Solicitation-_Management_Specialist_SOL-72030618B00015__GS-09.pdf

ATTACHMENT 1 [SOL-72030618B00015]

*Please see Section 11: Area Of Consideration

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL-72030618B00015

2. ISSUANCE DATE: January 28, 2018

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR

RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS:

February 11, 2018 no later than 16:30 Kabul time

4. POSITION TITLE:

Management Specialist

5. MARKET VALUE:

GS-09 ($43,857 - $57,015)

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance is one year, with the possibility of extensions.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Afghanistan

8. WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens (including Permanent

Residents) and Third Country (non-US, non-

Afghan) Nationals*

9. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: As an employment pre-condition, the successful applicant is required to obtain a Secret clearance

(if U.S. Citizen), or Moderate Risk Public Trust

(MRPT) access authorization (if U.S. Permanent

Resident or Third Country National)

10. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

1) General Statement of Purpose of Contract:

USAID/Afghanistan is the world’s largest USAID Mission with an active portfolio of more than $6 billion. The Mission’s Office of Program and Project Development (OPPD) is the largest of its kind in the world. OPPD is responsible for the Mission’s budget, project design, monitoring, evaluation, database management, donor coordination, bilateral agreement negotiations, gender programming, and environmental compliance.

The incumbent is responsible for all OPPD administrative, organizational, and structural management.

The incumbent is the direct confidant and administrative support to the OPPD Director and is responsible for the administrative needs of OPPD, which includes fifty (50) employees.

The incumbent is responsible for office organization including the management and procurement of all non-expendable and expendable property. The incumbent also coordinates and liaises with Mission Offices and U.S. Embassy Sections regarding administrative and human resource issues, financial disclosure documentation, security, time and attendance

(including all overtime), and on-boarding of all new and Temporary Duty (TDY) OPPD staff

(more than ten (10) per month).

The incumbent is responsible for the management of all office space, both physical and electronic, including OPPD’s official filing systems.

To successfully carry-out these duties, the incumbent supervises at least one (1) CCN administrative assistant as they perform direct support to their OPPD operating units. The incumbent is responsible for their training, both on-the-job and formal, as well as their performance management and provides mentorship on an ongoing basis.

2) Statement of Duties to be Performed:

The incumbent provides administrative and office-management support to the OPPD Director and Deputy Directors. In addition, the incumbent directs at least one CCN administrative assistants as s/he provides further support to OPPD teams across the office. The incumbent has the following duties and responsibilities:

Serves as OPPD’s technical expert on all USAID and U.S. Embassy administrative, procurement, human resources, security, travel, and access systems. The incumbent is a resource and a trainer for all OPPD United States Direct Hire (USDH), Cooperating

Country National (CCN), Third Country National (TCN), and Temporary on Duty

(TDY) staff as to how these systems work. The incumbent directs OPPD administrative staff to provide high-level customer service to all OPPD staff and corrects any deficiencies with immediate action;

Maintains expert knowledge of USAID/Afghanistan and U.S. Embassy operations as well as OPPD development programs: Multi-Donor Trust Funds, Monitoring and

Evaluation Contracts, Gender and Women’s Empowerment grants and contracts, and

Bilateral Assistance Agreements. Collectively the OPPD portfolio exceeds $2 billion.

The incumbent serves as an OPPD Global Acquisition & Assistance System

(GLAAS) requestor;

Facilitates communication and coordination efforts among USAID Offices, U.S.

Embassy officials and staff, and others as needed. The incumbent plans, schedules and arranges program and operations reviews and meetings with other offices, the

Embassy and external sectors;

Coordinates large events across Mission Offices and with U.S. Embassy sections, especially the General Services Office (GSO). These events include semi-annual portfolio reviews, quarterly financial reviews, and other OPPD-led events. Each of these events requires complex coordination of Embassy space, GSO service requests, and last minute flexibility. This also requires extensive document production, dissemination, and storage in conjunction with relevant USAID and United States

Government (USG) rules and regulations;

Implements on-the-job training for OPPD administrative staff and provides oversight and supervision of all their work including the review of documents for editorial changes such as use of correct grammar, sentence structure, format, and typographical errors;

Acts as an outward representative of OPPD and oversees telephone and visitor management exercises the highest levels of customer service;

Manages the OPPD Office Director´s calendar arranging meetings, conferences, and travel. The incumbent also attends meetings, records proceedings, and reports back to the Office Director;

https://www.devis.com/our_work/glaas/ https://www.devis.com/our_work/glaas/

Collects and submits all USDH, TCN, and CCN financial disclosure documentation;

Supervises the completion of routine correspondence and reviews all outgoing correspondence for adherence to format, spelling, and style;

Supervises the assembly of information for reports, briefings, conferences, and follows up on tasks and other actions as assigned;

Oversees the provision of International Cooperative Administrative Support

Services (ICASS) services to OPPD ensuring that OPPD is sufficiently clean and clear of debris and well stocked with office supplies anticipating the various needs of the office;

Serves as the OPPD point of contact for all new arrivals and TDY staff, following up on all e-Country Clearances (eCC), Regional Security Office

(RSO) approvals, housing, computer access requests, office assignments, and all other human resource procedures to help new employees begin their service in OPPD;

Advises, counsels, and mentors all OPPD staff regarding administrative procedures, providing orientation and training to all new staff on the culture of

USAID/Afghanistan and Embassy Kabul ensuring that knowledge is passed down in a way that ensures that local capacity is increased.

