Country: Ethiopia

Organization: US Agency for International Development

Closing date: 2 Oct 2023

The OTI Deputy Country Representative is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-13 equivalent level and located in Ethiopia. Offers for this position are due no later than October 2, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern Time. For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.

INTRODUCTION

The OTI Deputy Country Representative – Ethiopia - is a member of the Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS)/OTI South and East Africa (SEA) Regional Team, and reports to the OTI Country Representative in Ethiopia. The Deputy Country Representative principal responsibility will be development, oversight and management of USAID/OTI's Ethiopia country program. The incumbent will be called upon to support the OTI Country Representative with managing an implementing partner and may be called upon to represent OTI’s program to local partners, senior-level U.S. government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.

The OTI Ethiopia program supports the U.S. Government’s larger objective of helping Ethiopia succeed as a secure, prosperous, and democratic country. In close coordination with Embassy colleagues and other United States Government (USG) actors, the OTI Ethiopia program will seek to empower and build the capacity of communities in Ethiopia to manage conflict and change. OTI’s rapid and targeted programming addresses emerging issues and empowers local partners to leverage timely and locally driven activities that promote democratic processes.

The work of the Deputy Country Representative requires teamwork, the exercise of discretion, judgment, and personal responsibility. As a member of a highly operational office, you are willing and able to perform a wide range of administrative functions to help ensure programmatic success. You have a high level of integrity and attention to detail to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation. You are highly flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change, and remain professional and respectful of colleagues and authority in a diverse workforce. You place a premium on the building of positive relationships with your respective team both in the field and in Washington, and with key stakeholders both in and outside of USAID. You are able to prioritize and complete tasks without follow-up by the supervisor, while also filling in gaps as needed to ensure the responsiveness of the team. You are a strategic thinker, articulate innovative ideas, present solutions, and are a positive role model for colleagues both in and outside of OTI. You are also committed to upholding USAID/OTI’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility’s (DEIA) Vision and Values as outlined in the background.

Under the direct supervision of the CPS/OTI Country Representative or their designee, the Deputy Country Representative will perform the following duties:

• Represent OTI interests during meetings with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international donors interested in CPS/OTI activities;

• Provide guidance on the identification and development of projects that meet OTI funding criteria, further OTI programmatic objectives, and complement other projects and programs implemented by other USAID offices, U.S. Government agencies and donor organizations;

• Provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick impact programming model in US embassies or USAID Missions. Support to US embassies and USAID Missions may include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming, including rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews and management reviews;

• Review proposals and grant concepts and work with diverse groups, many of which have not previously had international funding;

• Collaborate with the Country Representative in monitoring the performance of OTI implementing partners in the implementation of OTI-financed activities designed to achieve strategic objectives;

• Travel to monitor and assess political conditions, implementing partner operational platforms, meet with potential grantees, host-country government and other program counterparts, and develop activity ideas;

• Mentor and train other OTI and implementing partner field staff;

• Assume the lead on collecting information and drafting/editing regular reporting products;

• Assume higher representational responsibilities, potentially serving as Acting OTI Country Representative in their absence;

• Perform a wide range of administrative functions including budget preparation, financial management, records management, and travel assistance to help ensure programmatic success;

• Coordinate with the OTI Country Representative to develop an exit strategy that ensures reasonable time to transition from OTI programs to follow-on USAID or other donor programs;

• Communicate regularly and share program information with other USAID project managers, the US Embassy, bilateral donors, UN Organizations, International Organizations, and indigenous and international NGOs to ensure visibility and synergy of USAID/OTI activities;

• Support the Country Representative to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;

• Report to the OTI Country Representative and OTI/Washington on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation, 2) OTI contractor performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among OTI offices with other U.S. Government entities, 5) security concerns, 6) relations with local partners including local, state and national government representatives, and 7) other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

• Manage and/or supervise the FSN staff, including program officers, administrative assistants and drivers alongside of the Country Representative;

• Supervise staff as delegated by the Country Representative (e.g. Program Managers, Program Assistants, Administrative Program Assistants, etc.). Provide orientation, training and mentoring for USAID staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel and program and operations requests; and,

• Serve on temporary details within OTI, other USAID bureaus/offices, or other U.S. Government (USG) agencies under this scope of work for a period not to exceed six (6)

1. ​MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

At a minimum, the offeror must have:

1. A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;

OR

A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience

OR

An Associate’s Degree with eight (8) years of work experience;

OR

A High School Diploma with nine (9) years of work experience;

AND

1. Five (5) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, domestic or international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, political analysis, and/or human rights activities;

2. One (1) year of overseas field experience (in person or virtual). A virtual temporary duty (TDY) is defined as work that would have been conducted in an overseas location if not for the COVID pandemic;

3. One (1) year of supervisory experience (including but not limited to mentoring, training, and guiding staff).

How to apply

For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please visit THIS LINK