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  • Posted: Feb 3, 2020
    Deadline: Feb 7, 2020
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    USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's interests while improving lives in the developing world. USAID carries out U.S. foreign policy by promoting broad-scal...
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    Development Program Specialist

    Introduction

    • SOLICITATION NO.: 674-20-1014
    • ISSUANCE DATE: January 24, 2020
    • CLOSING DATE / TIME RECEIPT OF OFFERS: February 07, 2020
    • POSITION TITLE: USAID Program Specialist (Budget) Power Africa Office
    • FINAL COMPENSATION: R664,656.00– R930,526.00 pa equivalent to FSN GRADE/11.Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
    • PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five years renewable contract subject to funds availability and need for the position.
    • PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Power Office USAID/SA, Pretoria, South Africa

    Kindly note that when you apply via cellphone you are not able to complete the required questionnaire. And if you do not complete the required questionnaire for the position, you will automatically be eliminated from further review.

    BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION:
    USAID/Power Africa is a high-profile whole-of-government initiative that seeks to improve access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.
    Minimum Requirements
    Kindly note that when you apply via cellphone you are not able to complete the required questionnaire.  And if you do not complete the required questionnaire for the position, you will automatically be eliminated from further review.

    MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

    • Education: Education: A University Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Political Science, Sociology or other social science is required.     
    • Prior Work Experience: The work requires a minimum of five years of progressively responsible work experience in program planning, budgeting, management, and evaluation, or closely related work.  Professional experience should include analysis and interpretation of financial and quantitative data, and presentation of findings in written form.  Proficiency in operating computer-based budgeting systems and experience with various software packages, such as Microsoft Excel, Access, and Word are required. Some experience in supervisory or managerial experience is required. 
    • Post Entry Training: Training related to budget functions and responsibilities will provided as well as other job-related training.  A candidate new to USAID will be provided with on-the-job training in appropriate budget functions, procedures and monitoring.   Successful completion of Programming Foreign Assistance (PFA) and Budget training will be prioritized.  Training in USAID accounting and budget practices, and/or with USG accounting and budgeting systems is required.  Advanced training in higher-level operations of Microsoft Excel and Access is also required, as well as job-related training in line with changing technological advancements, e.g. software and operating systems.
    • Language Proficiency: (List both English and host country language(s) proficiency requirements by level (II, III, IV) sp/rd/wr: Level IV (fluent) ability is required in written and spoken English is required.  The incumbent must be able to prepare complex financial reporting in English.
    • Job Knowledge: The incumbent must be able to plan his-her own portfolio actively.  This involves making projections on budget requests in support of established programs; justifying what programs to stop funding based on lack of progress or availability of funds, and what programs to continue as a result of programs meeting or exceeding benchmarks and performance measures; devising a budget-policy approach, consistent with USAID and Power Africa Strategy; along with other higher level planning and coordination that must be made in advance to include obtaining buy-in from respective stakeholders.  The incumbent must have a sound theoretical knowledge of political and economic development issues of sub-Saharan Africa and be extremely familiar with Agency directives and policies once he or she has been on-boarded.  The work requires a thorough knowledge of accounting principles, theories, and terminology, as well as principles and accepted practices of governmental and business financial accounting, budgeting, and reporting; and, the work requires in-depth familiarity with financial analysis techniques.
    • Skills and Abilities: The incumbent must possess advanced computer skills and be familiar with internet technology, and extensive knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite software.  Knowledge of USAID reporting tools, such as Facts Info Next Gen and Development Information Systems for budgeting and M&E is required.  The incumbent must be able to analyze complex data and relationships to prepare complete, precise, and accurate factual and analytical reports; to render advice objectively; to prioritize and manage various tasks simultaneously; to develop and maintain a network of mid-to-senior-level USAID contacts and with officials of other agencies, donors, and intergovernmental organizations; to operate efficiently and effectively in multi-cultural, team environment; and, to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
       

    Job Specification
    Basic function of position:

    • USAID/Power Africa is a high-profile whole-of-government initiative that seeks to improve access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.  Power Africa is comprised of 12 U.S. Government Departments and Agencies that collaborate with African governments, 18 bilateral and multilateral development partners, and over 150 private sector partners. 
    • The Program Office within the Power Africa Initiative provides supports services on budget planning and execution, strategy development, project and activity design, monitoring, evaluation and coordination of overall implementation of the USAID/Power Africa portfolio.  Within the Program Office, the incumbent provides leadership and oversight of managing, tracking, and oversight of all budget sub-functions and responsibilities.   Under the direct supervision of the Program Office Director, the incumbent will perform and lead significant cross-cutting task relating to, but not limited to,  formulation, monitoring, and execution of program financial data, Operational Plan coordination and submission, allowance processing, budget reconciliation and annual, quarterly and ad-hoc budget reporting and analysis. 

