PD_Education_TL_USPSC_Final.pdf

USPSC Solicitation # SOL-660-15-000005

February 12, 2015

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL-660-15-000005

ISSUANCE DATE: February 12, 2015

CLOSING DATE/TIME: February 27, 2015, 17:00 Kinshasa, DRC Time

SUBJECT: Solicitation for Personal Services Contractor (USPSC/TCN) Education Office Director, USAID/DRC

Ladies/Gentlemen:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. Citizens or Third Country Nationals interested in providing PSC services as described in the attached solicitation. Submittals shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified.

Interested applicants must submit:

(i) Most current curriculum vitae or resume with cover letter;

(ii) Completed, hand-signed form SF 171 or OF 612;

(iii) Three references, who are not family members or relatives, with telephone and email contacts;

(iv) Biographical Data Sheet – Form AID 1420.

The CV/resume must contain sufficient relevant information to evaluate the application in accordance with stated evaluation criteria. The applicant’s references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities. USAID/DRC reserves the right to obtain from previous employers relevant information concerning the applicant’s past performance and may consider such information in its evaluation.

Applicants must be available to start work o/a mid-June of 2015. This availability shall be indicated on the OF-612 or SF-171, which must be signed; those submitted unsigned will be rejected. Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures that accompany their submissions.

Applications shall be submitted by email by the closing date and time. Late applications shall not be considered and will be handled in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 15.412.

USAID/DRC anticipates awarding one (1) Personal Services Contract as a result of this solicitation. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the application.

Application packages may be submitted via e-mail to: usaidhrkinshasa@usaid.gov with a copy to Sandra Kiyanga (skiyanga@usaid.gov) and Matthew Corbin (mcorbin@usaid.gov). Please quote the number and position title of this solicitation on the subject line of your email application.

Sincerely, Matthew Corbin Executive Officer

USAID/DRC

Solicitation for US Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) for USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (USAID/DRC) - Education Office Director

A. GENERAL

1. Solicitation Number: SOL-660-15-000005

2. Issuance Date: February 12, 2015.

3. Closing Date and time for receipt of applications: February 27, 2015, 17:00 Kinshasa, DRC time

4. Position Title: Education Officer/Team Leader.

5. Market Value: Position is classified as GS-15 equivalent with an annual salary range $101,630 to $132,122. Salary is not negotiable beyond this range.

6. Period of performance: A base of one (1) year with an option of four one-year extensions up to a maximum of 5 years. Exercise of option will depend on continuing need of services, availability of funds and satisfactory or better performance.

7. Start Date: June 15, 2015.

8. Place of performance: USAID/Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

9. Clearances: The selected applicant must be able to obtain USAID Security and Medical clearances.

10. Area of consideration: U.S. Citizens/Third Country Nationals.

B. Statement of Work for a USPSC/TCN Personal Services Contractor (PSC) Education Officer Director, USAID/DRC

A. Background

The DRC, the second largest country in Africa, remains one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world. Conflict and instability in several provinces of the country have placed significant strain on the education system and has been identified as a key barrier to access and retention in DRC schools, particularly for girls. Plagued by instability, conflict, limited infrastructure, and low levels of educational access and outcomes, the DRC has consistently been ranked at the bottom of the Human Development Index. It is estimated that, of 70 plus million inhabitants, 15 million are of primary school age, of whom 3.5 million are out of school. For those in primary school, learning levels are extremely poor: assessment showed that 68 percent of grade 3 and 4 students were unable to read a single word of simple text. The education system faces severe challenges to improve equitable access, quality, and governance throughout the sector. Consequently the DRC will not meet the Education Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and while there has been some progress, this remains limited and is further weakened by inequities.

