USPSC Senior Regional Program Officer 343 views0 applications

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720FDA19B00100

ISSUANCE DATE: August 26, 2019
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: September 23, 2019,
12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC)

Dear Prospective Offerors:

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 offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Senior Regional Program Officer (SRPO) under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the solicitation.

Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Offerors interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:

1. Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, 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) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (FedBizOpps, 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. 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.

1. USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted. AID 309-2 is available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS
AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to receiving an award. You will be disqualified if you either fail to comply with this requirement or if your name appears on the excluded parties list. The selectee will be provided with guidance regarding this registration.

NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number. Additional information on the format of the notarized letter and where to submit can be found via the below Federal Service Desk link:

https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257…
sysparm_search=kb0013183

Offerors can expect to receive a confirmation email when offer materials have been received. Offerors should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their offers. Your complete resume and the supplemental document addressing the QRFs must be emailed to:

OFDA Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.

Sincerely,

Renee Newton
Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720FDA19B00100
2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 26, 2019
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: September 23, 2019, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
4. POINT OF CONTACT: OFDA Recruitment Team, [email protected]
5. POSITION TITLE: Senior Regional Program Officer
6. MARKET VALUE: $76,687 – $99,691 equivalent to GS-13 (not eligible for locality pay)

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value and based upon the candidate’s established salary history. Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One (1) year, with four (4) one-year options
2. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Dakar, Senegal

There may be an initial training program in Washington, D.C. for three months, which will include formal classroom training and on-the-job training; and may include security training. After completion of Washington training, the Senior Regional Program Officer will be assigned to the place of performance.

1. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens
2. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
3. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

POSITION DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the office within USAID that is responsible for providing emergency non-food humanitarian assistance in response to international crises and disasters. OFDA is part of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) and is organized into six divisions.

The Africa (AFD) Response Division and the Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Middle East (ALE) Response Division are responsible for the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance through a grants mechanism to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations including United Nations (UN) agencies and to other partners to ensure the implementation and delivery of this assistance. These divisions also oversee OFDA’s non-response efforts in disaster risk reduction and resilience. AFD and ALE Response Divisions also coordinate with other organizations for the provision of relief supplies and assistance. They devise, coordinate and implement program strategies for a variety of natural and complex disaster situations. Both Divisions encompass groups of operations specialists who provide technical expert capability in assessing the quality and strategic function of disaster response and risk reduction activities. The AFD Response Division is divided into two teams: East and Central Africa (ECA), and Southern, West, and North Africa (SWAN). The ALE Response Division is divided into four teams: East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia (EMCA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and South Asia (SA).

The Operations (OPS) Division develops and manages operations for OFDA’s disaster responses by readying people and systems; projecting U.S. Government (USG) humanitarian capacity quickly into the field; and delivering material and technical assistance. The OPS Division maintains readiness to respond to emergencies through several mechanisms, including managing Urban Search and Rescue Teams, coordinating, staffing, training, and equipping Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs), and Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMTs), and stockpiling emergency relief commodities in key locations around the globe to ensure OFDA’s capacity to execute and coordinate USG humanitarian assistance and response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The OPS Division provides technical guidance and expertise in Disaster Logistics, Urban Search and Rescue, Operations Center management, activation/readiness, Civil-Military Liaison, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Consequence Management. It also provides overseas support to OFDA offices and personnel and to other sectors necessary to ensure OFDA’s capacity to execute and coordinate USG humanitarian assistance and response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The OPS Division is divided into four teams: the Disaster Assistance Support Program (DASP), Military Liaison Team (MLT), Operations Support Team (OST), and Overseas Administration Team (OAT).

The Program Support (PS) Division provides operational management support, including general administration, budget and financial services, procurement planning, information technology, human resources management including staff care, and contract and grant administration support to OFDA. The PS Division supports OFDA’s mandate by providing innovative solutions in the areas of Information Technology, staffing, funds control, budgeting, human resource management, and procurement to facilitate timely disaster responses. The PS Division is divided into four teams: the Award, Audit, and Risk Management (AARM) Team, Human Resources Management (HRM) Team, Budget, Finance, and Information Technology (BFIT) Team, and the Acquisition and Management (ACQ) Team.

