SOL-685-15-000046_USPSC_USAID-Niger_-_Education_Officer.pdf

USAID/SENEGAL

PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACTOR (US OR TCN PSC)

FOR USAID/NIGER - EDUCATION OFFICER

1. Solicitation Number: SOL-685-15-000046

2. Issuance Date: April 21, 2015

3. Closing Date/Time: 05/12/2015 at 17:00 p.m. (Senegal Time)

4. Position Title: EDUCATION OFFICER

5. Market Value: GS 13 ($73,115- $95,048)

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based upon the candidate’s past salary history, work experience and educational background.

6. Organization Location of Position: USAID/Niger

7. Direct Supervisor: COUNTRY PROGRAM MANAGER

8. Supervisory Control: None

9. Period of Performance: Immediate upon receipt of security/medical clearances.

(A base of one (1) year with an option of three one-year extensions up to a maximum of 4 years. Exercise of option will depend on continuing need of services, availability of funds and satisfactory or better performance.).

10. Place of Performance: USAID/Niger

11. Security Access: The selected applicant must be able to obtain

USAID Security and Medical clearances

12. Area of Consideration: U.S. Citizens/Third Country Nationals

13. Start Date: June 15, 2015

B. Statement of Work for a US/Third Country National Personal Services Contractor (PSC) Education Officer, USAID/Niger

A. Background

1. Niger and its Education Sector

Niger, an emerging democracy landlocked in the increasingly unstable Sahel region, routinely ranks at the very bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. Despite increased economic growth catalyzed by an expanding extractives industry, broad-based development has been hampered by extremely low education levels and multiple concurrent natural disasters due to the country’s vulnerability to climate change. Economic progress is further restricted by an explosive demographic trend that essentially doubles the population every twenty years – fueled by the highest fertility rate in the world, on average 7.6 children for every woman. These challenges, coupled with armed conflicts in neighboring Nigeria, Mali and Libya, risk reversing the important strides Niger has made in the past few years.

In addition to being a basic human right, education is a fundamental building block for individual and societal development. Improved education in Niger, particularly of girls and young women but also of historically marginalized populations such as nomadic herders, would serve as a foundation and a vector of change for much of the work the Government of Niger and its partners are doing to promote resilience and stability. Multiple studies in Niger and similar countries have shown how increased formal schooling, particularly of girls, leads to reduced child and maternal deaths, improved child health, and lower fertility. Learning outcomes matter, too; recent research shows that a child whose mother can read is 50 percent more likely to survive past the age of 5 than a child born to a woman who cannot.1

Currently, Niger’s education statistics weigh heavy on its HDI ranking and the country’s ability to promote inclusive development. With less than 20 percent of girls reaching the 6th grade, a literacy rate of only 30 percent, and a population growth rate of 4 percent, Niger faces some of the most formidable education challenges in the world. Reasons for low attendance and achievement in school include inadequate facilities, insufficient teaching and learning materials, poorly trained teachers, and poor student health. The weak state of public education strains relations between the state and community members.

As in many other developing countries, an emphasis on increasing educational access in Niger as part of the Education For All movement has resulted in huge gains in enrollment. In Niger, this increase has been particularly dramatic, with the gross enrollment rate for primary education nearly doubling over the past decade, from 36% in 2001 to 71% in 2011. While this is an enormous improvement, Niger’s enrollment rates are still quite low compared to other countries in the region,2 and the rates of primary school enrollment and completion for girls, and particularly in rural areas, remains considerably behind those for boys.

Also similar to the challenges seen elsewhere, learning outcomes in Niger are struggling to keep pace with access. Per the most recent scores from the standardized test of the Program on the Analysis of Education Systems (PASEC), Niger ranks lowest in the region measured on combined student test scores for French and math. Furthermore, a recent World Bank/Global Partnership for Education (GPE) analysis of Niger notes that given that “unit costs for primary education in Niger are fairly high (21 percent of GPD per capita in 2010),” increasing learning outcomes would not likely be solved

1 UNESCO, Education Counts: Towards the Millennium Development Goals (Paris: UNESCO, 2010), accessed at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001902/190214e.pdf on March 23, 2015.

