GENERAL INFORMATION

 1. SOLICITATION NO.: 20-86 - (201755122)

 2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 18, 2020

 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 2,             2020 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).

 4. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist.

 5. MARKET VALUE: Equivalent to FSN-PSC 10 (Step 1: 3,203,516.00         KSH to Step 13: 5,445,968.00 KSH per annum). In accordance with         AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of                         USAID/Kenya and East Africa. Final compensation will be negotiated         within the listed market value.

6.  PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Initial 1-year probationary period with       4 additional option years contingent on performance, position need,         and funds availability.

 7.  PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya; with possible travel as        stated in the Statement of Work.

 8.  SECURITY CERTIFICATION REQUIRED: Prior to joining USAID,          the selected candidate will be required to:

• Undergo a comprehensive background investigation
• Undergo a health check to obtain medical clearance and;
• Obtain and Retain an embassy issued Security Certification.

 9.  STATEMENT OF DUTIES: (See Below).

10. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to qualified Kenyan Citizens and       current employees of the U.S. Mission. Employees currently on               probation are ineligible to apply. USAID provides equal opportunity           and equitable treatment for employment of all people without regard       to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political           affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.

11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The position requirements do not involve            rigorous physical demands.

BACKGROUND

The Regional Food for Peace (FFP) office in Nairobi serves 14 countries in East and Central Africa, with a FY 14 budget of over $1.2 billion for emergency and development food assistance programs. Staff in the office monitor the regional and country-specific food security situation; directly oversee food assistance programs in countries where there are no FFP staff present; provide technical support to USAID Missions in countries that have FFP staff in-country; represent FFP in regional coordination forums; provide formal and informal training and mentoring for FFP staff in the region; provide surge capacity to respond to new emergencies or cover staffing gaps; and provide program logistics and commodity management support. 

The FFP Office works closely with other offices within the USAID/Nairobi mission, particularly the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and agriculture and health offices, to ensure that programs are coordinated and effective.  Staff also regularly liaise with inter-agency partners such as the State Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as other humanitarian donors, and United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners. 

The FFP Project Management Specialist/Food Security Specialist is responsible for monitoring and reporting about household food security and all aspects of FFP programs within his/her area of responsibility in order to inform decision makers in  relevant USAID Missions and FFP/Washington so that they can ensure effective management and targeting of FFP resources.  

The Food Security Specialist will collect information from households, partners’ field staff, and local leadership in his/her geographic zone of responsibility about factors that affect their abilities to access and use food, evidence of oncoming natural and manmade shocks and their impacts on lives and livelihoods, the need for international food assistance, and the effectiveness and quality of implementation of Title II-funded food aid programs in his/her assigned geographic zone of responsibility, including whether resources are being targeted and distributed effectively and equitably in order to combat hunger and malnutrition and save lives. S/he will prepare reports and verbally brief FFP and other U.S. Government (USG) personnel on conditions of vulnerable communities and individuals.  S/he will also engage with partners in the field to identify ways to resolve operational challenges.

The Specialist will work under the direction of the FFP Director, or his/her designee, such as the Food for Peace Officer for his/her area of responsibility. This position requires regular coordination with other FFP team members, representatives from other USAID offices, the humanitarian donor community, and the UN, and therefore requires a highly collaborative work style.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Food Security Specialist responsibilities will include the following:

Program/Project Management and Related Duties (100%)

A.  Devises, in collaboration with FFP colleagues, an annual monitoring         plan outlining the sites to be visited and timeline, and conducts               regular field monitoring visits, in accordance with the monitoring             plan, spending at least 60% of time in the field, often in austere             conditions, collecting data on the implementation of FFP programs.           Advises of any issues arising that need to be addressed, including           immediate reporting of any actual or suspected diversions of USG           resources, missed implementation targets, and non-compliance with       USAID regulations. Makes recommendations for addressing and               solving any problems that are discovered, provides feedback to the         implementing partner and concludes with follow-up to ensure                 improvements.  

B.  Searches and reviews technical reports and documents related to             food security and food to remain current about general knowledge           and advances in the fields of food security and food assistance, in           general, and others’ findings related to his/her geographic zone of           responsibility, in particular.

C.  Participates in multi-agency assessments of food security, markets           and food assistance and other humanitarian needs, and assists in the       development of funding and programmatic recommendations for FFP       and USAID Missions.

D.  Recommends to the FFP team the appropriate response for initiating       or adjusting food assistance programming based on field findings             about food needs, environmental concerns, market conditions,                 transportation requirements, and the cultural and political situation.

E.  Reports on all field monitoring trips, assessments, etc.  Provides             information for additional reporting to the FFP Director, USAID                 Mission Director, and FFP Washington, as necessary.

