Position Title: Overseas Operations Specialist (Multiple Positions)
Solicitation Number: SOL-OFDA-16-000038
Salary Level: GS-11 Equivalent: $64,650- $84,044
GS-12 Equivalent: $77,490- $100,736
GS-13 Equivalent: $92,145- $119,794
Issuance Date: April 21, 2016
Closing Date: Open and continuous through May 10, 2018 with ten (10) Review Periods closing on:
May 12, 2016
July 7, 2016
September 29, 2016
December 22, 2016
March 16, 2017
June 8, 2017
August 31, 2017
November 23, 2017
February 15, 2018
May 10, 2018
Closing Time: 12:00 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 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
(f) Optional: Where you heard about this job (FedBizOps, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).
Your resume should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. 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. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
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.
Sincerely,
Renee Reed
Contracting Officer
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Overseas Operations Specialist will be responsible for providing support to various operational aspects of OPS 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.
At the GS-11 level:
• U.S. Personal Services Contracts and Staffing: Keep OAT apprised of new staffing actions under assigned regional and SRG portfolio. Develop and maintain systems to track the flow of work related to recruitment and contract actions;
• Determine pipeline balances and review budget proposals for contract renewal;
• Assist in PSC procurement actions using USAID and OFDA financial and procurement systems;
• Be proficient in all Agency corporate financial and procurement management systems used to manage and program OFDA’s funding;
• Provide administrative support to OFDA’s field offices; maintain budget and financial obligations for administrative costs; provide fund cite data for the transfer of administrative funds;
• Assist with country clearance cables and brief staff on overseas deployment. Inform new field staff of entitlements and conditions of employment in various countries prior to departure to post and assist with administrative and logistical actions for transfer to post;
• Coordinate the operation and maintenance of the SRG Program. Support the activation of SRG staff, assist with the development of their scopes of work, facilitate their orientation and training on the administrative, financial, technical operations and training requirements of OFDA, and monitor the process of their performance evaluation after each activation;
• Perform analysis of SRG Program needs and develop standard operating procedures for use by OAT;
• Responsible for completing operational paperwork and filing, and preparing management reports, as needed;
• Support staff recruitment, on-boarding, and staff orientation for positions across the office;
• Serve as a member of the Washington RMT, which provides services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters, as an Administrative Coordinator when required;
• Serve on DARTs as an Administrative Officer when required;
• Twice annually, serve as OFDA Duty Officer;
• Plan and carry out assignments. The USPSC is responsible for planning approach or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.
At the GS-12 level:
• PSCs and Staffing: Develop and maintain systems to track the flow of work related to recruitment and contract actions for field and SRG staff. Draft recurring reports based on collected data or updated database;
• Complete procurement actions using USAID and OFDA financial and planning systems and develop proficiency in all Agency corporate financial and procurement management systems used to manage and program OFDA’s disaster assistance funding;
• Research, analyze and interpret USAID policy and guidance related to USPSCs; specifically address problems that arise with international travel and relocation issues and make recommendations to address sensitive deployment cases;
• Monitor pertinent travel legislation and new or revised policies or directives from General Services Administration (Federal Travel Regulations), and advise staff accordingly;
• Present policy and process related information orally and in writing to SRG and staff deployed overseas, to ensure accurate and appropriate protocols are followed;
• Monitor operational effectiveness and efficiency by providing comprehensive day to day support to the field and each respective functional area to include, but not limited to, personnel, finance, procurement, staffing, and administrative logistics;
• Provide administrative support to OFDA’s field offices; maintain budget and finance related records for OFDA’s overseas offices administrative costs; and monitor and track funds distributions, commitments, and obligations for administrative costs;
• Train administrative personnel in the field, including training OFDA Foreign Service National (FSN) staff; work with the FSNs to facilitate coordination and cooperation to support OFDA operations;
• Provide administrative management and/or oversight for field USPSCs. Work with the contracting and financial management staff in providing appropriate domestic and field-based budgets, provide fund cite data for the transfer of administrative funds, assist with country clearance cables and brief staff on deployment;
• Review field administrative budgets and recommend funding levels of the field offices throughout the fiscal year, including analysis of pipeline balances. Provide funding to overseas offices using USAID and OFDA systems;
• Oversee the operation and maintenance of the SRG Program, including the recruitment of new SRG;
• Perform analysis of SRG Program needs and develop standard operating procedures for use by OAT Team;
• Inform new field staff of entitlements and conditions of employment in various countries prior to departure to post and assist with administrative and logistical actions for transfer to post;
• Coordinate with relevant staff to define training requirements and assist in the preparation of training materials, including the Administrative Coordinator RMT Position Task Book;
• Deploy to a regional or program office as an Administrative Officer, assess local administrative support capabilities, assist with local procurement, and establish procedures whereby the OFDA staff interact seamlessly with USAID/Embassy personnel in support of administrative and financial overseas operations;
• Responsible for completing operational paperwork and filing, and preparing management reports, as needed;
• Support staff recruitment, on-boarding and staff orientation for positions across the office;
• Serve on RMTs, which provide services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied;
• Serve on DARTs as an Administrative Officer when required;
• Twice annually, serve as OFDA Duty Officer;
• Independently plan and carry out assignments. The USPSC is responsible for planning approach or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.