2 In 2010, gross enrollment in primary education exceeded 100% for 22 countries out of the 34 African countries for which data exist, World Development Indicators.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001902/190214e.pdf

“solely by allocating further resources but requires that the overall quality and efficiency of primary education system is improved.”3

Quality of learning in Niger is challenged by several issues. One is access to basic learning materials:

almost 20% of the primary schools have no access to any textbooks, and this rate is understood to be much higher in the rural areas. High rates of teacher absenteeism also constitutes a major challenge, reaching more than 18 days during a school year for almost a third of the teachers.4

But as the World Bank and GPE recently concluded, one of the most important factors affecting learning in Nigerien public schools is poor teaching. This is particularly true given the increasing percentage of contractual teachers in the country. In the attempts to increase schooling access, Niger has turned to massive recruitment and minimal training of contractual teachers that have limited schooling themselves. Given this, their teaching training and experience is very limited.

In response to these challenges, the Government of Niger recently launched its new national Education and Training Sector Program for 2014-2024 (Programme Sectoriel de l’Education et de la Formation, PSEF), which follows the 10-year Education Development Program covering 2003-2013.

The new plan includes curricular reforms for the primary grades, of which one objective is to generalize Niger’s long-standing official policy of using national languages as the first medium of instruction in public primary schools. (The current national policy is that all schools are to follow this pattern, shifting from national language to French as the medium of instruction in Grade 4 (Cours Elementaire 1); in the 2014-2015 school year, some 500 of Niger’s 13,000 public primary schools are considered bilingual in this way.)

2. USAID/Niger

With its recent democratic strides, serious human development needs and strategic importance as an island of relative stability in the Sahel region, Niger is coming under increasing attention from the international community and the United States in particular. USAID/Niger is a growing Limited Presence Country Office currently with 13 staff including 3 US Foreign Service Officers and 3 USPSCs, slated to grow to 20 people by year’s end. The Office currently manages and monitors over $200m in development and humanitarian assistance programming, supported by both bilateral and regional funding. USAID/Niger’s regional resilience programming and bilateral assistance is overseen by USAID/Senegal’s Regional Sahel Office in Dakar; additional peace and security programming is overseen by the USAID/West Africa Mission in Accra, Ghana.

The USAID/Niger Education Officer will be an integral member of the USAID/Niger team and will be responsible for managing current education assistance commitments and driving potential development of future USAID education programming in Niger. USAID has been an active member of the education financial and technical partner group in Niger, particularly in support of the new PSEF’s objectives regarding quality in primary education, and continued engagement in this group and in the sector generally is a priority.

The core of USAID’s current education programming in Niger is the $8m Niger Education and Community Strengthening (NECS) project, which runs through June 2016. NECS is a follow-on to the IMAGINE project, which was part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Program.

Plan International is the prime implementer for NECS, in consortium with Aide et Action and a sub-

3 The World Bank, July 2014. Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Global Partnership for Education Fund Grant in the Amount of US $84.2 Million to the Republic Of Niger for a Support to Quality Education Project. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000442464_20140716101718/Rendered/PD F/PAD4440PAD0P1324050Box382141B00PUBLIC0.pdf; p. 4.

4 Rapport d’Etat du Système Educatif Nigérien (2010).

3/10 Route des Almadies B.P. 49 Dakar, Sénégal Téléphone : (221) 33 879 4000 - Fax : (221) 33 869 4101

Internet : http://www.usaid.gov/senegal http://www.usaid.gov/senegal http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000442464_20140716101718/Rendered/PDF/PAD4440PAD0P1324050Box382141B00PUBLIC0.pdf http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000442464_20140716101718/Rendered/PDF/PAD4440PAD0P1324050Box382141B00PUBLIC0.pdf http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000442464_20140716101718/Rendered/PDF/PAD4440PAD0P1324050Box382141B00PUBLIC0.pdf contract to the US-based firm Readsters; the project is in 150 schools in all 7 regions outside the capital, with an MCC-sponsored impact evaluation that also includes 50 control schools.

NECS has two strategic objectives: SO1 is to increase access to quality schooling (especially for girls), and SO2 is to increase early grade reading (EGR) achievement in project schools. To achieve this, the project works very closely with the Nigerien Ministry of Primary Education at the central and local levels.

In its final year, the NECS project will be focused on facilitating an increased institutional uptake of practices supporting results under SO1, and to finishing EGR curriculum development and testing for SO2. All work is well poised to help the Ministry get to the next step on improving primary school access, community mobilization, and learning, and NECS and USAID will be working on these higher-level conversations with Ministry and other education partners from now until the end of the project.

Follow-on programming will depend on the availability of funds and project design to be developed with the Ministry and other partners.