The 2012 ‘Enfants et adolescents en dehors de l’école’ (EADE) study estimated that 7 million children and adolescents (aged 5 to 17) are out of school. Many children enter school late and 75% of primary school age children out of school are aged between 6 to 8 years. Poverty, instability, and distance remain major obstacles for children to enroll in school or remain in school. Almost 80% (2.75 million) of all primary school age children out of school live in rural areas and two thirds are from poor households, living on less than $50 a month. In many of these areas, there is not a formal school (public or religious) to attend; for these communities, distance remains a major barrier to participation in school. The government has supported the expansion of accelerated learning programs (ALPs) or alternative learning opportunities for those who have been not been able to access formal education or dropped out due to poverty.

In addition, there are almost equal numbers of primary school age boys and girls out of school;

however differences become starker as girls become older. Girls make up 60% of out of school children of lower secondary school age (12 to 13) and 75% of these are girls living in rural areas.

Socio-economic norms and systemic sexual violence in school underpin gender inequity in education. Key obstacles to girls’ education have been identified as parental attitudes, lack of financial means, significant domestic burdens on girls, the tendency to prioritize boys, adolescent pregnancy and the poor social and physical environment for girls in schools. For girls and boys learning environments are often not safe spaces: corporal punishment, bullying, verbal harassment, sexual harassment and even rape, in and around schools are frequent. For example, in a baseline survey conducted in the DRC in 2011 by the USAID funded C-Change project, 20% of girls in the survey reported that teachers pressure them to have sex in exchange for good marks, more than 25% of students reported that beating/whipping of students occurs regularly in their classrooms. Conflict has also exacerbated the situation with the DRC reporting cases of children used as soldiers, sexual slaves and laborers within large internally displaced populations in Katanga, North Kivu, and South Kivu. Due to the extended periods of conflict and instability in the Congo, girls in particular have had limited access to schooling.

However, perhaps the single most important barrier to access and quality in the DRC education system is the cost of education and the financing of the system. Approximately 60% (2.1 million) primary school aged children out of school are considered to be out of school primarily related to cost reasons. Almost all school and local office operating costs are generated from school fees.

The decline in financing of education during the 1980s and 1990s led to the introduction and reliance on school fees. For many years, the majority of Congolese schools charged a variety of school fees, including, but not limited to, fees for tuition, books and supplies, uniforms, school hygiene and maintenance, and test administrations. However, there are large scale efforts to improve transparent practices through the implementation and rollout of a national gratuité (removal of specific school fees) policy, improved management information systems such as payment of teacher salaries from central funds and the mecanisation, or teacher registration, process, but parents continue to be expected to provide teacher salary supplements and cover other school expenditures.

DRC also suffers from low completion rates, high repetition rates and high dropout rates. Due to inefficiencies in the system, only 60% of students who start school will complete all six years of primary schooling. In addition the quality of education remains low and learning outcomes poor.

Learning outcomes in DRC are compromised by very high rates of malnutrition and poor health:

Children can come to school malnourished, infected with parasites, and at times suffering from chronic malaria. It is estimated that 43% of children under 5 are malnourished and may have associated cognitive impairment. These health related factors lead to absenteeism and repetition, and reduces the students ability to benefit from the instruction they receive.

Low system efficiency is caused largely in part by the poor quality of student learning. The results of a learning assessment carried out by the Program on the Analysis of Education Systems (PASEC) indicate that at the end of the 5th year of primary education, only 47% of pupils reached the level of “minimal” knowledge in French and 59% in math. Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA), conducted by USAID as part of project monitoring of the USAID-funded PAQUED and OPEQ activities, found that children in 2nd and 4th Grade struggle to identify letters of the alphabet with automaticity. On average at the end of the academic year, fourth grade students could only read approximately 6 words per minute in French and sixth grade students were only able to read 19 words per minute in French, well below required levels for fluency and comprehension. The DRC had a long history of teaching reading and other subjects in national languages in the early grades, with a full transition to French instruction at the beginning of Niveau 3 (Grade 5). In recent years this L1-L2 transitional approach has been replaced by immediate French-immersion and the lapse of national language instruction. The traditional, transitional approach to language of instruction began during the colonial period, and there is a desire on the part of the Ministry of Education to reinvigorate the use of national languages in early grade reading acquisition that enables children to acquire national- (Congolese) language reading abilities and transition to French by the end of Grade 4.

