Position Title: Disaster Operations Specialist (Multiple Positions)
Solicitation Number: SOL-OFDA-15-000056
Salary Level: GS-12 Equivalent: $76,378 – $99,296
Issuance Date: April 28, 2015
Closing Date: May 26, 2015
Closing Time: 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Dear Prospective Applicants:
The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Disaster Operations Specialist (DOS) under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the attached solicitation.
Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Applicants interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:
- Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, your resume must include:
(a) Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
(c) Names and contact information (phone/email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). Current and/or previous supervisors may be contacted for a reference.
(d) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
(e) U.S. Citizenship
Your resume should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information should be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.
- Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) shown in the solicitation.
Additional documents submitted will not be accepted. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. OFDA reserves the right to select additional candidates if vacancies become available during future phases of the selection process.
Applicants can expect to receive a confirmation email when application materials have been received. Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. Your complete resume and the supplemental document addressing the QRFs must be mailed, delivered or emailed to:
OFDA Recruitment Team
529 14th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20045
E-Mail Address: recruiter@ofda.gov
Telephone Number: (202) 661-9300
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net
Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.
Sincerely,
Renee Reed
Contracting Officer
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Working under the guidance and supervision of the Team Leader and with guidance from the Deputy Team leader or designee for the assigned region of responsibility, the Disaster Operations Specialist will perform the following:
Contextual Specialty:
• Monitor incipient disasters, international disaster response plans and efforts, and major humanitarian issues and challenges in the area of responsibility through a wide range of USG and international sources;
• Review and monitor national disaster risk reduction efforts and plans in the area of responsibility in collaboration with regional team and technical specialists;
• Maintain regular contact with OFDA field representatives and the OFDA Regional Office to maintain current triangulated understanding of existing and impending humanitarian crises in the area of responsibility;
• Serve as a primary point of contact/specialist in the area of responsibility for DCHA and OFDA Senior Management.
Portfolio Management:
• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of OFDA’s program strategy and the implementation of the resulting awards;
• Facilitate disaster declaration responses in support of the Team Leader;
• Support regional team efforts to develop appropriate programmatic strategies for disaster responses and disaster risk reduction efforts in the area of responsibility;
• Provide written and oral responses to requests for information on OFDA’s activities in the area of responsibility for a wide range of USG and public audiences to include briefing papers, memorandums talking points, formal presentations, and informal briefings;
• Become certified and serve as an Agreement Officer’s Representative/Contracting Officer’s Representative (AOR/COR) for assistance awards, as assigned;
• Review the conceptual soundness, technical feasibility, and budget for disaster assistance activities and emergency projects;
• Review and process all award documentation according to OFDA’s Grant Guidelines, USAID Automated Directives Systems (ADS), and Federal Regulation including coordinating multi-unit participation and ensuring timely proposal review and processing;
• Input appropriate award data into Office and Agency administrative and financial tracking systems;
• Track and process all post-award management issues to ensure timely response to partner requests and provide guidance to partners, as necessary;
• Review, track, and file program reports from awardees ensuring reports are received in a timely manner and that program objectives have been achieved;
• Collate input from report for feedback to grantee, and share reports with regional team members, as appropriate;
• Conduct periodic site visits to the assigned region of responsibility to monitor grant activity, where feasible;
• Upon completion of programs, close out awards according to Agency policies, identifying funds for de-obligation and/or equipment for disposition;
• Maintain standardized office files for activities that are assigned as principal responsibilities;
• Participate actively in the development of programmatic strategies for disaster responses and disaster risk reduction activities in the area of responsibility to include providing analysis and recommendations for needs prioritization and award mechanism options to achieve OFDA objectives;
• Ensure implications of policy decisions at OFDA, DCHA, USAID, and interagency levels on the portfolio are understood by OFDA SMT;
• Independently manage all aspects of award management throughout the award cycle;
• Recommend approaches to, write and deliver integrated priority messages in written and oral responses to requests for information on OFDA’s activities in the area of responsibility for a wide range of USG and public audiences to include: briefing papers, memorandums, talking points, fact sheets, formal presentations, and informal briefings;
• Recommend to the Team Leader policy and program options consistent with USG foreign policy objectives and provide effective and appropriate response to meet the needs of the disaster victims (or potential victims);
• Assure a timely and appropriate response to the Ambassador’s disaster declaration, including reviewing Mission/Embassy recommendations for assistance, and prepare/clear appropriate guidance to the U.S. Mission/Embassy on resources and strategies to respond to the disaster situation; and,
• Serve as an Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) for assistance awards, as assigned.
Representation:
• Represent OFDA in meetings with individual partners discussing programmatic priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;
• Assist in representing OFDA in bureau-wide coordination meetings in the area of responsibility as appropriate;
• Participate in other interagency and partner-wide meetings as assigned by the Team Leader;
• Represent OFDA in public and private forum of USG interagency, partners, International Organizations (IOs), and other stakeholders—to include mid- and senior-level managers and decision makers;
• With guidance from the Team Leader, lead bureau-wide humanitarian coordination meetings; and,
• Independently serve as OFDA’s representative in bureau and agency meetings.
General Duties:
• Attend team, office, and other meetings as assigned by the Team Leader and, when necessary, prepare summaries of these meetings;
• Expedite the flow of programmatic and other documents through the clearance process;
• Serve as the OFDA after-hours duty officer on a rotational basis, for approximately one week every six months; and
• Deploy on short notice to serve on DARTs or serve on the Washington-based RMTs as required with increasing levels of responsibility to include serving independently as a program officer or field office on a DART or as a planning coordinator on an RMT.
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.)
Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including but not limited to international relations and political science, and disaster management) and five (5) years of relevant experience with the USG, Private Voluntary Organization (PVO)/NGO, IO or UN Agency, such experience must have a humanitarian focus and include responsibility in determining budget levels, selecting programs for funding, and/or managing and evaluating funded programs in a results type framework. Experience must include field work (foreign or domestic) in international humanitarian assistance and/or disaster response needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.
OR
Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, political science, or a related field), and four (4) years of relevant work experience with the USG, Private Voluntary Organization (PVO)/NGO, IO or UN Agency, such experience must have a humanitarian focus and include responsibility in determining budget levels, selecting programs for funding, and/or managing and evaluating funded programs in a results type framework. Experience must include field work (foreign or domestic) in international humanitarian assistance and/or disaster response needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.
SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
● Applicant is a U.S. Citizen;
● Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
● Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) submitted;
● Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret level security clearance as provided by USAID;
● Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;
● Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
QUALITY RANKING FACTORS (QRFs)
(Used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified applicants in comparison to other applicants. The factors are listed in priority order from highest to least.)
QRF #1 Describe in detail how your experience working in emergency response, early recovery, and disaster risk reduction prepares you for each of the core functional areas of the DOS job: Contextual Specialty, Program Management, and Representation.
QRF #2 As a DOS, you will be assigned oversight of humanitarian assistance programs. Describe how you will monitor the programs in your portfolio including the benchmarks you will use to determine success, methods that you will use, and the challenges that you anticipate.
The Applicant Rating System is as Follows:
QRFs have been assigned the following points:
QRF #1 – 15 points
QRF #2 – 15 points
Interview Performance – 30 points
OFDA will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews.
Timed Writing Test – 20 points
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – 20 points
Total Possible Points: 100
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