Other USAID-supported education work in Niger includes literacy programming integrated into several other projects, with on-going efforts to improve the synergies between these efforts and in support of an emerging Ministry of Education strategy for accelerating literacy rates in Niger.

B. SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The primary role of the USAID/Niger Education Officer will be to manage current USAID education assistance commitments in Niger and drive potential development of future USAID education programming in-country. As the education development focal point in this small but growing USAID Country Office, the Education Officer will serve as the USAID Country Representative’s technical and policy analyst for education, also contributing to the wider US Embassy Country Team on issues of education.

S/he identifies education priorities and coordinates with USAID/Niger’s Resilience and Democratic Governance/Stability teams in order 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 USAID/Niger’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 is an active member of the local group of international financial and technical partners supporting education in Niger, particularly in the area of promoting quality primary education.

The Education Officer reports to the USAID Niger Country Representative.

C. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Education Officer’s major duties and responsibilities include:

Technical and Program Oversight and Development (40%)

The incumbent serves as the key education specialist and advisor in the USAID/Niger Country Office and with external partners on the global USAID Education Strategy and the USAID/Niger education program.

As a technical resource, advises on and backstops foreign development assistance activities in the area of educational development. Supports activities within educational development sector by reviewing and analyzing data and providing assistance and advice on education issues. Assists in formulating, coordinating, and managing strategy, policies, concepts, procedures, guidelines, and models for education programming in Niger. Analyzes constraints to development, both sector-wide and country-specific, and recommends courses of action. Coordinates assigned activities with other USAID teams, the Department of State, and other USG agencies. Takes the lead in drafting responses to incoming correspondence related to education in Niger, ensuring Mission clearance and timely responses.

Leads the planning for potential future educational projects in Niger, including identifying opportunities for integrating development assistance principles with Niger’s national education sector program;

participating in the formation of policies and guidelines to further education activities; and, coordinating program development, implementation, and performance monitoring plans. Works closely, and in a highly participatory manner, with USAID/Niger’s other programmatic teams, 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.

Acts as a liaison with counterparts in USAID regional and central bureaus to promote the gathering and dissemination of information among USAID Education Teams and to develop agency-wide policies, strategies, performance indicators, assessments, and/or evaluations of programs, as is appropriate. Is the primary contact of AFR/SD and E3/ED for education services assistance and information sharing related to policy, procedures and best practices.

Prepares program/project documents including concept papers, program descriptions. Prepares briefing reports, memoranda, speeches and/or talking points, press releases, sector profiles, project fact sheets, success stories and other essential communication as required for USAID/Niger, USAID/Washington, U.S. Embassy, media, and others.

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.

Serves as an active member of the local group of international financial and technical partners (PTF) supporting education in Niger, particularly in the area of promoting quality primary education, thus playing a pivotal role in the effective management of donor resources directed to improving education and educational facilities in the Niger. Meets bilaterally as needed with other education sector organizations, gathering information about their engagement in the sector, assessing their abilities to support improved education system performance, analyzing opportunities to leverage efforts and resources with USAID/Niger and sharing this information with the USAID/Niger team.

Advises senior USAID/Niger Office and other USAID Mission management on the political, economic and social developments affecting education and educational development in the Niger; coordinates with USAID/Senegal Regional Sahel Office’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.

Administrative Oversight (40%)

As a specialist in the field of Education, the incumbent provides strategic direction, technical counsel and guidance on education issues for USAID/Niger’s strategic, planning and reporting activities;

participating in the development of plans and programs for technical assistance within the sector.

Develops concept papers, project authorizations, and project amendments, in line with Agency regulations and guidance. Liases with Regional Program, Financial Management and Contracting

5/10 Route des Almadies B.P. 49 Dakar, Sénégal Téléphone : (221) 33 879 4000 - Fax : (221) 33 869 4101

Offices based at USAID/West Africa and USAID/Senegal to ensure appropriate budget, project design and implementation tracking in line with the regional and USAID/Niger bilateral strategies for interventions in the education sector. Contributes to the development of USAID's education program strategy and design.

Serves as Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) for USAID/Niger’s current education grant and Contract or Agreement Officer’s Representative (C/AOR) for any future education grants and/or contracts in Niger that may arise during the Education Officer’s tenure. As C/AOR, regularly monitors and evaluates program performance and ensure that relevant and appropriate program documentation is provided. Provides substantive technical and policy input into the Education program implementation documents, including contractor letters, evaluations, ad hoc reports, procurement actions and waivers and other documents related to programmatic objectives and documentation requirements. Assists in generation of annual and multi-year budgets, and other documents as needed. Provides technical monitoring and reporting on the adequacy and accomplishments of technical assistance, acquisition, training and other strategic activities.