Teachers play a key role in improving quality and learning outcomes. However the current pre-service teacher preparation system is weak and does not actually equip graduates with requisite skills and competencies. Historically, teachers have received minimal pre-service training and no systematic continuous in-service teacher training. In recent years, however, there have been various initiatives to improve teacher quality, particularly in-service teacher training and the DRC has adopted a National In-Service Teacher Training policy that identifies how in-service teacher training must be conducted within the DRC. This process has also identified the major issues impacting teachers’ ability to improve quality which include (i) limited instructional time within schools; (ii) ineffective instructional approaches in foundational skills, especially reading and math instruction; (iii) lack of classroom management and pedagogical skills required to teach; (iv) low institutional capacity in schools; and (v) schools and communities lack materials and infrastructure to provide a quality education to every child.

USAID/DRC Overview:

The DRC is both at a crossroad and under the spotlight with a U.S. and United Nations Special Envoy focusing on bringing peace and security in the region. The DRC is a strategic priority country in Africa for U.S. foreign policy and assistance, with a FY 2014 budget of over $200 million and over $100 million in humanitarian assistance per year.

In 2014, USAID published its five-year Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for the DRC. The Mission’s goal under the CDCS’s is to support a “Long-term transition to more effective and empowering development in the DRC.” As DRC transitions from a fragile state to a stable democracy, it is critical that the Congolese people’s expectations of their government be met through the improved provision of social services, including basic education. USAID recognizes that transformational change in the DRC will require long-term investment and focus. USAID’s 20-year vision is of a country where the Congolese take charge of their future to manage and sustain growth with their own human, natural, and financial resources. There are currently key opportunities to accelerate achieving this vision. In order to achieve this, USAID will support three Objectives under the CDCS:

Development Objective (DO) 1: Selected national level institutions more effectively implement their mandates.

Development Objective (DO) 2: Lives improved through coordinated development approaches in select regions.

Transition Objective (TO) 3: Foundation for durable peace strengthened in eastern DRC.

Development in the DRC will only be sustainable if the Congolese leaders and people demonstrate an active interest in and ability to take a leadership role in advancing the public good versus private gain. Reformers are in place that are improving the governance of the country. By assisting these reform efforts, USAID is in a position to strengthen the institutions whose very weakness has contributed to, the country’s fragility and that ultimately leads to poor social wellbeing and extreme poverty. Therefore, USAID will invest in a strategy to strengthen Congolese institutions, at both the national and sub-national levels, that strengthen the social compact between citizens and the state. Under DO 1, USAID will support national-level public and private institutions in identifying development challenges as well as addressing those challenges by assisting Congolese organizations to create policies and procedures, implement solutions, and source funding. DO 2 will conduct similar work with provincial and local institutions, while also emphasizing the linkages between citizens and the state. Focused on the supply and demand side of service provision, DO 2 will ensure quality services are available to the population while increasing citizen’s knowledge and affordability of the services. Lastly, under the TO 3, USAID will strengthen the foundation for peace in eastern DRC by identifying root causes of violence and implementing programs to address them, while ensuring that citizen’s basic needs are being met. The promotion of gender equality through national and local leadership, civil society, improved governance, and gender-sensitive institutions is integral to the larger success and sustainability of USAID’s efforts on these fronts.

In 2014 USAID and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) signed an innovative $180 million, five-year partnership agreement to support primary education in the provinces of Katanga, Kasaï Occidental, Kasaï Oriental, Equateur, South Kivu and North Kivu.

