Development Assistance Specialist (Senior Advisor) at the United States Agency for International Development (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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Cooperating Country National Personal Service Contractor (CCN PSC) USAID Development Assistance Specialist (Senior Advisor)

Solicitation No.: 72062024r10015
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Security Level Required: CCNPSC Clearance
Eligible Offerors: Open to Cooperating Country Nationals (Nigerian Citizens and Permanent Residents).
Security Level Required: CCNPSC Clearance

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

• The USAID Development Assistance Specialist serves as a core member of the USAID Mission/Country Representative Front Office leadership team, reporting directly to the Mission Director/Country Representative or designee.
• The Specialist provides a Front Office resource in the direction of Mission resource allocation, program development, implementation, and evaluation, as well as staff development necessary for the growth of the Country program.
• The Specialist maintains regular contact with senior management at post (Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, etc.), and section heads within the US Embassy.
• The Specialist acts as a liaison for USAID at meetings with host-government ministerial level officials and staff, and routinely briefs visiting civilian and military visitors, including Congressional delegations.
• The Specialist provides insight into host-country and regional opportunities, and immediate and long-term development responses to humanitarian and/or other crises in-country and/or the region.
• The Specialist serves as an advisor and mentor to staff throughout the Mission, in order to assure a high-performing team, to achieve major development results in a stimulating and often challenging and evolving environment.

Statement of Duties to be Performed

• The USAID Development Assistance Specialist position requires teamwork, personal responsibility, judgment, professionalism, and the exercise of discretion.
• As a member of the USAID Mission/Country Representative Front Office, and a core resource to Mission management, the Job Holder performs a wide range of functions to contribute to ensuring programmatic success.
• The Specialist displays developed levels of integrity and attention to detail, in order to ensure the proper use of USAID and USG systems and procedures necessary to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation.
• The Specialist is flexible, and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change, while remaining professional and respectful of colleagues and authority in a diverse workforce.
• The Specialist prioritizes and completes tasks without follow-up by the Mission Director/Country Representative or their designee, while filling in gaps as needed, in order to ensure the responsiveness of the Team.
• The Specialist serves as an advisor, articulating innovative ideas, presenting proposed solutions, and provides a positive role model for colleagues, both within and outside of USAID.

Under the supervision of the Mission Director/Country Representative or their designee, the
Specialist performs the following representative duties:

Strategic Planning, Implementation, and Coordination:

• Together with the Mission Director/Country Representative or their designee, the Specialist provides a local perspective to the management of a dynamic Mission portfolio, and provides programmatic and operational direction, ensuring that activities contribute to USG Foreign Assistance objectives.
• The Specialist’s insight to the design of program strategies and objectives, in close coordination with USAID personnel, the US Embassy, Host Country Government officials, and local civil society officials, is based on a developed understanding of political analysis and US Government policy; and refines strategic objectives and advocates on behalf of new programmatic approaches in-country, linked to regional programs, priorities, and challenges, as appropriate.
• The work requires the Specialist to communicate and coordinate in-country USAID activities between USAID and its implementing partners (IPs), the US Embassy, the Host Country government, and other donor organizations.
• The Specialist cooperates in the development of regional programming strategies that advance USAID priorities and USG strategic interests in selected key regions; and provides strategies for their implementation, with a focus on integrated programming by monitoring local and regional political developments, and briefing USAID and partner staff on high-level analyses, and their potential programmatic impact.
• The Specialist analyzes, synthesizes, and reports on current political developments and security concerns in order to assure achievement of USAID program objectives, with a particular emphasis on regionalization, and how best to strategically direct programming into target areas.
• The Specialist provides recommendations to the Mission Director/Country Representative and others on program and Mission performance, the appropriateness of programming to USAID country objectives, program and operating expense budgets, and modifications thereto.

Relationship Management:

• The Specialist provides leadership to the strengthening of USAID relationships and, with the Mission Director/Country Representative and/or their designee, coordinates with senior-level host-country counterparts, reaching across technical areas, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, any National Planning Departments, Office of the President, etc.
• The Specialist coordinates closely with other USG agencies and development partners, in order to leverage resources for results, including sectors where USAID is not currently active. The Specialist takes a lead in helping the Mission and USG interagency partners understand the host-country and/or regional context, and, in consultation with the Program Office and/or others, to prepare a USG assistance strategy for the host country which aligns with host-country priorities and policies, and provides a coherent, strategic approach across often divergent priorities.
• With the Mission Director/Country Representative, the Specialist serves as a USAID liaison with US Embassy staff, Host-Country Government Officials, Donor Organizations, Indigenous and International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other pertinent organizations.
• The Specialist develops and maintains collaborative relationships, in order to ensure close coordination at the field level, identify a range of potential partners and opportunities, and achieve synergy with other programs.

Mission Leadership:

• The Specialist plays a leadership role in the Front Office, and within the Mission, and applies developed expertise in leading, building, and motivating multiple, senior-level Mission personnel, by leveraging resources across the Mission, partner USG agencies, the host government, and IPs, in order to maximize development impact, and integrate programming in
• target areas aligned with USG priorities. Together with the Mission Director/Country Representative or their designee, the Specialist reviews and provides input on staffing plans to meet overall program objectives in accordance with Agency policy.
• The Specialist articulates USAID program strategies, as well as communicates and coordinates in-country Mission and/or regional activities between USAID and its IPs, and, in consultation with appropriate technical offices, with other donor organizations.
• In consultation with the appropriate offices, the Specialist prepares and distributes programmatic, financial, and periodic reports to the Mission, the Bureau in Washington, and other organizations, as appropriate; ensures that USAID programs and activities are monitored and evaluated, and that lessons learned are applied to ongoing or future activities; and, provides analysis and reporting on current political developments and security concerns required to achieve USAID and USG program objectives.
• The Specialist will not perform any function otherwise delegated by the Agency to professional USDH positions, including Contracting Officer, Controller, Executive Officer, or Resident Legal Officer.