F.  Represents FFP in working group meetings and other fora with UN,          NGOs, and other humanitarian donors. Represents USAID to a wide          range of government officials at the provincial/district level and                representatives at the technical and administrative levels. Engages          with beneficiaries, community members and leaders related to FFP’s        food security programs.  All representation is performed in line with        the overall direction of the FFP/Nairobi office and specific country            team.

G. Exchanges information with relevant FEWSNET team(s) and reviews        and provides feedback on FEWSNET reports prior to their release.

H. The Food Security Specialist will be required to assist in creating a          supportive work environment that values diversity, and elicits the            highest possible level of performance from all team members,                  including accomplishment of all other duties as assigned.

POSITION ELEMENTS

A.  Supervision Received: Supervisor will set overall objectives and will work with the Food Security Specialist to determine deadlines and work priorities. The incumbent is expected to take the initiative, act independently, and perform duties.

B. Supervision Exercised: None

C. Available Guidelines: 2014 Food for Peace Act, USAID Regulations, warehouse inspection procedures, commodity monitoring reporting requirements.

D. Exercise of Judgment: Incumbent takes overall direction from the Officer Director or his/her designee, such as the FFP Officer for the country program, but must be able to work independently in an efficient and timely manner, including preparation of reports, identifying issues and suggesting areas of improvement in various aspects of food assistance program implementation and management, and collaborating with USAID colleagues, and other humanitarian donors and partners.

E. Authority to Make Commitments: The position has no authority to commit funds or re-direct the work of partners. The incumbent will speak with authority on FFP and USG project implementation requirements and regulations acting as both an advisor and information source to contacts within and outside of USAID. All work is performed in collaboration with FFP team. 

F. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The incumbent will work closely with the FFP country team, within his/her area of responsibility, with the FFP Director and Deputy Director, and UN partners, other donors, NGOs, and local authorities. These contacts will be for the purpose of collecting and sharing information, participating in coordination meetings and field visits, and representing FFP as appropriate.

G. Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: 1 Year  

Prior Work Experience:  Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience related to food security assessment, including at least one (1) year of on-the-ground field experience in humanitarian needs assessment and assistance and one (1) year in implementation of food aid programs. This experience must show significant engagement with rural communities and the application of qualitative and/or participatory methods of inquiry.  

Skills and Abilities:  The incumbent must have excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Kiswahili and a strong working knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and be able to manage databases.

 The incumbent must also have:

• Good interpersonal skills 
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of staff and representatives.
• Ability to review, evaluate and apply complex policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide rapid, concise, accurate reporting, both verbally and in written English.
• Ability to grasp and theorize the complexities of food security, the wide variety of dynamic influencing factors and the potential influence of international food assistance.
• Experience collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to assess the complexity of factors contributing to food security.

• Ability to work cooperatively in a multicultural team 
• Willingness to regularly undertake extensive field work assignments, spending weeks at a time in often austere conditions, and routinely spending approximately 60% of the time in FFP project areas.
• A solution-seeking attitude.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

Applicants must submit a resume/cv which describes how their relevant professional experience and education has prepared them to meet the specific challenges of the duties and responsibilities described above.  As part of the interview process, those applicants ranked highest may be required to submit a timed writing sample on a topic provided.  The selection committee may conduct reference checks at any time during the selection process.

Applications that do not meet the required minimum qualifications will not be scored. 

• Prior work experience (30  points)
• Job Knowledge (40  points)
• Skills and abilities (30 points)

Total possible points:    100

Candidates meeting the above required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application and reference checks.   References will be asked to assess the applicant’s technical knowledge, work performance, communication skills, and group dynamics, using the above criteria.  USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the top ranked short-listed applicants.  The interview will be one of the determining factors in the final selection.

How to Apply

Step 1:  Register in MyJobsInKenya at www.myjobsinkenya.com

Step 2:  Complete the job application questionnaire at www.myjobsinkenya.com  The applicant must answer all the questions in the Questionnaire.

Step 3:  Internal Applicants/Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages), a copy of your most recent Performance Evaluation Report, and copies of all relevant certificates. Scan and attach all the documents and upload to MyJobsInKenya.

                                                     OR

External Applicants/Not Current USG Employees: Attach an updated curriculum vitae/resume (no more than five pages) and copies of all relevant certificates. Upload all the documents to MyJobsInKenya.

Note to Applicants:

1.  Applications must be received by the closing date and time specified above and submitted through myjobsinkenya.com as stated above.

2.  Submissions will only be accepted through myjobsinkenya.com Late and Incomplete applications (those that do not contain the applicant’s most current and up to date detailed CV and relevant education certificates) will not be considered for the position. The closing date for receipt of applications is indicated above.

3. USAID DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING) AND DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.