This joint program will support the Ministry of Education to improve access, equity, and quality of learning in primary education as well as improve management and transparency in the sector in DRC. This five-year program will work in line with the DRC government’s policies, in particular the 10-year Education Sector Strategy and the Interim Education Plan (Plan Intérimaire de l’Education). It will also complement the activities supported through the project to support to basic education (Projet de soutien à l’éducation de base – PROSEB), funded by the Global Partnership for Education.

At the end of the program, USAID and DFID aim to achieve the following results in the targeted areas:

Improved reading and writing for 1.5 million children in local language and in French;

Access to a primary schooling for 450,000 out-of-school children;

Increased retention of children in schools by 30%;

Strengthened capacities of the parents committees, school management committees and school communities;

Strengthened capacities of the Ministry for Primary, Secondary and Vocational

Education.

The Education Team is currently directly managing four activities and finalizing four new activities under the five-year joint program with DFID:

Package to Improve Education Quality” (PIEQ), $40 million cooperative agreement, 2009-2015 “Opportunities for Equitable Access to Quality Basic Education” (OPEQ), $25.5 million Cooperative Agreement, 2010-2016 “Empowering Adolescent Girls to Lead through Education” (EAGLE) a $15.9 million Contract, 2013-2018 “EdData II Task Order”, to conduct EGRA data collection, 2014-2016 “All Children Learning” (ACL) USAID procured $130 million contract, 2015-2020 “Education Governance Activity,” DFID procured contract, 2015-2020 “Reducing the number of out-of-school children in DRC”, DFID implemented grant, 2015-2018 “Mission Impact Evaluation Education Task Order” for EGRAs and education impact evaluations, 2015-2020.

The USAID/DRC Education office is currently staffed as follows:

USDH Education Office Director USDH Education Office Deputy Director USDH Education Officer FSN Education Program Manager FSN Administrative Assistant USPSC EFM Education Policy Adviser (under recruitment) FSN Education Program Manager (under recruitment) FSN Education Program Specialist (under recruitment)

The USDH Office Director position will become vacant in June 2015, leading USAID/DRC to seek applications for filling this position.

B. SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The primary role of the Education Office Director (EOD) will be to lead a large and politically important education portfolio, to ensure an effective start-up for the flagship USAID-DFID All Children Learning activity, and to provide overall supervision of the USAID/DRC Education Office. The Education Office manages an annual budget of $30 million with a staff of six (eight planned by June 2015). The EOD serves both as Office Director and as the Mission's senior technical and policy analyst in this sector. S/he identifies education priorities and coordinates with the DO/TO teams to maximize synergies across portfolios. S/he leads the Education program's budgeting, planning, design, procurement, implementation, evaluation and monitoring, and reporting efforts. S/he coordinates with other U.S. Government agencies and participates on various committees. S/he has the principal role of representing the Mission's Education programs to other donors, non-governmental organizations, senior host-government counterparts and private sector groups, undertaking site visits throughout the country to monitor programs and inform policy and strategic direction. S/he reports to the Deputy Mission Director.

C. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The PSC EOD’s major duties and responsibilities include:

Member of Senior Mission Management Team 30%

The EOD has the primary responsibility for recommending to the Mission Director and Deputy Mission Director actions that result in the effective use of resources; the development of operating policies and procedures that are clear, complete and address organizational issues; the implementation of Mission and Agency policies/procedures in a transparent and equitable fashion, supporting efforts to address Mission program priorities, and providing guidance in meeting future development challenges.

For these purposes, the incumbent carries out the following:

Advises senior Mission management on the political, economic and social developments affecting education and educational development in the DRC;

Serves as the USG’s principal liaison with the GDRC Minister of Education and education counterparts at the national, provincial, and local levels;

Play an active role on the Education Donor Group (PTF); thus playing a pivotal role in the effective management of donor resources directed to improving education and educational facilities in the DRC;

Coordinates with the Mission’s Development Outreach Communications (DOCS) Officer on all outreach activities as well as reports and correspondence related to the education portfolio for public consumption; and, Acts as official USAID representative on field visits to activity sites; ascertains progress, identifies delays and problems and recommends solutions.