The Preparation, Strategic Planning and Mitigation (PSPM) Division is responsible for the technical oversight of all OFDA response and mitigation programs, as well as preparation for response, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction activities. The PSPM Division houses technical experts in all sectors potentially affected by disasters, and leads the Agency in developing and promoting best practices for programming in these specific sectors. In addition, PSPM will be the focal point for technological innovations for humanitarian assistance in areas such as monitoring and evaluation, assessment, and information management. The PSPM Division is divided into four teams: Cross-Cutting Sectors Team, Natural Hazards Team, Health Team, and the Food Security and Livelihoods Team.
The Humanitarian Policy and Global Engagement (HPGE) Division assists the DCHA front office, the OFDA Director and OFDA Deputy Director with tracking trends and policy developments in the humanitarian assistance field. It engages in policy dialogue with other parts of USAID, the USG interagency, other donors, multilateral agencies, and NGO partners; recommends strategies for action to DCHA; initiates development of policy and internal guidance for OFDA; maintains global relationships with implementing partners, other donors, and the broader humanitarian architecture; and engages with the UN to advance USG humanitarian policy objectives and promote humanitarian principles within the USG and internationally. The HPGE Division leads OFDA’s communications and social media outreach to effectively communicate OFDA’s story to a variety of strategic audiences. It serves as the office’s primary interlocutor on strategic issues with other federal partners to provide guidance to OFDA on policy issues pertaining to the interagency, and to improve USG humanitarian coordination and response during large-scale crises. The HPGE Division staff manages global programs, policy and outreach, strategic communications, and interagency training and engagement. HPGE is divided into seven teams: Policy Team, Global Programs Team, Strategic Interagency Team, Strategic Communications Team, Global Capacity and Leadership Development Team, Public-Private Engagement Team, and the United States Mission to the UN (USUN) in New York, Geneva, and Rome.
INTRODUCTION

To fulfill its mandate, and to effectively respond to disasters worldwide, OFDA has established six regional offices in the following locations: San Jose, Costa Rica; Nairobi, Kenya; Dakar, Senegal; Pretoria, South Africa; Budapest, Hungary and Bangkok, Thailand. OFDA also has other, smaller sub-regional and program offices around the world.

The regional offices are headed by a Senior Regional Advisor (SRA), who works closely with the Team Leaders in Washington and reports to the appropriate Division Director. The SRA serves as the regional team leader for all response, preparedness, and disaster risk reduction activities. They serve as the key interlocutor with embassies and missions in the event of a disaster and may also serve as the DART Leader if needed.

Under the guidance of the SRA or designated Regional Advisor (RA), the Senior Regional Program Officer (SRPO) will provide support for coordination and management of OFDA humanitarian emergency and disaster risk reduction programming across the SWAN region. The SRPO will ensure that OFDA’s objectives for disaster response and assistance, strategic reporting, and analysis are met.

OBJECTIVE

OFDA requires the service of an SRPO for the SWAN Team, based in Dakar, Senegal to ensure that OFDA’s objectives for disaster assistance, risk reduction, resilience programming, strategic reporting, and interagency coordination for the region are met.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Working under the guidance and supervision of the SRA or designated RA for the assigned Africa region of responsibility, the SRPO will support the regional office, as well as the coordination and management of humanitarian and disaster risk reduction activities. The SRPO will work in close collaboration with a program team that may include SRAs, Senior Humanitarian Advisors (SHAs), Program Officers, Field Monitors, Team Leaders, Deputy Team Leaders, Disaster Operations Advisors and Specialists, and/or Program Assistants.
The SRPO will perform the following within the assigned portfolio:

Contextual Specialty
• Develop and maintain specialized understanding of humanitarian developments across the region to include political, social, and operational issues impacting humanitarian efforts.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of USAID, USG humanitarian priorities and strategies within the region and USAID/OFDA’s contributions and comparative advantages to those efforts.
• Provide regular reporting, through official cables and other means, on issues related to the humanitarian situations in SWAN. Provide overviews of patterns and trends in the humanitarian situation and keep the SRA, RA, SHA, Team Lead, and other staff current on response issues. Provide regular reports on site visits, meetings, general atmospherics and other issues that impact humanitarian relief efforts.

Portfolio Management
• Develop and maintain a detailed working knowledge of OFDA’s humanitarian portfolio in the SWAN region.
• Work with OFDA’s program staff based in Washington, D.C. and in the field offices in the development of OFDA’s programming strategies for response and disaster risk reduction activities across the region.
• Support team members in assessing emergency response and disaster risk reduction needs in the region in order to ensure that OFDA’s programs are appropriately responsive.
• Assist headquarters-based Agreement Officer’s Representatives in managing humanitarian awards by providing field-based insights, knowledge, and perspectives.
• Assist in humanitarian activities outside of immediate area of responsibility as needed.
• Travel as permitted to assess, evaluate and monitor humanitarian conditions in the region, and make strategic recommendations for appropriate interventions.
• Plan and carry out assignments, and be responsible for planning approach or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.