3) USAID Consultation or Orientation (if applicable):

The selected applicant shall proceed to the Washington, D.C. area for two weeks of mandatory training to complete the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) and the

Afghanistan Familiarization (FAM) courses (if FAM was not completed within the past five years and if FACT training did not include the ESCAPE Module) prior to proceeding to

USAID/Afghanistan to commence duties as outlined in the statement of work. FACT and

FAM are mandatory courses for service in Afghanistan.

4) Supervisory Relationship:

The OPPD Director sets the overall objectives of the work; however, the incumbent works independently. The incumbent, in consultation with the OPPD Director, develops the deadlines and the work to be accomplished. The incumbent is required to handle a wide variety of situations and conflicts requiring use of initiative to determine the approach to be taken or methods to use when many complex office problems arise that cannot be brought to the attention of the supervisor.

5) Supervisory Controls:

The incumbent directly supervises at least one (1) OPPD administrative assistant, guiding him/her in office policy and procedures to expedite the work of the office. The incumbent also mentors, trains, and resolves difficulties among the administrative staff and the rest of OPPD as appropriate in order to ensure that local staff knowledge of procedures and processes is developed in a sustainable manner. However, the incumbent is expected to provide guidance and mentoring to Cooperating Country Nationals (CCN) staff. The incumbent is expected to provide training, mentoring and daily technical and administrative guidance to the local CCN staff.

11. AREA OF CONSIDERATION:

According to ADS 309.3.3, a “USAID policy is that the use of CCNPSCs is preferred over the use of TCNPSCs in order to integrate the foreign assistance effort into the community, enhance the skills of the cooperating country's population, and contribute to the local economy. USPSCs are also preferred over TCNPSCs with equivalent qualifications.”

Therefore, Unites States National (USN) offerors will be evaluated in isolation first and only when/if there is no USN qualified, only then Third Country National (TCN) offerors will be considered.

For USPSC:

Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident (“green card holder”);

Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled

APPLYING;

Be able to obtain a Secret clearance (if U.S. Citizen), or Medium Risk Public Trust

(MRPT) access authorization (if U.S. Permanent Resident);

Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance (Class 1);

Be available and willing to work additional hours beyond the established 40-hour workweek, including weekends, as may be required or necessary;

Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested;

Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.

For TCNPSC:

Be a Third Country National. Third Country National means an individual: (1) Who is neither a citizen nor a permanent legal resident of the United States nor of the country to which assigned for duty (Afghanistan), and (2) Who is eligible for return to his/her home country or country of recruitment at U.S. Government expenses;

Submit a complete application as outlined in the section titled APPLYING;

Be able to obtain Medium Risk Public Trust (MRPT) access authorization;

Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance (Class 1);

Be available and willing to work additional hours beyond the established 40-hour workweek, including weekends, as may be required or necessary;

Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested.

Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The primary location of work will be on the U.S. Embassy/USAID compound in Kabul, Afghanistan. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

13. POINT OF CONTACT:

Any questions about this solicitation may be directed to: KblAIDHR@usaid.gov.

Note: No in-person appointments or telephone calls will be entertained, unless you are required to have more information about this solicitation.

mailto:KblAIDHR@usaid.gov

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum

Qualifications. Applications will be pre-screened and only those that meet the Minimum

Qualifications will be considered. These are the minimum qualifications necessary to be considered for the position:

a) Education: A minimum of two (2) years (college diploma) or two (2) years progressive study towards a bachelor’s degree with a relevant study in the

Administrative, Secretarial or Management field is required. (Education requirements must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

b) Work Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible and comparable experience as an administrative or office manager with public/private institutions, non-governmental organization, bi-lateral/multilateral organization or

Diplomatic Mission is required. (Work experience requirements must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Evaluation Factors listed will be the basis for evaluating and ranking applicants for the position. Applicants will be scored based on the documentation submitted within the application. Applicants must submit a supplemental document outlining their responses to the evaluation factors in order to be considered. Only the highest-ranked applicants will be interviewed.

1. SELECTION PROCESS

After the closing date for receipt of applications, a committee will convene to review applications that meet the minimum requirements and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Applications from candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements will not be scored. As part of the selection process, finalist candidates will be interviewed.