Lead and manage the Education Office 30%

The EOD oversees the work of the Deputy Office Director, supervises the USPSC/EFM Policy Adviser, and the FSN Administrative Assistant and has overall management responsibility for the entire office;

The EOD establishes and maintains effective lines of communications (both formal and informal) with Mission Senior Staff, other Mission Teams, and within the Education Office; with appropriate officials of the GDRC and provincial leaders; and with the public; leading to greater information-sharing opportunities, knowledge exchange, and accelerated decision-making;

Manages Education Office staff workloads effectively so as to reflect Mission program priorities and stimulate opportunities for professional growth and enhancement;

Manages, on a day-to-day basis, the Mission Education portfolio, including determination of work priorities, making decisions on activity implementation matters, identifying and resolving program issues, assuring that all activities are carried out in a technically sound and cost-effective manner, assigning responsibility for program management and implementation matters to subordinates, and assuring that activities are carried out in accordance with all applicable Mission and Agency directives and requirements;

Works with Education Office staff, identifies areas where knowledge and skills need to be enhanced, completes and manages annually Individual Training Plans with each member thereby minimizing Mission vulnerabilities while ensuring that staff have opportunities to learn, develop and apply themselves; and, follows-up with those staff receiving training as to how the skills/knowledge gained from the training will be applied; and, Provides on a semi-annual basis, feedback on performance leading to an annual performance evaluation completed for each staff member.

Provide Technical Oversight 40%

Works closely, and in a highly participatory manner, with Mission DO Teams, partners, and customers to lead and coordinate the planning, design, implementation, monitoring, and follow-on of activities under the Education portfolio in order to achieve a high level of excellence in program impact and cost-effectiveness;

Serves as a member of at least one Mission DO Team as the Education representative, attending meetings on a regular basis; providing statistical reports on education to Mission DO/TO Teams that they may use for planning and implementation purposes;

Is the primary contact of AFR/SP, AFR/SD and EGAT/ED for education services assistance and information sharing related to policy, procedures and best practices;

In coordination with the contractors/grantees, drafts and finalizes scopes of work, budgets, and scheduling of technical assistance for portfolio activities while ensuring timely and systematic submission of reports;

Measures education programs’ progress against established goals and objectives in the Mission Strategy and the Education Program Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) (and updates the PMP as required). Reviews all activity operations and takes action, including recommending activity evaluations, modifications, measures to rectify implementation problems or to improve monitoring and reporting. Identifies existing and potential problem areas and proposes specific actions to resolve them consulting with appropriate Mission staff and contractors/grantees.

Prepares oral and written reports, keeping the Mission Director and Deputy Director informed of the activity status;

Works closely with Education Office staff in estimating budgetary requirements, following-up and evaluating the results of education activities, as well as cultivating contacts in USAID, other African countries, and the U.S. with respect to best practices in planning, implementing, managing and monitoring education activities within compliance with established strategies and regulations;

In coordination with the Program and Financial Management Offices ensures correct funding levels and appropriate expenditures are maintained and accounted for; ensures that funds are used appropriately and within budgetary limits; analyzes expenditures for approval and approves corresponding documentation; and prepares budget analyses for Activity monitoring and reporting;

Works with the Contracting Officer, ensures that all activity procurement actions are coordinated in a timely fashion with contractors/grantees;

Designs or directs appropriate research activities to collect information from a variety of sources.

Uses this information to prepare factual, statistical, and analytical reports, on the effectiveness of education, both written and oral; and, Reviews necessary activity appraisal and contractors' performance reports. Drafts and presents other activity documents for clearance, consideration, and approval. Takes the lead in drafting responses to incoming related correspondence, ensuring Mission clearance and timely responses.