    Major Duties and Responsibilities:                                                             

    • The incumbent will lead budget strategy development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of multiple budget processes and all implementing mechanisms of POWER AFRICA portfolio.  The incumbent will liaise with other USAID teams, USG agencies, civil society, technical experts, and relevant stakeholders to ensure maximum effectiveness of USAID activities.  The incumbent will undertake assessments and provide budget policy recommendations and briefings to the Program Office Director.  The incumbent will provide financial management expertise for various projects and activities estimated to be in excess of US $1.27 billion.  The incumbent will prepare all relevant financial reviews of projects and activities under his/her responsibility, including financial performance reports, pipeline management reviews, program implementation reviews, and other USAID and USG reporting requirements.   The incumbent will exercise broad individual judgement in setting budget support for Power Africa priorities, managing resources, implementing mechanisms, and coordinating financial information with representatives from technical and support offices inside of the USG.  The incumbent assists the Supervisory and Deputy Program Office Directors in planning, budgeting, organizing, and staffing in regards to financial administration of Power Africa projects and activities.

    A. Analytical and Financial Duties – 50%

    • The incumbent performs a broad range of program budget financial management duties, including: Providing financial services, ranging from liaising with FMO on reconciling allowances, commitments, and obligations in Phoenix with program records (Operating Year Budget Matrices, Procurement Plans, and the Bilateral Agreements tracker, etc.); participating with FMO Financial Analysts in gathering financial and statistical data on pipelines; supporting Power Africa technical teams to develop program budgets; ensures planned budgets are not exceeded, checks budget coding, performs analysis of past expenditure rates, monitors current and projected pipelines, and reviews future burn rates to ensure accuracy of data produced; ensures accurate accruals are reported; advises Power Africa technical offices on funding requirements for crosscutting staff and activities; works closely with Power Africa technical and program staff in developing budgets and reviewing all pre-GLAAS obligation documents; and, ensures pre-obligation budget documents are in line with Foreign Assistance program structures – and include details such as program area, funding source, etc. are correct, and that forward funding waivers are included when appropriate.
    • The incumbent monitors Intergovernmental Agreements, including: Maintaining records for various Intergovernmental bilateral agreements involving USAID and other USG entities in support of the Power Africa Initiatives; ensures implementing documents (Implementing letters [ILs], GLAAS requisitions, and Acquisition and Assistance instruments) are funded under correct budget components; supports Power Africa technical teams in the preparation of financial sections of bilateral agreements, ILs, and other implementing documentations; and, reviews and advises on financial information for all obligating documents submitted for clearance.
    • The incumbent maintains coordination with FMO: Serving as Power Africa’s principal liaison with the FMO in reconciling allowances, commitments, and obligations in Phoenix with Office records, ranging from current year Resource Allocation plans to track bilateral agreements budgets; ensuring integrity of the Power Africa Program Budget is maintained through regular communications with the FMO Financial Analysts and Accountants to reconcile budget data for each Program area, by program element, obligation, sub-commitment, and sub-obligation through Phoenix: maintaining a consolidated database containing all Resource Allocation plans for Power Africa technical teams for tracking allowances, obligations, and bilateral agreements; ensuring financial analysis of cross-cutting activities to ascertain burn rates in guiding Power Africa technical teams in formulating funds allocation, and makes recommendations to the Program Office and the FMO; participates in semi-annual portfolio reviews and the annual reporting process/operational planning, particularly with respect to program budgets and pipelines, reviewing issues papers to ensure that all pertinent budget and financial issues are included; participates in the preparation of contracts and activity close-outs by closely working with Financial Analysts and Acquisition and Assistance Specialists in the provision of relevant statistical and financial data; and, provides analysis and advice on new activity development and/or program assessments and evaluations as need arises.