Reference checks will be made only for applicants considered as finalists. The applicant’s references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities. If an applicant does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the applicant’s cover letter; USAID will delay such reference checks pending the applicant’s concurrence.

2. EVALUATION FACTORS

Those applicants who meet the minimum education and experience qualifications will be evaluated based on the content of their application as well as on the applicant’s writing, presentation, and communication skills. On a supplement document included with the application package, applicants should cite specific, illustrative examples to address each factor. Responses are limited to 500 words (approx. 1/2 typewritten page) per factor.

Applicants should describe specifically and accurately experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to the factor. Applicants should include their name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors will result in the applicant not receiving full credit for pertinent experience.

FACTOR #1:

Demonstrate the ability to multi-task and work as a member of a team that is comprised of individuals from a variety of nationalities.

FACTOR #2:

Ability to analyze problems and provide recommendations/solutions.

The Evaluation Factors listed will be the basis for evaluating and ranking applicants for the position. Applicants must submit a supplemental document outlining their responses to the evaluation factors in order to be considered. Only the highest-ranked applicants will be interviewed.

3. BASIS OF RATING

Applicants who clearly meet the Education/Experience requirements and basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of their Evaluation Factor responses.

Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked will also be evaluated on their interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks. The Applicant Rating

System is as follows:

Evaluation Factors

Factor #1 15 points

Factor #2 15 points

Interview Performance 70 points

Interview questions will revolve around the candidate’s ability to:

Demonstrate the ability to multi-task and work as a member of a team that is comprised of a variety of individuals (Afghan, American, TCN)

Ability to work independently but to also appraise management of significant issues that may require management input

Ability to analyze problems and provide recommendations/solutions

Ability to conduct research and provide appropriate recommendations

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned)

Total Possible Points: 100

IV. APPLYING

All applications must be submitted electronically by e-mail with the subject line SOL-

72030618B00015 – Management Specialist to: kblaidpscjobs@usaid.gov

Attention: Executive Officer

USAID/Afghanistan

Human Resources Office mailto:kblaidpscjobs@usaid.gov

Applicants may submit an application against this solicitation prior the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3 mentioned above unless revised. The highest ranking applications may be selected for an interview.

Qualified applicants must submit the following documents or their applications will not be considered for this position:

1. U.S. government AID 302-3 form which is available at the following website:

https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-302-3

2. A current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

3. A minimum of three (3) professional references with telephone and e-mail contacts, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and email contacts. The applicant's references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities. At least one reference provided should be a current or former supervisor.

4. A supplemental document with written responses to the Evaluation Factors.

Candidates 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 work experience requirement. There is no exception for these requirements.

Short-listed candidates will be requested to provide educational documents such as degrees, diplomas, certificates and other pertinent documents as needed. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in the rejection of their application from further consideration.

Please cite the solicitation number and position title within the subject line of your email application. Any attachments provided via email must be compatible with Microsoft Word

2003 or PDF and not zipped. Note that attachments to email must not exceed 3 MB.

Application letters and forms must be signed. Incomplete and unsigned applications/forms will not be considered.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

The Agency retains the right to cancel or amend the solicitation and associated actions at any stage of the recruitment process.

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES

The Contracting Officer will notify the selected applicant and provide instructions regarding how to complete and submit the following forms:

1. Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306)

2. Medical History and Examination Form (DS-6561)

3. Pre-Deployment Physical Exam Acknowledgement Form (DS-6570)

4. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85)

5. Finger Print Card (FD-258) https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-302-3

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized to the benefits and allowances listed in this section.

1. BENEFITS:

1) Contribution toward Health & life insurance

2) Pay Comparability Adjustment

3) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

4) Annual & Sick Leave

5) Access to Embassy medical facilities, commissary and pouch mail service as per post policy

2. ALLOWANCES (If Applicable)*:

1) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120)

2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)

3) Post Allowance (Section 220)

4) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230)

5) Post Differential (Chapter 500)

6) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600)

7) Danger Pay (Section 650)

8) Education Allowance (Section 270)

9) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

10) Education Travel (Section 280)

* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).

*Eligibilities for allowances are in accordance with Standardized Regulations (Government

Civilians Foreign Areas) based on the type of appointment and Mission Policy.

VII. TAXES

USPSC’s are required to pay Federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare and applicable State income taxes.

VIII. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRAT CLAUSES PERTAINING

TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing USPSC and TCNPSC awards are available at these sources:

1. USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR),

- Appendix D, “Direct USAID Contracts with a U.S. Citizen or a U.S. Resident Alien for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,”

- Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts with a Third Country National for Personal

Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf.

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

3. Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins

(AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/forms http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs

4. 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.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The U.S. Mission 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. The Department of State 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.

https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations