Solicitations open to: Ukrainian Nationals (Residency/Ukrainian Work Permit)

Solicitation No.: 720-121-24-R-10009

Position Title: Project Management Specialist (Civic Engagement)

Issuance date: August 02, 2024

Closing date and time: August 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Kyiv Time

Work hours: 40 hours (Full time)

Position Grade: FSN-11

Market Value: Basic Annual Rate (in U.S. Dollars): $43,147 – $56,088 In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Ukraine. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

Place of Performance: Kyiv, Ukraine

Period of Performance: Five-Year Period of Performance with possibility extension

Security Level Required: Facility Access

STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

The USAID Mission in Ukraine develops and implements U.S. assistance programs for Ukraine and Belarus. USAID/Ukraine partners with Ukrainian citizens, civil society, media, and government to help Ukraine resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, promote transparent and effective recovery processes, and support reforms to integrate Ukraine further into Europe. The Project Management Specialist (PMS) works in the Office of Democracy and Governance (ODG), one of the Mission’s four Kyiv-based technical offices, under the supervision of the Office Director or their designee. ODG plans, monitors, and evaluates a large, dynamic portfolio of contracts and cooperative agreements spanning some of the country’s highest-priority reform, recovery, and reintegration issues. The Civic Engagement Specialist will work in ODG under the supervision of the Office Director or their designee.

The principal role of the Civic Engagement Specialist is to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of ODG activities supporting civil society, civic engagement, and/or accountable and transparent governance and political processes. The incumbent will serve as a Contracting or Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) for one or more complex activities implemented primarily by U.S. non-governmental organizations and/or Ukrainian civil society organizations, and will be a lead advisor to the Mission on localization and working directly with Ukrainian organizations. This role requires excellent project management and communication skills, flexibility, and ability to engage across USAID teams and with Ukrainian civic and Government of Ukraine (GOU) stakeholders. The incumbent has direct, substantive contacts with host country government officials, media counterparts and political party and civil society representatives, presenting and coordinating democracy and governance programs with them, as well as the U.S. Embassy and other donors active in democracy and governance issues.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A. Activity Management (50%):

• The Specialist’s primary responsibility is to manage and assist in the management of ODG technical assistance and grant activities. Activity management may include:
• Serving as the contracting/agreement officer’s representative (i.e, lead project manager) or alternate for a number of complex, sensitive activities within this portfolio.
• Providing USAID and its implementing partners with technical direction on key democracy and governance issues in order to make programmatic decisions.
• Reviewing vouchers, sub-grants, annual implementation plans, performance monitoring plans, key personnel, and other issues requiring USAID involvement.
• Conducting financial management tasks related to ODG activities, such as monitoring spending, tracking accruals, and preparing regular pipeline analyses.
• Conducting site visits to monitor ODG activities, which may require travel within Ukraine, as well as regular in-person interactions and correspondence with partners and stakeholders.
• Tracking partner performance against activity- and strategic-level objectives and results.
• Tracking partner reporting and deliverables, with an emphasis on oversight of taxpayer funds and communicating USAID’s work in Ukraine to local and external audiences.
• Maintaining award management files.
• Drafting daily activity bullets, program briefs, readouts from meetings and events, briefers for other USAID and USG officials, and other reporting as required.
• As requested, occasionally supporting other programs in the ODG portfolio and general office needs, such as organizing meetings and events, participating in working groups, arranging Embassy services, and/or acting as a site officer for Mission or USG official trips.

B. Technical and Strategic Leadership (30%):

The Specialist will help shape ODG’s input into Mission strategic planning by providing analysis and recommendations on civil society, civic engagement, recovery, resilience, political/governance processes, and other democratic development issues, tracking key political and reform developments to ensure USAID’s programs are designed and managed to respond to needs, opportunities, and challenges. S/he conducts research and analysis to support current and future programming; prepares briefing materials; and briefs USAID stakeholders, including Mission management, on developments in the sector. The Specialist will lead and/or participate in the assessment, design, award, and modification of activities, projects, and strategies, in close coordination with other technical and support offices.

C. Coordination, Representation, and Communication (20%):

The Specialist develops and maintains relationships with USAID stakeholders, other donors, GOU counterparts, civil society organizations, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to share information and coordinate ODG programming. They may be required to represent USAID in external meetings related to civil society and related sectoral issues, as well as the coordination of donor efforts in this field. The Specialist will also collaborate across Mission technical offices to provide insight on civic engagement elements within sector-specific projects and activities. Drawing upon their technical knowledge of the issue, the Civic Engagement Specialist will provide internal Mission guidance on needs and program opportunities related to civic engagement in Ukraine’s dynamic context, develop initial concept and design papers for proposed initiatives and funding consideration, and advise on technical approaches to implement USAID/Washington-managed programs.

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the “Foreign Service National” Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

Supervisory Relationship: The Specialist is directly supervised by the Office of Democracy and Governance Deputy Director.

Supervisory Controls: Supervisory of other USAID Staff is not anticipated.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demand.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE:

Education: Minimum of university degree (B.A. or B.S.) in a field relevant to development assistance, such as public or business administration, social sciences, political science, journalism, law, international relations, or a related field is required.

Prior Work Experience: Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in the area of civic activism/leadership, NGO management, governance, and/or policy spheres, preferably related to the democracy and governance sub-sectors described above is required. Prior work experience could include direct experience in managing civil society organizations/activities, management of donor projects, working with leaders or influencers among Ukrainian civil society and government on democratic governance issues; and/or experience implementing government reform priorities is required.

Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English ability for reading, speaking, and writing is required; native facility in Ukrainian (Level IV).

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS:

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The Contracting Officer 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 Contracting Officer 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 Contracting Officer 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. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

The technical evaluation committee may conduct reference checks, including references from individuals who have not been specifically identified by the offeror, and may do so before or after a candidate is interviewed.

Selection Process and Basis of Evaluation: Offerors who meet the minimum education and work experience qualification requirements will be further evaluated through review of the offeror’s submitted required documents (see points below) and ranked based on the evaluation and selection factors. A competitive range may be established of the highest-ranked offerors, who may be further evaluated through technical/language tests, interviews, and reference checks to determine the most qualified/highest-ranked offeror. Reference checks may be conducted with individuals not provided by the offeror, and without prior notification to the offeror. Any offeror not receiving satisfactory reference checks will no longer be considered for the position. Negotiations may be conducted with the most qualified/ highest-ranked offeror at the conclusion of evaluations.

40 points – Knowledge: The position will require a detailed understanding of Ukraine’s political, civic, and governance processes, reform and policy priorities, and political/social trends in Ukrainian society. A good working knowledge of the institutions, government actors, non-government organizations, civic leaders, and private sector stakeholders, at both the national and sub-national level, necessary to successfully design and implement sound democracy and governance activities is essential. The incumbent should also possess an understanding of Ukraine’s recovery and reform agenda, as well as other issues, leaders, and trends impacting Ukraine’s democratic, European development.

60 points – Skills and Abilities: The following are essential for this position:

• Excellent listening, written, and verbal communication skills, particularly for working across USAID teams and with external stakeholders including government officials at varying levels, representatives of civil society and the private sector, and members of the international community in Ukraine.
• Strong learning agility, critical thinking, and ability to adapt to new or changing situations and responsibilities.
• Ability to synthesize data and trends from multiple sources, recognize significant developments, and clearly communicate their impact on USAID programs and Ukraine’s reform and recovery priorities.
• Ability to plan and manage complex projects and draft relevant USAID-required documentation with a great deal of independence.
• Excellent teamwork skills, including the ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural, team-based environment.
• Ability to handle sensitive issues with professionalism, tact, and diplomacy.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, including the ability to prioritize and balance both complex and administrative tasks under tight deadlines.
• Ability to read, understand and analyze budgets.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office and Google suite.

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100 points

HOW TO APPLY:

Eligible Offerors are requested to submit a complete application package which must include all the required documents in English electronically to [email protected] with Subject line: Project Management Specialist (Civic Engagement) (720-121-24-R-10009).

ANY/ALL application submissions received after the closing date will not be considered.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

1. Cover Letter: A memo or email that outlines how your qualifications and experience meet the selection criteria.

2. Application for Employment (DS-174): The form can be downloaded from this link https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds174.pdf.

Offerors must thoroughly complete the DS-174 form in English and are advised to include all of their current and previous work experience related to this position. Offerors may use continuation pages to further explain their relevant work experience, if needed. AND;

3. Current Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV): The CV/resume must contain sufficient relevant information to evaluate the applications in accordance with the stated technical evaluation criteria, listed above.

IMPORTANT:

IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR APPLICATION CONSIDERED, YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL THREE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. IF YOU OMIT ANY OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS, COVER PAGE, CV or DS-174 FORM, YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Note:

• This vacancy is open to Ukrainian Nationals (Residency/Ukrainian Work Permit Required).
• Applications with insufficient, incomplete and inconsistent information to make a determination will not be considered.
• No in-person appointments or telephone calls will be entertained.
• Offerers who are applying for this position must fully meet the education requirement (graduated and degree and/or diploma already received) as specified. At the time of applications, candidates must also meet in full the experience requirement.
• Short-listed candidates will be requested to provide educational documents such as degrees, diplomas, certificates and other pertinent documents (passport, proof of residency or work permit) as needed. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in the rejection of their application from further consideration.
• The Agency retains the full right to cancel or amend the solicitation and associated actions at any time.

BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES:

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a CCN PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances in accordance to the Mission Policy:

BENEFITS

• Health and Life Insurance coverage: Provided under the Compensation Plan.
• Defined Contribution Plan: Upon separation, a lump sum benefit equal to 12% of the basic salary earned for the duration worked under the appointment.

ALLOWANCES (as applicable)

• Meal Allowances: The annual amount is $853 for employees working on a full-time basis.
• Family Allowances: The mission provides a child allowance. Grants amounts are subject to change as determined by the Ukrainian State Budget Law.
• Unique Conditions of Work Allowances/ Benefits: 10% of Basic Rate Additional information may be provided to the selected offeror at the time of the salary offer.

TAXES:

Taxes apply and are deductible as per the Ukrainian government regulations.

USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs:

USAID regulations and policies governing CCN and TCN PSC awards are available at these sources:

USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/aidar

Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms.

Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award as described below:

LINE ITEMS

Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs

USAID Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPD-20-08): Leave and Holidays for CCNs and TCNs, available at https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs/aapd-20-08

Ethical Conduct: By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635. See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations

PSC Ombudsman:

The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information: https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman.

FAR Provisions Incorporated by Reference

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO):

The U.S. Mission in Ukraine provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or transgender status), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, religion, marital or parental status, veteran status, membership in an employee organization, political affiliation, or involvement in protected equal employment opportunity (EEO) activity. USAID/Ukraine also strives to achieve equal employment opportunities in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.

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.