US/TCN Development Outreach and Communications (DOC) Advisor, GS-14 - Madagascar

Dear Offerors,

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking offers from qualified individuals to provide personal services as the Development Outreach and Communications (DOC) Advisor in Madagascar under contract as described in this solicitation. Offers must be submitted in accordance with the Attachment of this solicitation. USAID will evaluate all offerors based on the stated evaluation criteria. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offer.

USAID encourages all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.

The U.S. Agency for International Development mission to Madagascar, USAID/Madagascar, with an annual program budget of approximately $170 million, manages programs in health, food security, environment, democracy and governance, agriculture, and education. The Mission also manages disaster and emergency responses and a nascent development programming in Comoros. The DOC Advisor reports directly to the USAID/Madagascar Program Officer Director and works with Mission and Embassy leadership and staff to implement development, outreach, and communications efforts to increase awareness of USAID assistance programs in Madagascar and Comoros. The DOC Advisor leads the Mission’s communications efforts and is responsible for overseeing and managing all outreach and communication endeavors for the entire USAID assistance portfolio in Madagascar and Comoros. S/he leads the two-person DOC unit in Antananarivo, works closely with the Mission Writer/Editor, and collaborates and liaises with communications specialists and points-of-contact across USAID/Madagascar, the U.S. Embassy in Antananarivo, USAID implementing partners, Government of Madagascar officials, USAID/Africa Bureau, USAID/Washington, and other stakeholders. The DOC Advisor is a member of the USAID Senior Staff team in the Mission. S/he interacts with senior managers throughout the Embassy, with local and international press contacts, with senior Government of Madagascar and visiting U.S. government (USG) officials.

The required minimum qualifications include:

-    a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in public relations, public affairs, communications, journalism, marketing, public administration, or an area relevant for international development programs; 

-    A minimum of five years of demonstrated successful work experience in communications, public relations, journalism, or related field, successfully increasing awareness of a service or a program, directing outreach campaigns to a variety of audiences, and working in a developing country, and in an international development context;

-    A minimum of three years experience in building capacity on communications/public relations topics, and leading a team;

-    Experience in writing reports, working with international development programs, planning and executing events, and utilizing social networking media for public communications; and

-    Level V (native proficiency) in English. At this level an employee is required to possess a high degree of proficiency in both written and spoken language in English.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the Attachment.

Sincerely,

Orion Yeandel
Contracting Officer