    B. Budget and Program Support Duties – 40%

    • The incumbent is the Point of Contact on all budget-related matters in the Power Africa Office; maintaining up-to-date obligation status of Power Africa Operational Year Budgets. The incumbent clears all project/program/activity agreements, memoranda of understanding, project implementation letters, and other program documents, drafting and/or reviewing the OYB monthly matrices and narratives and ensuring all pertinent data (field support, budget allowance, obligations, obligation date, etc.) are up-to-date.  The incumbent coordinates and consolidates field support requests from Power Africa technical teams, inputs data into the internet-based field support database, and follows up with USAID/Washington.  The Analyst prepares periodic notifications to USAID/Washington, reporting on the status of obligations, and otherwise maintains the integrity of the field support database through regular downloads of data, comparisons with requests, and taking appropriate action to correct any discrepancies.  The incumbent manages the budget for the Operational Plan, and maintains other pertinent budget records for Power Africa, taking the lead to track initiative funding, types of funding, attributions, and key issues.  The Analyst coordinates and represents Power Africa in the preparation of Internal Control Assessments, such as the Federal managers’ Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA), Management Control Review Committee (MCRC), performance audits and financial accountability.  Lastly, the incumbent takes the lead in implementation of Agency budget tracking tools for more effective and efficient budget management systems by, creating tools to better track and monitor budgets, procurements, disbursements, and pipelines, and incorporating Agency tools to include OPS MASTER, AidTracker +, Portfolio Management Tool, etc.

    C. Reporting Duties – 10%

    • The incumbent participates in the preparation of Power Africa Annual Reports/CBJs/OPs by preparation of program budget tables, and monitoring the Program Area/Program element budget by ensuring that AFR/DP controls are not exceeded; reviewing program budget tables and, ensuring data input in FACTS Info is accurate before submission to USAID/Washington; maintaining the integrity of program budget applications and databases, to ensure compliance with USAID Guidelines; reviewing portfolio and funding actions to ensure compliance with the Power Africa strategy; and, ensuring implementation actions are in accordance with the ADS and other applicable guiding policies.

    EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

    How the Selection will be made:
    The successful candidate will be selected based upon the following:

    • A preliminary review of the applicant's submitted package (which includes the cover letter and CV) to establish that minimum educational, work experience and English writing fluency requirements are met;
    • Assessments to include English writing skills, and Microsoft Office proficiency that might include any of the following: Word, Excel, PowerPoint; and any technical skill test that might be deemed appropriate; 
    • a personal face to face interview; and
    • reference checks.
    • USAID/SA’s Human Resources Section will perform the preliminary review (Step 1 above) to eliminate those applications that do not meet the minimum educational and written English language requirements before forwarding the rest to the Technical Office or Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) for further review and assessment. 
    • The Technical Evaluation Committee will review each of the forwarded applications against the established evaluation criteria to develop a shortlist of applicants to be tested and possibly interviewed.  Applicants will be contacted for testing (Step 2) and interviews.  Based on the results of the tests, however, an applicant otherwise identified for interview could be dropped from the interview list.
    • Following the interview (Step 3) during which the applicant will be evaluated against the established criteria, the TEC will make a preliminary determination of candidates to be considered for employment and forward that list to HR. The TEC will conduct and document reference checks. (Step 4) prior to advising the TEC of the results of these checks. Please note that references may be solicited from current as well as former supervisors in addition to the references you provide in your application package. References will only be solicited for those interviewed applicants who are being considered for ranking. 
    • Based on this final input, the TEC will make its final decision on which candidates to rank order, prepare a selection memo for the review and approval of the Contracting Officer, after which an offer of employment will be made to the successful candidate. Unsuccessful candidates who were interviewed will be contacted and advised of their non-selection. 
    • As positive medical and security clearances are a condition of employment, the selected candidate will undergo stringent investigation prior to employment with USAID/SA.

    Applying

    • For an application to be considered complete, please include a high-quality cover letter, explaining why you are qualified for the position and a CV of no more than 4 pages.   Failure to comply with these instructions may result in your application being considered “non-responsive” and eliminated from further consideration.
    • Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I.
    • To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission.
    • The U.S. Mission in South Africa provides opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also strives to ensure equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations.

    Points of contact: 

    • Lavinia Denation, Telephone: (012) 452-2054
    • Seja Matlakala, Telephone: (012) 452-2358
    • Ntsoaki Ranta, Telephone: (012) 452-2058
    • Gugu Madokwe, Telephone: (012) 452-2225
    • Heather Franklin, Telephone: (012) 452-2028

    Applicability:

    • This position is open to South African citizens and South African permanent resident permit holders.  USAID Southern Africa management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, need for continuity, and residency status in determining successful applications.  Current USG employees on probationary status (i.e., within their first year of employment) are not eligible to apply.
    • The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation.  Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.

    References:

    • Three (3) references, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about your past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation of the application.

     

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