Acquisition and Assistance Specialist at U.S. Embassy South Africa

Duties

• The Acquisition and Assistance Specialist (Entry Level/EL) is located in the Regional/Mission Office of Acquisition and Assistance.
• The function of the Office is to provide Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) support to Technical Offices and Development Objective (DO) Teams in the Mission, and in any Offices that may be supported by the Mission. The primary purpose of this position is to support the cognizant Mission Contracting/Agreement Officer, by performing a variety of A&A duties including, writing grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other procurement instruments, and preparing amendments/modifications to such instruments in support of the Mission.
• The Specialist reviews and recommends approval or revision of requisitions in the Global Acquisition and Assistance System (GLAAS); reviews and recommends approval or revision of statements of work (SOW); drafts A&A solicitation documents; performs cost and price analysis; analyzes A&A offers or applications received; drafts A&A award instruments and modifications; analyzes budgets; recommends special A&A award requirements; writes memoranda of negotiation; and, prepares other required documentation.
• The Specialist maintains up-to-date A&A files and records, manages Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs), and supports award closeout.
• The Specialist provides guidance to supported Teams related to A&A award modifications.
• The Specialist is responsible for carrying out day-to-day activities under the mentorship of more senior Office employees.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

• All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a Moderate Risk Public Trust Clearance (FSFRC membership will terminate upon onboarding into the position)
• Selected candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time (12 weeks) upon receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end.

Education Requirements:

• Possession of a Baccalaureate Degree or the equivalent of a four-year US college/university (or equivalency accreditation if a non-US institution) degree is required.

Evaluations:

• You will be evaluated against the qualifications and requirements in this vacancy announcement. 
• You may be asked to complete a pre-employment language or skills test.
• You must complete the application form and provide the required documents. 
• Your application must address all the position qualifications and requirements including education, experience, language, and any knowledge/skills/abilities listed. 
• If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position.

Qualifications:

Experience:

• A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in acquisition and assistance, development assistance, or a position that requires closely related skills, such as program management, law, or financial management, is required. 
• One year of this experience must have been gained working in a position equivalent to responsibilities in this job description or an occupation that requires similar skills. 
• Additional minimum prior work experience requirements include: (a) General knowledge of office management procedures and specialized knowledge of administrative work is required. (b) Demonstrated ability to organize and manage A&A actions and filing systems effectively; ability to deal effectively with mid and high-level officials of agency/host government/private sector. (c) Must have analytical skills in order to determine applicability of USAID regulations pertaining to filing and closeout of A&A actions.  (d) Must have the ability to learn federal acquisition regulation and code of federal regulation with respect to procurement rules and regulations. (e) Working knowledge of standard software packages utilized by USAID, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and the ability to do research on the internet.