At the GS-13 level:
• Provide expert advice on the following: Agency practices and policies as they relate to USPSCs; a range of workforce, organizational and human resource functions; contract management and procurement planning. Provide guidance on entitlements and allowances for field USPSCs and prepare written communication on updated policy and procedural changes;
• Review actions for OAT Leader clearance and/or approval;
• Analyze and apply complex policies to make recommendations for senior management consideration as it relates to administrative operations in OFDA’s field offices;
• Provide expert advice to resolve difficult and complex administrative issues; interpret policies and regulations; facilitate the functionality of the administrative operations in OFDA field offices and represent the interest of OFDA and the USG with interagency counterparts;
• Independently perform periodic reviews of all overseas locations for operational effectiveness and assess local administrative support needs; ensure that OFDA resources are being properly utilized;
• Monitor operational effectiveness and efficiency by providing comprehensive day to day support to the field and each respective functional area to include but not limited to personnel, finance, procurement, staffing, and administrative logistics;
• Negotiate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with USAID Missions and U.S. Embassies; meet 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;
• Develop training curriculum and liaises with USAID Mission staff on the recruitment of FSNs and Eligible Family Members (EFMs). Trains administrative personnel in the field, which includes training OFDA FSN and EFM staff and working with the local staff to facilitate coordination and cooperation to support OFDA operations;
• Develop criteria for determining appropriate funding levels for administrative costs for each overseas office. Review field administrative budgets and recommend funding levels for the field offices throughout the fiscal year, including analysis of pipeline balances. Provide funding to overseas offices using USAID and OFDA systems and advises on the de-obligation of funds;
• Deploy to a regional or program office as an Administrative Officer, as necessary; assess local administrative support capabilities; assist with local procurement, and establish procedures whereby the OFDA staff interact seamlessly with USAID/Embassy personnel in support of overseas operations;
• Analyze SRG qualifications to determine the best fit for each activation request and identify which SRG will be activated or deployed for specific assignments;
• Support staff recruitment, on-boarding and staff orientation for positions across the office;
• Serve on RMTs, which provide services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied;
• Serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time;
• Twice annually, serve as OFDA Duty Officer;
• Independently plan and carry out assignments. The USPSC is responsible for planning approach or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.
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.)
At the GS-11 level:
Bachelor’s degree and three (3) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties.
OR
Master’s degree with two (2) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties.
OR
One (1) year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.
At the GS-12 level:
Bachelor’s degree and five (5) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties. Experience must include one (1) year of work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
OR
Master’s degree with four (4) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties. Experience must include one (1) year of work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
OR
One (1) year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.
At the GS- 13 level:
Bachelor’s degree and seven (7) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties. Experience must include two (2) years of work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
OR
Master’s degree with five (5) years of relevant experience in public or business administration, management, or international relations, including experience providing administrative support, personnel management, financial management, or similar duties. Experience must include two (2) years of work in administrative operations overseas or work in support of international programs.
OR
One (1) year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.
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. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
• Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) submitted.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
• Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.
• Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
• The applicant will be eligible for a GS-11, GS-12, or GS-13 but not all positions. This determination will be made if the applicant’s QRF responses are within the competitive range to be interviewed.
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.
QRF #4 Explain your experience being a team player. 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:
- 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
(f) Optional: Where you heard about this job (FedBizOps, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).
Your resume should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. 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 QRFs shown in the solicitation.
USPSC Application form AID 302-3. Applicants are required to complete and sign the form. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
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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