Activity Specialist (2 Positions) 97 views0 applications

BACKGROUND

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

Driven by market demand, ATI embraces innovative approaches to achieve its goals. ATI is designed as a small, core set of centrally coordinated technical and institutional support activities, and a large, flexible performance-based subcontracting and grants under contract facility designed to support the needs and opportunities that USAID Missions and the private sector identify.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Activity Specialist will possess both technical and administrative skills and capabilities to help drive DAI’s processes for grant and subcontract design, structuring & implementation management as well as budget management and financial forecasting. The specialist plays a pivotal role in evaluating, overseeing co-design and implementation of funded activities, with a focus on trade, investments, and improved business environment. Responsibilities include different facets of the activity design process, ensuring efficiency and success, encompasses prioritizing and reviewing applications, collaborating on with potential grantees throughout the application and implementation phase of the activities. The Activity Specialist will directly contribute to the co-design of grants applications, monitoring and evaluation of partners’ work, and communicating with ATI internal and external clients about implementation progress, results, and accomplishments. This role requires a proactive individual with experience working with private sector firms in facilitating trade and/or investment, it also requires a deep understanding of market trends, strong project management skills, and the ability to cultivate relationships with key stakeholders

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Managing the grant application process by reviewing incoming applications for technical soundness and alignment with overarching ATI objectives and ensuring completeness of submission materials.
• Offering technical and process guidance to potential grantees on the application, eligibility criteria, and required documentation, supporting them to navigate the submission process effectively.
• Collect, analyze, interpret, and correlate industry/sector data to generate insights and recommendations for decision-making.
• Assist in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track project progress, outcomes, and impact.
• Monitor the progress of grant-funded projects by collecting and analyzing project reports, tracking milestones, and ensuring compliance with grant requirements. Liaise with implementing parties to ensure proper M&E data capture and data quality to contribute to overall ATI project M&E reporting; and
• Support knowledge management efforts for lessons learned, best practices, and success stories from the project implementation activities; Support development and review of technical deliverables (both contractual and from partnerships) and contribute to subsequent learning.
• Liaison between ATI and grantees, facilitating communication, addressing inquiries, and providing support as needed throughout the project lifecycle.
• Travel to review and monitor field activities as required
• Assist in organizing and compiling all documentation provided by grantees to facilitate the evaluation of grant applications. This includes collating, reviewing, and verifying the completeness of the submitted documents and managing the overall submission process.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, International Development, or related field
• 9 years of experience working in/with the private sector facilitating trade and or investment or managing projects supporting firms to scale their capacity and operations. Demonstrated experience in managing complex budgets and multi-year programs preferred as well as managing budget, operations, and project management.
• A background in project management, particularly within the context of grant-funded programs and working with the private sector actors.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data related to grant applications, project progress, and outcomes.
• A customer-centric approach to understand and meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders. Providing timely support, responding to inquiries, and maintaining positive relationships.
• A solid understanding of financial principles and metrics, including budgeting, financial forecasting, and investments management.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and other relevant software applications for data analysis, report generation, and communication purposes.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, including private sector actors.
• Ability to work in a fast-moving, fluid team setting with multiple stakeholders.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills in English.