Prepares program/project documents including approval/concurrence documents, scopes of work, program descriptions, implementation letters, action memoranda, waivers, environment reviews, financial documents (including quarterly accrual reports) and briefing reports.

Prepares reports on program activities and actions undertaken; also prepares reports on field trips, meetings and other events of significance to the program and its participating partners, stakeholders and sponsors. Ensures effective monitoring and reporting systems are in place and provides technical input in the development of monitoring and evaluation plans. Conducts analysis of program performance and recommends changes in strategic and/or implementation approaches as required. 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;

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. Reviews necessary activity appraisal and contractors' performance reports. Drafts and presents other activity documents for clearance, consideration, and approval.

Plans or Accomplishes Special Projects (20%)

Performs a variety of duties related to special projects involving program issues that contain complicating elements. Manages special crosscutting initiatives and task force groups to accomplish programmatic goals. These groups may review specific programs at the organization or develop new initiatives in various program areas.

Promotes synergies among education activities and, where possible, between Education and Democracy and Governance, Peace and Security, Resilience and Health activities at USAID/Niger and across the Sahel region as needed.

D. POSITION ELEMENTS

a. Supervision Received /Exercised: The Education Officer will work under the general supervision and policy guidance of the USAID/Niger Country Representative or his/her designee. The Country

Representative or his/her designee will review and approve the Education Officer’s work plan and performance measures.

In carrying out specific assignments, the Education Officer will consult and work closely with USAID implementing partners, the Government of Niger/Ministries of Education, international donors and their own implementing partners. The Education Officer will also work closely with senior USG officials of USAID and the Department of State and other agencies as necessary to promote effective programming and whole-of-government approaches in Niger and the Sahel more widely.

The Education Officer is expected to work independently with limited guidance and to take initiative.

b. Available Guidelines: The incumbent is required to understand and analyze applicable policies and procedures of the USAID/Niger Country Office, USAID/Senegal and USAID/West Africa Missions, and USAID worldwide which govern implementation of educational development activities, in addition to the USAID/Niger 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 USAID education assistance in Niger, including but not limited to the Automated Directives System (ADS), Mission Orders, Mission Notices, USAID/Niger 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 Country Representative.

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 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 Niger.

E. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

A base of one year with the option of up to three one-year extensions, for a total contract period not to exceed four 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:

7/10 Route des Almadies B.P. 49 Dakar, Sénégal Téléphone : (221) 33 879 4000 - Fax : (221) 33 869 4101

A graduate degree in international education, international relations, African regional studies, or a related field required. A higher education degree in educational development and/or teaching is preferred.

2. Experience:

a) A minimum of 7 years work experience in educational development, training, African development, or a related area is required, of which 5 years must have been in educational development specifically. Experience working for an international donor organization with programs fostering development of education is preferred.

b) A minimum of 3 years of experience in strategic planning and education program design, program planning and budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation of education and training activities is required.

c) A minimum of 7 years of progressive levels of authority and responsibility managing programs and resources in overseas, developing country settings, with at least 3 years of work experience in Francophone Africa, is required.

d) A minimum of 2 years of experience working on education programs promoting early grade reading is preferred.

e) Experience living and working under difficult and/or high-threat conditions preferred.

f) Experience in the Sahel region, and sensitivity to sociocultural aspects bearing on education within a majority-Muslim, African context is desirable.

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

3. Knowledge and Abilities:

a) Sector knowledge: Demonstrated familiarity with early grade reading program design, materials development, and evaluation required. Familiarity with early grade reading programming in resource-limited environments preferred. First-hand knowledge of early grade reading programming best practices strongly preferred.

b) Language abilities: Must be fluent in English and French - proof of US Dept. of State Foreign Service Institute Level 3 or equivalent for Speaking and Reading for each language is required.

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

d) Program design and Implementation: Knowledge of USAID educational design, monitoring and evaluation, budgetary and procurement processes preferred.

