Project Management Specialist – Education

CLOSING DATE OF THE POSITION: March 12, 2017

Vacancy Announcement Number: 17/012

OPEN TO: All Interested Candidates/ All sources

WORK HOURS: Full-time; 40 hours/week

SALARY: Ordinarily Resident (OR): FSN- 10; (Step 1- TZS 51,002,394 through Step 13- 76,503,594 per annum)

Not-Ordinarily Resident (NOR): FP- 5 (steps 5 through 14)*
*Final grade/step for NORs will be determined by Washington.

The “Open To” category listed above refers to candidates who are eligible to apply for this position. The “Open To” category should not be confused with a “hiring preference” which is explained later in this vacancy announcement.

ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT (OR) APPLICANTS (See Appendix A for definition) MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

The US Mission in Dar es Salaam is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the position of Development Program Specialist – Education at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The Project Management Specialist - Let Girls Learn (LGL) will serve as the in-country activity manager for the Let Girls Learn Challenge Fund program. The specialist will provide technical expertise and recommendations on adolescent girls education and empowerment related to specific in-country context; lead on-going monitoring and site visits; meet with donors, local government, and other partners for ongoing coordination; ensure alignment and synergies with relevant USAID and other U.S. Government in-country efforts; review progress reports; input into USAID/Tanzania and USAID/Washington-lead Quarterly Portfolio Reviews and Performance Plan and Report as needed; and communicate with the Washington LGL Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) on the need to change the scope of interventions to reflect needs and ensure outcomes; and maintain regular communication and conveying results to the AOR in Washington.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Program Management & Monitoring (40% of time)
   • Manages projects as Activity Manager, which includes review of work plans, budgets, quarterly and annual reports, and regular update of performance management tools such as performance monitoring plan, performance data table, and performance indicator reference sheets. Conducts field visits as needed.
   • Ensures alignment and synergies with relevant USAID/Tanzania projects.
   • Ensures alignment, synergies, and coordination with other U.S. Government programs operating in Tanzania including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and more.
   • Inputs into Washington-led reporting, Quarterly Portfolio Reviews, and Performance Plan and Reports as needed.
2. Partner & Donor Coordination (30% of time)
   • Participates in routine meetings and consultations with local and national government, other donors, relevant in-country private sector, and implementing partners’ to discuss technical and programmatic direction, as well as overall performance and reporting on programs.
   • Disseminates program learning and success stories to in-country partners with the goal to improve the quality of services for adolescent girls across sectors, including the improvement of education and health curricula and training materials, in accord with the national policies and international standards.
   • Conducts and leads advocacy with key stakeholders for expanding adolescent girl services in the country.
   • Reviews and supports capacity-building activities of USAID’s partners.
3. Technical Assistance (20% of time)
   • Provides technical expertise for the development, implementation and evaluation of program-related materials such as training manuals, curricula, and guidelines/standards for adolescent girls.
   • Provides expert advice to the Government of Tanzania (GOT) and relevant local governments for improving access and quality of services for adolescent through participation in meetings, review of documents, participation in program reviews and other forms of technical assistance.
4. Communication and Coordination with Washington (10% of time)
   • Holds regular conversations with the LGL AOR in Washington regarding program progress, concerns, as well as positive lessons learned.
   • Provides data and responds to high-level taskers as needed.
   • Works with the LGL Communications Specialist in Washington for the effective oversight, implementation, documentation and sharing lessons learned from the initiative.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

All applicants must address each required qualification listed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified. USAID is willing to accept applicants with fewer than the required minimum number of years of experience but meeting the minimum educational requirements. These applicants may be considered for the position as trainees and begin at one grade lower. Attainment of the higher grade level is contingent upon the selected candidate successfully completing the years of experience to reach the fully qualified level, in addition to meeting agreed-upon objectives and milestones, and performing in a fully successful manner.

1. Education: 
   A Bachelor's Degree or the host-country equivalent in a field relevant to development assistance, such as education or social work/social sciences is required.
2. Experience: 
   A minimum of three years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in Education, Gender, Youth, and/or Social work/Social science related area is required. Prior work experience must include program design, management, monitoring and evaluation of Social Sector programs for adolescent girls that focus on education, sexual and gender based violence, reproductive health, and orphans and vulnerable children etc. within a limited resource setting. Demonstrated experience of coordinating and engaging with high-level government officials, donor communities and national-level stakeholders is required.
3. Language:
   Level IV (fluent) in English and Kiswahili (writing, reading and speaking) is required. (This will be tested)
4. Skills and Abilities: 
   The specialist must have excellent English and Swahili language verbal communication skills, tact, and diplomacy in order to establish and develop sustainable working relationships and a high level of trust with senior- and middle-level GOT officials, Mission and Interagency colleagues as well as with public and private organizations and donor agencies. Strong English writing skills are required in order to independently prepare regular and ad hoc reports, memos, program documentation, and briefing papers free of grammatical, spelling and structural errors. The Specialist must also be able to develop and deliver presentations that communicate complex information in an accessible way to a variety of audiences are required.
5. Job Knowledge: 
   In-depth professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to adolescent girls education and health as well as female empowerment and youth inclusion, is required. The Specialist must also have knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of Tanzania and the education, health and development challenges faced by adolescent girls within the Tanzanian context. S/He must as well be familiar with international and national policy frameworks that guide child and youth development programs, as well as related Government of Tanzania priorities is required.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: The complete position description listing all of the duties and responsibilities can be obtained on our website and/or by contacting the Human Resources Office usaidtzlesapps@usaid.gov.

HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS: Applicants in the following hiring preference categories are extended a hiring preference in the order listed below. Therefore, it is essential that these applicants accurately describe their status on the application. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not eligible for a hiring preference.

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER: 
1. AEFM / USEFM who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*
2. AEFM / USEFM 
3. FS on LWOP**

* IMPORTANT: Applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of the most recent Member Copy Four (4) of the DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and, if applicable, a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If claiming conditional eligibility for U.S. Veterans’ preference, applicants must submit proof of conditional eligibility. If the written documentation confirming eligibility is not received in the HR office by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, the U.S. Veterans’ preference will not be considered in the application process. Mission HR’s decision on eligibility for U.S. Veterans’ preference after reviewing all required documentation is final.

** This level of preference applies to all Foreign Service employees on LWOP.

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA:

1. Management will consider when determining successful candidacy: nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.
2. Current OR employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply. Current OR employees with an Overall Summary rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory on their most recent Employee Performance report (EPR) are not eligible to apply.
3. Current NOR employees hired on a Family Member Employment (FMA) or a Personal Service Agreement (PSA) are not eligible to apply within the first 90 calendar days of their employment, unless they have a When Actually Employed (WAE) work schedule.
4. The candidate must be able to obtain the local security certification.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must submit the following documents to be considered. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified.

1. Universal Application for Employment (UAE) (Form DS-174), which is available on our website or by contacting Human Resources. (See “For Further Information” above);
2. Any additional documentation that supports or addresses the requirements listed above (e.g. resume, transcripts, degrees, etc.)
3. Copy of Bachelor’s Degree
4. For Tanzanian Nationals: Copy of Passport, or National ID, or Voter ID
5. For Other Nationals: please attach current Resident/Work Permit and copy of valid Passport

WHERE TO APPLY: Effective immediately only online applications will be accepted via usaidtzlesapps@usaid.gov

When sending an online application, please indicate the position title in the subject line.
Failure to do so will result in an incomplete application.