Mission-Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• The incumbent serves as an expert advisor to the Mission Director and the rest of the Front Office on the Nigerian government and current policies related to the development sector and its implementation.
• The incumbent is expected to establish and maintain close and cooperative working relationships with Nigerian officials, government agencies, and other institutions, including civil society and private sector entities in order to advance the programs and objectives of USAID/Nigeria.

Supervisory Relationship:

• The USAID Development Assistance Specialist works under the general supervision of the USAID Mission Director/Country Representative, and/or their designee. Assignments are made orally and in writing. Most assignments occur in the normal course of the work, but the Specialist is required to determine those that must be coordinated with the Director and/or others.
• The Mission Director/Country Representative provides a review of the assignment, the goals, and objectives to be achieved, and the results expected. The Specialist will seek advice and assistance as required. Work is reviewed in terms of results achieved.
• The Mission Director/Country Representative or their designee, as assigned, will maintain administrative authority over the Specialist, as well as exercise alter-ego and acting Mission Director/Country Representative authority over the Specialist as provided for under ADS

Supervisory Controls:

• Full supervision of USAID Mission staff is not contemplated, but the Specialist may be assigned to lead teams and/or study groups on an ad hoc basis. In addition, the Specialist is expected to provide technical guidance to staff throughout the Mission, as it relates to the Mission portfolio.

Physical Demands:

• The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Minimum Qualifications Required for this Position
Education:

• A Master’s Degree or the host-country equivalent, in Agriculture, Business Administration, Business Management, Economics, International Development, International Finance, International Marketing, Public Policy, Law, Health or other USAID useful specialty is required.

B. Prior Work Experience:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible, professional-level job-related experience is required.
• Experience must have included substantial development assistance work and have provided the opportunity for performing program/project/activity design, program/project/activity planning, and/or project implementation work.
• At least five (5) years of this experience must have been in development-related work, or related fields, for the USG, other donor agencies, host-government organizations, or private-sector institutions which included program/project/activity design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data.

Language Proficiency:

• Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, both oral and written, as well as Level IV (fluent) host-country language proficiency, both oral and written, is required.

Job Knowledge:

• An in-depth, professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to the political, economic, and development realities of the host country, as well as of host-country and international law, protocols, and agreements pertaining to international cooperation is required.
• The Specialist must have a well-developed knowledge and understanding of the social and cultural characteristics of the host country and/or the region; the economic development problems, resources, and resource constraints, and development prospects and priorities of both the host country and the region; and, a good knowledge, or the potential to quickly acquire such knowledge, of USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to development assistance, of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of USAID programs/projects/activities in the host country.
• The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the organization and the respective roles of the different branches in the host country government, in order to enhance effective communication, and to develop consensus on USAID/USG program/project/activity strategy and implementation plans.

Skills and Abilities:

• Work requires the ability to think strategically in contributing to furthering the programmatic vision for the Mission, to develop and maintain contacts with high-level officials of host-government institutions selected to implement projects, and to work and coordinate with other donors.
• The Specialist must be sensitive to host-country priorities, and able to take part in negotiations which will facilitate and ensure compliance with host-country commitments.
• The Specialist must be able to collect and present facts and recommendations in a clear, concise manner, both orally and in writing; to make recommendations based on the results of analysis done by others as to what actions need to be taken to achieve USAID objectives; and assure such action is taken by recipient agencies or other Offices within the Mission. Verbal communication skills are required in order to explain and interpret host-country attitudes, priorities, and concerns to USAID officials, and to recommend plans and resolve implementation issues with appropriate host-government organizations, technical advisors, IPs, counterparts, and peers. Well-developed writing skills are required in order to prepare regular and ad hoc reports, documentation, briefing papers, etc. Developed analytical ability is needed to interpret public policies, and to assist in the development of revised policies, as required; and, to develop and monitor the performance of budgets, and the development of periodic work plans. Skill in program/project/activity programming, policies, and plans, and in developing strategies for their implementation, is desired.
• The ability to work effectively in a team environment, and to achieve consensus on policy, program/project/activity, and administrative matters is necessary.
• The work requires good computer skills, in order to manage activity goals and achievements, both technical and financial.

Conditions

• Market Value: $51,257 to $79,457 equivalent to FSN-12; 40 Hours per week in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of United States Mission, Nigeria (Effective April 21, 2024). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
• Salary and allowances are denominated in US dollar and paid in Naira at the prevailing U.S. Embassy exchange rate. Continued US dollar denomination and payment of LE Staff compensation is subject to renewal and approval by the Secretary for Management via PID (public interest determination).
• Period of Performance: Five (5) years renewable, estimated to start o/a June 2024.
• Place Of Performance: Abuja, Nigeria with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to “EXO/HR” by e-mail to: abujahr@usaid.gov using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.