting Info: SC/620-MAARD0015-3-20001/GH-C/17/18/620- M/1130007/1210601/72-1917/181031
  • Quantity (C): 1
  • Unit (D): LOT
  • Unit Price (E): $ _TBD__
  • Amount (F): $_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_
• Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives / Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs / CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/workusaid/aapds-cibs
• 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/OGE%20Regulations .

Market Value

• N15,890,203 to N23,931,775 equivalent to FSN-11; 40 Hours per week in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of United States Mission, Nigeria (Effective August 30, 2020). 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

Allowances (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: 25th September, 2020 by 4.30pm Nigerian time

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates are required to complete and submit the offer Form AID 309-2 . (Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals); or a current Resume that provides the same information as “AID 309-2 Form” to:
abujahr@usaid.gov

Click Here to download Offer Form AID 309-2 – MS Word (Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals)

Click here for more Information (PDF)

Note

• Application must be received by the closing date and time specified above
• Candidates submission must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.
• All documentation that supports or addresses the requirements listed above (e.g. certificates of education (degree), NYSC certificate / exemption etc.) MUST be attached to the application.
• A type-written and signed application letter specifically applying for this position and addressing the minimum requirements as advertised.
• 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.