Position Title: Overseas Operations Specialist (Multiple Positions)
Solicitation Number: SOL-OFDA-15-000050
Salary Level: GS-13 Equivalent: $90,823 – $118,069
Issuance Date: May 4, 2015
Closing Date: Open and continuous through June 30, 2017 with seven review periods closing on:
June 4, 2015
October 30, 2015
February 29, 2016
June 30, 2016
October 30, 2016
February 28, 2017
June 30, 2017
Closing Time: 5:00 P.M. EST
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 an Overseas Operations Specialist 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.
- USPSC Application form AID 302-3. Applicants are required to complete and sign the form.
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 emailed to:
OFDA Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: recruiter@ofda.gov
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net
Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Overseas Operations Specialist will be responsible for providing support for various operational aspects of the Operations Division within OFDA. The Overseas Operations Specialist will provide services in support of various functions related to management of contracts for program-funded personnel, budget/finance, administrative operations for OFDA’s field offices, and management of the SRG program. The Overseas Operations Specialist will have primary responsibilities for some tasks and secondary responsibilities for others:
§ Provides expert advice on Agency practices and policies as they relate to PSCs, on a range of workforce, organizational and human resource functions, on contract management and procurement planning. He/she provides advisory services on matters such as interpretation of agency and USG policy as it relates to Entitlements and Allowances for field PSCs, and as appropriate, prepares written communication to advise of current and updated policy and procedural changes;
§ In conjunction with the Overseas Administration Team Leader, coordinates and guides the work of other team members. Serves as the primary point of contact for review of actions for the Team Leader’s clearance and/or approval;
§ Analyzes and applies complex policy to make recommendations for management consideration as it relates to administrative operations in OFDA’s field offices. Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH) and relevant USAID policy as they pertain to acquisition and assistance and Entitlements and Allowances;
§ Provides expert advice to assist overseas staff to resolve difficult and complex administrative issues, interpret policies and regulations, and facilitate the functionality of the administrative functions in OFDA field offices;
§ Independently performs periodic reviews of all overseas locations for operational effectiveness and assess local administrative support needs; ensure that OFDA resources are being properly utilized;
§ Negotiates memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with missions and embassies, and meets with senior level mission staff, such as Deputy Mission Directors, Supervisory Executive Officers, and Comptrollers, to negotiate a range of administrative support services that would be made available to new OFDA field staff and offices. This includes reviewing and approving International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) and other shared-cost agreements;
§ Develops training curriculum and liaises with USAID Mission staff on the recruitment of Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs). Trains administrative personnel in the field; support includes training local OFDA FSN staff and working with the local FSNs to facilitate coordination and cooperation to support OFDA operations;
§ Develops criteria for determining appropriate funding levels for administrative costs for each overseas office. Review field administrative budgets and recommend funding levels of the field offices throughout the fiscal year, including analysis of pipeline balances. Provides funding to overseas offices using USAID and OFDA systems; and advises on the de-obligation of funds;
§ Deploys to a regional or program office as an Administrative Officer/Coordinator, as necessary; assess local administrative support capabilities; assist with local procurement, and establish procedures whereby the OFDA staff interact seamlessly with USAID/Embassy personnel for the establishment of any overseas activity;
§ Analyzes SRG qualifications to determine the best fit for each activation request and identify which SRG will be activated or deployed for specific assignments;
§ Serves on Washington-based RMTs, which provides services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied;
§ Serves as the OFDA after-hours duty officer on a rotational basis, for approximately one week every six months; and
§ Serves on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.
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 including, but not limited to, public or business administration, management or international relations, and at least seven (7) years of relevant experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties for a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, an international organization and/or a non-governmental organization. Two (2) years of the relevant experience must include work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
OR
Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to including, but not limited to, public or business administration, management or international relations, and at least five (5) years of relevant experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management or similar duties for a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, an international organization and/or a non-governmental organization. Two (2) years of the relevant experience must include work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
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 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 your experience in conducting needs assessments for administrative operations for overseas offices, and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Please discuss your ability to apply sound, independent judgment in identifying management or administrative problems and proposing solutions to them;
QRF #2 You have been assigned to establish and operationalize a new overseas office for OFDA. Describe in detail your approach to accomplishing this assignment. Discuss any assumptions that you must make in order to answer this;
QRF #3 Describe your experience in demonstrating attention to detail and ability to conduct sound financial analysis, planning, tracking and scheduling. You are encouraged to provide brief examples of past work and to describe unique approaches to analyses; and
QRF #4 Explain your experience being a team player and able to deal with sensitive and confidential matters with discretion, tact and diplomacy. Describe your experience with customer service (include your view of what customer service means, as well as examples of how you employ good customer service at work.)
BASIS OF RATING:Applicants who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated based on scoring of the QRF responses. Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks.
Applicants are required to address each of the QRFs in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, and/or education they have received as it pertains to each factor. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to address the selection factors and/or Quality Ranking Factors may result in not receiving credit for all pertinent experience, education, and/or training.
The most qualified candidates may be interviewed and required to provide a writing sample. OFDA will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection. Note: Please be advised that references may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by an applicant. OFDA reserves the right to select additional candidates if vacancies become available during future phase of the selection process.
The Applicant Rating System is as Follows:
QRFs have been assigned the following points:
QRF #1 – 10 points
QRF #2 – 10 points
QRF #3 – 10 points
QRF #4 – 10 points
Interview Performance – 40 points
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – 20 points
Total Possible Points: 100
How to apply:
APPLYING:
Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter.
Qualified individuals are required to submit:
****1.****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.
****2.****Supplemental document specifically addressing the QRFs shown in the solicitation.
****3.****USPSC Application form AID 302-3. Applicants are required to complete and sign the form.
Additional documents submitted will not be accepted.
By submitting your application materials, you certify that all of the information on and attached to the application is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith. You agree to allow all information on and attached to the application to be investigated. False or fraudulent information on or attached to your application may result in you being eliminated from consideration for this position, or being terminated after award, and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment.
To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any email.
DOCUMENT SUBMITTALS
Via email: recruiter@ofda.gov
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