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

f) Professional/diplomatic engagement skills: Ability to engage effectively and with tact in high-level discussions with government officials, other donors, international implementers, non-governmental organizations, U.S. Embassy and USAID officials.

g) Creative stakeholder engagement: Ability to creatively identify, propose and win support of major stakeholders to solve complex issues and to work collaboratively.

h) Verbal and written communication skills: Demonstrated ability to prepare clear, accurate and concise written and oral reports for organizational leadership; ability to communicate verbally in a clear and compelling manner in English and French.

i) Computer and administrative skills: A demonstrated ability to perform with minimal administrative or secretarial support is required. The successful candidate must be computer literate, including MS Suite proficiency (including Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

j) Cultural knowledge and skills: Demonstrated ability to work effectively and respectfully in a multicultural environment is required. Knowledge of African history and its cultural/work environment is desirable. Knowledge of the history and culture of Niger, or another Sahel country, is a plus.

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).

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-13 or GS-14 level. GS-13 requires … GS-14 requires…

The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated within the GS-13 or GS-14 salary range depending on qualifications and previous salary history. Salary is not negotiable beyond this range. In addition, USAID/Niger is a post with a 30 percent differential and currently has a 10 percent

COLA.

I. MEDICAL AND SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

1. The successful applicant must receive medical clearance for serving in Niger. 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 Niamey, Niger to assume duties promptly upon medical and security clearances being granted.

9/10 Route des Almadies B.P. 49 Dakar, Sénégal Téléphone : (221) 33 879 4000 - Fax : (221) 33 869 4101

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#wpl137

All incomplete applications will be rejected

I. SUBMIT APPLICATION

All the above mentioned documents are REQUIRED and must be prepared in English and should be addressed to:

usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov

Attn.: Samuel Carter OR Papa Babacar Niowy Senghor Sup. Regional Executive Officer Human Resources Specialist USAID/Senegal USAID/Senegal

To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number in the application, and as the subject line in any cover letter and/or email, as well as using the address/delivery point specified in this solicitation.

Email subject should be: Health Communications and Policy Analyst Position

II. CLOSING DATE FOR THIS POSTION: May 12, 2015

The US Mission in Senegal provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter or they will not be considered eligible for evaluation or award, unless the Contracting Officer determines that the documents were mishandled by the receiving agency or there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received by the Government installation prior to the time and date specified in the solicitation. You are directed to Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 15.208 “Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals” for further information.

The position will be filled subject to availability of funds.

mailto:usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov

List of REQUIRED Forms

Qualified individuals are requested to submit a U.S. Government Standard Form Optional Form (OF)

612. OF 612 is available at the USAID web site, on www.usaid.gov/forms. Applicants are required to sign the certification at the end of the OF-612. Applications that are received without a signature will not be considered for the position. Applicants that submit their application by e-mail without an electronic signature must send a fax or scanned copy of the signature page in order for their application to be considered for this position. Applicants shall submit a résumé or curriculum vitae and write a brief appendix to the OF-612 to demonstrate how prior experience and/or education and training address the Evaluation Factors listed above.

The following forms shall be completed only upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. A prerequisite for employment is a medical clearance and completed background investigation that reflects one's qualification for employment authorization.

• Medical History and Examination (08-1843).

• Questionnaire for sensitive Positions (for National security) (SF-86); or

• Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85).

• Finger Print Card (FD-258).

References:

Three (3) to five (5) references, who are not family members or relatives with working telephone and e-mail contacts are required. The references must be able to provide substantive information about an applicant's past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to obtain past performance information from any source. If an applicant does not wish for the current employer to be contacted as a reference check, this should be stated in the applicant's cover letter and OF-612. Reference checks will be made only for applicants considered highly rated.

Benefits and Allowances:

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a USPSC is normally authorized the benefits and allowances listed in this section. [NOTE: A contractor meeting the definition of a U.S. Resident Hire PSC, shall be subject to U.S. Federal Income Tax, but shall not be eligible for any fringe benefits (except contributions for FICA, health insurance, and life insurance), including differentials and allowances].

A. Benefits:

(1) Employee's FICA Contribution

(2) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

(3) Vacation & Sick leave (only earned for actual work days)

B. Federal Taxes: US PSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income taxes.

Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPD) and Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs) pertaining to PSCs.

Please refer to the web site below to find the AAPDs and CIBs that apply to this contract. At the home page, please click on Personal Services Contracts.

11/10 Route des Almadies B.P. 49 Dakar, Sénégal Téléphone : (221) 33 879 4000 - Fax : (221) 33 869 4101 http://www.usaid.gov/forms http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/cib/subtect.html

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO): The US Mission in Senegal provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation. USAID/Senegal also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity 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.

http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/cib/subtect.html