Position Title: USPSC Safety and Security Specialist (Multiple Positions)
Solicitation Number: SOL-OFDA-16-000001
Salary Level: GS-13 Equivalent: $90,823 – $118,069
Issuance Date: November 6, 2015
Closing Date: December 4, 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 Safety and Security Specialist (SSS) 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 SSS will provide support on various operational and policy aspects of the SSU portfolio and will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities:
● Monitor security situations in countries and regions in which OFDA has, or may have, staff, and be able to identify current and future risks to OFDA staff and humanitarian programs.
● Work with OFDA divisions and Regional Teams to coordinate and track the activities of OFDA staff as they relate to security.
● Provide general and country-specific security guidance and briefings to OFDA staff, as needed.
● Deploy to the field in support of OFDA Divisions covering Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Central Asia and their Regional Teams’ operational safety and security needs, including comprehensive risk assessments and development of safety and security risk management plans.
● Exercise substantial latitude for operational security decision-making as delegated by field-team leaders.
● Serve as a resource speaker on established SSU training modules at OFDA training courses, as appropriate.
● Assist in the management and administration of assistance mechanisms (grants and cooperative agreements) in support of humanitarian security initiatives.
● Review OFDA partner safety and security plans for adherence to USAID/OFDA Guidelines for Proposals.
● Liaise with various elements of USAID, primarily the Office of Security, in both DART/RMT situations and on relevant USAID security policy, and with Mission Executive Officers when in the field.
● Liaise with other USG agencies in the field and in Washington, D.C., as appropriate, especially with the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Regional Security Officers (RSOs) at post.
● Liaise with the various elements of the humanitarian community in the field and at the headquarters level, including: UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), local and international NGOs, members of the International Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement.
● Serve on OFDA DARTs as Safety and Security Officer (or other positions), as required.
● Administer OFDA’s Security Information distribution lists.
● Assist DART Safety and Security Officers with development of deployment-specific Security Plans.
● Serve as OFDA Duty Officer when required.
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 development, humanitarian assistance, operational risk management, crisis management) and at least seven (7) years of relevant work experience, of which at least four (4) years should be with a UN agency, donor agency, or NGO in operational humanitarian assistance, and of which at least two (2) years should be humanitarian field work in a high-risk environment. Experience must include at least six (6) months of specific Safety and Security / operational risk management responsibilities in the field. The candidate must be familiar with and conversant in the predominant approaches and strategies used to manage operational risk by the humanitarian community (UN, international NGOs and IOs such as the International Committee of the Red Cross). Experience in the design and management of humanitarian programs (non-security) and staff training are desirable.
OR
Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international development, humanitarian assistance, operational risk management, crisis management) and at least five (5) years of relevant work experience, of which at least four (4) years should be with a UN agency, donor agency, or NGO in operational humanitarian assistance, and of which at least one (1) year should be humanitarian field work in a high-risk environment. Experience must include at least six (6) months of specific Safety and Security / operational risk management responsibilities in the field. The candidate must be familiar with and conversant in the predominant approaches and strategies used to manage operational risk by the humanitarian community (UN, international NGOs and IOs such as the International Committee of the Red Cross). Experience in the design and management of humanitarian programs (non-security) and staff training are desirable.
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.
· USPSC Application form AID 302-3. Applicants are required to complete and sign the form.
· Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) submitted.
· Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret level clearance.
· 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 Briefly describe what you consider to be the most significant development / initiative in humanitarian security in the last 10 years; touch on its primary impact on key humanitarian actors.
QRF #2 In 500 words or less, compose a brief memorandum to OFDA program staff describing a safety or security incident (can be fictitious). In the memo, please address the following: describe what you view as the most significant concerns related to this incident; its actual and potential impact on OFDA field staff and operations; how it may or may not impact our implementing partners’ ability to carry out OFDA funded programming; and any recommendations you may have on how to proceed. Please provide a word count at the end of the memo.
QRF #3 Describe your experience and approach to developing and administering safety and security training and security assessments.
QRF #4 In the context of humanitarian security, describe the value of, and your aptitude for, building formal and informal relationships among diverse communities.
QRF #5 Give very brief examples of your experience with: improving managerial systems and procedures; advocating for policy revisions and improvements; anticipating problems; and consensus-building.
BASIS OF RATING:
Applicants who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Quality Ranking Factor (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 on a separate sheet describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant 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 and/or Quality Ranking Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.
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 – 15 points
QRF #2 – 15 points
QRF #3 – 10 points
QRF #4 – 5 points
QRF #5 – 5 points
Interview Performance – 30 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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