The OTI Regional Team Leader – Yemen, Europe and Asia is a full-time Personal Services Contract position at the GS-14 equivalent level and located in Washington, DC. Applications for this position are due no later than April 13, 2015 at 5:00pm Eastern Time (ET). 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 Yemen, Europe and Asia (YEA) Regional Team Leader is a member of the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA)/OTI Field Programs Division (FPD), reports to the OTI Chief of FPD, and is based in Washington, DC. OTI currently has five regional teams as part of its Field Programs Division: Africa (AFR), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Afghanistan and Pakistan (AF/PAK), Middle East (ME), and Yemen, Europe and Asia (YEA). The YEA Regional Team Leader is responsible for overseeing specific OTI country programs in the Yemen, Europe and Asia regions, supervising program teams in Washington, DC and the field, and serving as the principle OTI interlocutor on all existing and forecasted programs in the regions. This is a program-funded USPSC position that focuses the vast majority of its time on country program implementation. The YEA Regional Team Leader will ensure that U.S. Government funds are spent wisely, in coordination with other key actors, and in a manner that reflects OTI standard practices and U.S. Government policy.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The work of the Regional Team Leader requires teamwork, the exercise of discretion, judgment, and personal responsibility. The Regional Team Leader is a strategic thinker, articulates innovative ideas, presents solutions, and is a positive role model for colleagues both in and outside of OTI. The incumbent is 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. The incumbent has 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. The incumbent is highly flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change, and remains professional and respectful of colleagues and authority in a diverse workforce. She or he places a premium on the building of positive relationships with his or her respective team both in the field and in Washington, and with key stakeholders both in and outside of USAID. As a member of a highly operational office, the incumbent is willing and able to perform a wide range of administrative functions to help ensure programmatic success.
Under the direct supervision of the DCHA/OTI Chief of Field Programs or his/her designee, the Regional Team Leader will perform the following duties:
- Apply a sound understanding of USAID’s programmatic and operational processes in Washington to support transition programming overseas, including assessment and conceptualization, design, management, analysis and evaluation of political transition and/or post-conflict activities;
- Negotiate, oversee and manage the overall Regional Team country budgets to ensure that the team procurement plan is kept up to date, and that country programs are appropriately budgeted for. Additional responsibilities include working to secure additional funding from other U.S. Government sources if required, and ensuring that the team is trained on all the appropriate systems and tools for budgeting, finances and procurement;
- As requested by embassies and/or USAID Missions, provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model. Support may include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming such as rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews and management reviews;
- Lead and oversee the OTI Regional Team, including Program Managers in Washington, Country Representatives in the field, and implementing partner grants and agreements at the headquarters level;
- Monitor and evaluate OTI country programs through regular communication with staff, reports from the field and Washington, liaising with the OTI Program Office team, and regular site visits;
- Design staffing plans to meet overall program objectives, ensure staff work objectives and tasks are well defined, and ensure that recruitment is initiated immediately when staffing needs arise. Ensure that staff is highly qualified, trained, and mentored in all critical aspects of OTI operations and programming. Ensure that employee performance evaluations are completed in a timely manner in accordance with OTI office policy;
- Supervise the implementation of OTI-financed activities, including overseeing and/or managing the selection of program implementers such as grantees, contractors, and Personal Services Contract employees;
- When required, assume higher representational responsibilities, potentially serving as Acting Chief of Field Programs or Country Representative in the field in their absence;
- Perform complex country and program analysis to develop existing and future strategies in high-priority countries, including the effective oversight of management, logistical, budget, administrative, human resources, and contractual issues;
- Serve as a central participant on inter- and intra-agency policy and crisis task forces as required;
- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with USAID, Department of State, Department of Defense, and other U.S. Government personnel, to share programmatic information and coordinate Interagency development efforts;
- Liaise with grassroots organizations and their constituencies, national and local government officials, U.S. Government agencies, non-governmental organizations, donor and international organizations, to monitor and evaluate OTI country program activities;
- Disseminate regular DCHA/OTI reports to U.S. Government and non-U.S. Government agencies and organizations as deemed appropriate;
- Oversee, develop and manage, in conjunction with OTI Washington staff and the Country Representative in the field, an OTI close-out strategy that will, whenever appropriate and possible, ensure reasonable and effective handover to follow-on USAID and/or other donor programs;
- Ensure the proper development of documentation for required program contracts, grants or cooperative agreements in conformance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), agency and office guidelines;
- Mentor other OTI Team Leaders, and mentor and train Country Representatives and Program Managers as required;
- Perform other duties and activities as required for the successful completion of country programs.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position. See detailed instructions for demonstrating Education/Experience under “Applying”)
At a minimum, the applicant must have:
(1) A Master’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s Degree with nine (9) years of work experience;
AND
(2) Seven (7) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international or domestic assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, humanitarian assistance, and/or human rights activity;
(3) Two (2) years of overseas field experience in politically transitioning countries;
(4) Five (5) years of supervisory experience, of which two (2) years must consist of supervising at a management level (defined as supervising supervisors).
In addition, the applicant must satisfy the following Selection Factors:
- Applicant is a U.S. citizen;
- Complete resume submitted;
- Supplemental document specifically addressing how the candidate meets each of the Evaluation Factors submitted;
- Ability to obtain a SECRET level security clearance;
- Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
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