Representation
• Support the regional team in maintaining relations with the senior leadership of the humanitarian community in the region, and in representing USAID and OFDA on humanitarian issues. This will include, but is not limited to, UN agencies, IOs, NGOs, USG personnel, donors, host government authorities, and others.
• Participate in, and report on, joint donor humanitarian evaluations and UN-led assessments, and participate actively in the international community response structures.
• Assist the regional team to coordinate with the donor community on policy issues affecting humanitarian operations, and develop integrated, non-duplicative programs, as needed.
• Prepare briefing papers, notes, and presentations on OFDA programming for official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.
• Coordinate on a daily basis with several OFDA staff members, as well as with representatives from other USAID offices, Embassy staff, and the humanitarian community. This level of coordination requires a highly collaborative work style.

Leadership
• Serve as peer mentor to team members on grants management and portfolio management, to include OFDA’s business process, portfolio-specific budget and workload management, and post-award monitoring and management.
• In close coordination with the SRA, RA, and Disaster Operations Specialist, the SRPO will work with NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies that are developing proposals for OFDA (including grant amendments and extensions) to ensure compliance with OFDA’s guidelines.
• Participate, as assigned, in office-wide discussions on initiatives that impact program implementation, to provide field-based perspectives.

General Duties
• Serve in planning, or program positions on response teams, assessment teams, or to provide coverage for field offices with field travel required at approximately 50% time and individual deployments of up to 6 weeks.
• Serve on DARTs, which may require immediate deployment (within 24 hours) overseas for an extended period of time.
• May serve as needed on Washington-based RMTs, which provide services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied.
• Work effectively in a challenging and restrictive work environment and strictly adhere to U.S. Embassy security guidelines.
• As needed, may serve on temporary details within the office to meet operational needs during staff shortages, not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and responsibilities as well as directly related to the scope of work provided.
SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:
The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the SRA or his/her designee.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
Supervisor sets overall objectives and resources available. The USPSC consults with supervisor to develop deadlines, projects, and work to be done. The USPSC is responsible for planning and carrying out assignments. The USPSC is responsible for planning approach or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.

1. PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, there may be some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds).

Work is primarily performed in an office setting. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, the work may additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)

Bachelor’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, African studies, or a related field or country) plus seven (7) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, disaster risk reduction and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including at least two (2) years of overseas field experience as demonstrated by short-term deployments or assignments in emergency situations.

OR

Master’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, African studies, or a related field or country) plus five (5) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, disaster risk reduction and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including at least two (2) years of overseas field experience as demonstrated by short-term deployments or assignments in emergency situations.

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The Contracting Officer (CO) reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. FAR provisions of this solicitation are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
• Offeror 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 Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
• 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.
• Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
• Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.

OFFEROR RATING SYSTEM
The offeror rating system factors are used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors. Offerors must demonstrate the rating factors outlined below within their resume, as they are evaluated strictly by the information provided. The evaluation of writing tests will also take into consideration the quality of written responses. Aspects of written responses including, but not limited to typos, grammatical errors, spelling errors, and incomplete sentences will be factored into the evaluation process. The rating factors are as follows:

Professional Experience (10 points)
• Experience monitoring and reporting on rapidly evolving humanitarian crises in an international disaster context.
• Experience working across the entire disaster management cycle to include emergency response, early recovery and transition, disaster risk reduction, and resilience.
• Specific experience managing humanitarian interventions including needs assessment, strategy development, budget management, resource prioritization, program development, and program management.

Skills and Abilities (10 points)
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with host governments at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with other donors and diplomatic missions at senior levels in the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with international and national non-governmental humanitarian partners at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to effectively achieve humanitarian objectives within the USG at senior levels, including with Department Of Defense, Embassies, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch staff in the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex humanitarian issues to a range of audiences through written products.

Program Management Experience (10 points)
• Demonstrated knowledge of USG acquisition and assistance regulations.
• Experience developing, designing, or evaluating proposed humanitarian interventions against response or disaster risk reduction strategies and identified needs.
• Demonstrated experience managing USG acquisition or assistance awards to include post-award administration and regulation compliance.

Interview Performance (40 points)

Timed Writing Test (20 points)

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (10 points)

Total Possible Points: 100

BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated in accordance with the Offeror Rating System. Those offerors determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks.

Offerors are required to address each factor of the Offeror Rating System in their resume, describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards 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 Offeror Rating System factors may result in not receiving credit for all pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.

The most qualified offerors 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 offerors 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 offeror. OFDA reserves the right to select additional offerors if vacancies become available during future phases of the selection process.