Conduct / Travel / Reporting / Liaison

The EOD will handle all assigned work either independently or, as required, as part of the teams identified above, according to established Mission policies, practices and programmatic guidance, and in accordance with all applicable USAID regulations and guidance as provided in the USAID ADS and elsewhere. The EOD is expected to make independent judgments that can be defended as necessary. As a highly qualified professional, substantial reliance is placed on the employee to independently plan and carry out the specific activities entailed in fulfilling major duties and responsibilities. The employee will resolve problems that arise by determining the approaches to be taken and methodologies to be used, developing, coordinating, and clearing proposed solutions with all necessary parties, and taking appropriate actions necessary to resolve the problem.

Travel within the DRC is required. The EOD will be required to prepare and provide reports as required to effectively carry out the duties and responsibilities described above. The EOD will also provide in writing such reports on work progress or advice on education issues as may be required from time-to-time by Senior Mission Management or other senior USAID officials.

The EOD will also submit trip reports on all travel performed during the contract period.

The EOD will maintain contact and interact technically and professionally in a highly collaborative manner with a wide range of parties, including high level officials of the DRC, and other international organizations; senior officials of DRC government ministries; and experts provided under assistance programs sponsored by non-governmental organizations and foreign government donors. The EOD will also be required to interact with officials of other USG agencies involved in education endeavors. The EOD will also closely coordinate with the Mission’s other technical offices and Program Office on all matters of mutual programmatic interest.

D. POSITION ELEMENTS

a. Supervision Received /Exercised: The EOD will work under the general supervision and policy guidance of the Deputy Mission Director or his/her designee. The Deputy Mission Director or his/her designee will review and approve the EOD’s work plan and performance measures. Supervision will be generally confined to weekly staff meetings and scheduled bi-weekly consultations.

In carrying out specific assignments, the EOD will consult and work closely with the

GDRC, international donors and their implementing partners. The EOD will also work closely with senior USG officials of USAID and the Department of State.

The EOD is expected to work independently with limited guidance, to take initiative, to oversee two USDH staff and to supervise four professional PSC and FSN staff as required.

As EOD, he/she will work closely with members of other technical and support offices in the Mission, as well as other USG agencies and implementing partners who will implement the full range of USAID/DRC’s programs over a strategy period.

b. Available Guidelines: The incumbent is required to understand and analyze Mission and

Agency-specific policies and procedures which govern implementation of educational development activities, in addition to the USAID/DRC established administrative operating procedures, policies and formats. The incumbent will be required to be proactive in keeping abreast of evolving guidelines and policies which affect overall support to educational reform within the DRC Mission, including but not limited to the Automated Directives System (ADS), Mission Orders, Mission Notices, USG Procurement regulations, and USAID and State Program Strategy and Policy Documents.

c. Decision Making / Exercise in Judgment: At the full performance level, it is expected that the incumbent will exercise considerable independence and decision making authority in carrying out duties, subject to final review by the Mission Director.

d. Authority to Make Commitments: The incumbent will have no independent authority to commit U.S. Government (USG) Mission funds.

e. Nature, Level and Purpose of Contacts: Contacts are with senior management within and outside USAID, which may include Congressional staff, other U.S. government officials, and government officials from other countries as appropriate, consultants, contractors, grantees, or business executives.

f. Complexity: Analyzes inter-related issues of effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of individual contracts, grants and cooperative agreements. Develops detailed plans, goals, and objectives for the long-range implementation and administration of the education program, and/or develops criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Decisions concerning design, planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating individual educational development activities are complicated by the difficulty of operating in a politically sensitive country. Coordination of several grantees and contractors requires in-depth knowledge of the educational background, capabilities and interests of the government of the DRC.

E. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

A base of one year with the option of up to four one-year extensions, for a total contract period not to exceed five years. Exercising the options to extend will depend on continuing need of services, availability of funds, and satisfactory or better performance.

F. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA:

1. Education (15 points):

a) A graduate degree in international education, international relations, African regional studies, or a related field required;

2. Experience (50 points):

a) A minimum of 10 years work experience in educational development, training, African development, or a related area, preferably working for an international donor organization with programs fostering development of education, is required.

b) A minimum of 10 years of progressive levels of authority and responsibility managing programs, resources and personnel in overseas, developing country settings, with at least four years of work experience in Francophone Africa.

c) A minimum of five years of experience in strategic planning and education program design, program planning and budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation of education and training activities is preferred.

d) Experience resolving problems in a team context, while maintaining an aggressive work pace, in order to produce results under intense scrutiny is strongly preferred.

e) Experience living and working under harsh, difficult and/or dangerous conflict or post-conflict conditions preferred.

f) Experience and familiarity with Africa, particularly the DRC, and sensitivity to socio-cultural aspects bearing on education within an African context is desirable.

g) Knowledge of USAID management and monitoring systems is a plus.

3. Knowledge and Abilities (35 points):

a) Program Oversight: Demonstrated ability to provide oversight of large complex activities that are implemented under challenging social and political conditions.

b) Demonstrated ability to function with minimal supervision to address complex and challenging interagency and political dynamics is required.

c) Program Design and Implementation: Experience-based knowledge of USAID educational design, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge of USAID budgetary and procurement processes and property management principles in a developing country context, preferably with an international donor organization.

d) Analytical Skills: Demonstrated analytical and independent decision-making skills in demanding work environments.

e) Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Ability to engage in discussions with government officials, other donors, international implementers, non-governmental organizations, U.S. Embassy and USAID officials.

f) Verbal and written communication skills: including word processing proficiency, demonstrated ability to prepare required reports in proper format and language.

g) Computer and Administrative Skills: A demonstrated ability to perform with minimal administrative or secretarial support is required. The successful candidate must be computer literate.

h) Cultural Environment: Knowledge of African history and its cultural/work environment is desirable. Knowledge of the history and culture of DRC is a plus.

i) Language Abilities: Must be fluent in English and French - proof of US Dept. of State Foreign Service Institute or equivalent of Speaking and Reading at least Level 3 is required.

j) Ability to creatively identify, propose and win support of major stakeholders to solve complex issues and to work collaboratively.

Maximum Points Available: 100.

G. APPLYING:

Qualified individuals are requested to submit:

1. A U.S. Government Standard Form 171 or Optional Form 612 (available at the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/procurement- bus - opp/procurement/forms or internet http://fillform.gsa.gov, or at Federal offices)

2. All applicants must submit a cover letter addressing how they meet the required qualifications for this position (see Qualification section of this Solicitation). Each of the expected qualifications should be addressed in the cover letter.

3. Three references, who are not family members or relatives, with telephone and email contacts;

4. Biographical Data Sheet – Form AID 1420.

Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter.

To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any cover letter. The highest ranking applicants may be selected for an interview. USAID will not pay for any expenses that may be associated with the interviews.

H. COMPENSATION

This position is classified at a U.S. Government GS-15 level ($101,630 to $132,122). The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated within the GS-15 salary range depending on qualifications and previous salary history. Salary is not negotiable beyond this range. In addition, USAID/Kinshasa mission is a post with a 30 percent differential and currently has a 50 percent

COLA.

I. MEDICAL AND SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

1. The successful applicant must receive medical clearance for serving in Democratic

Republic of Congo. Details of how to obtain US Department of State Medical Unit medical clearance will be provided once a job offer is made and accepted.

2. The successful applicant must be able to receive USAID security clearance that involves applicant's comprehensive background investigation performed by a US Government Agency.

The successful applicant must be able to report to post in Kinshasa, DRC to assume duties promptly upon medical and security clearances being granted.

J. NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS)

NUMBERS:

All individuals contracted as PSCs are required to have a DUNS Number. USAID will provide a generic DUNS Number and PSCs are not required to register with CCR.

For general information about DUNS Numbers, please refer to FAR Clause 52.204-6, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number (10/2003) http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/current/html/52 200 206.html#wpl137568