DATE:        December 23, 2016 

TO:             All Interested Candidates

FROM:        United States Agency for International Development, Regional Mission for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova (USAID)

SUBJECT: Job Opportunity Announcement # 7, USAID/Moldova

POSITION TITLE:  PROJECT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST-DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

POSITION TYPE: FSNPSC – 40 hours per week

POSITION GRADE LEVEL: FSN-10

ENTRY GRADE LEVEL: FSN-9 (Until the incumbent will successfully complete all mandatory USAID trainings and reach the full performance level of the position)

OFFICE LOCATION: USAID/Moldova, Chisinau

OPENING DATE:  December 23, 2016 

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: January 6, 2016 at 6:00 PM Chisinau time

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS: Interested applicants should e-mail their current résumé and letter of interest in English to the USAID Human Resources Unit at KyivVacancies@usaid.gov.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Mission to Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Cyprus is an equal opportunity employer. 

Note:     Only those applications that are received in the Human Resources Unit before the closing date will be eligible for consideration.  Applications and letters that are inadequate or incomplete will not be considered. Only those applicants who are selected for interviews will be contacted.

Initial screening will be based on the curriculum vitae or résumé and letter of interest. Best qualified applicants who meet minimum requirement will be invited for an interview and test. 

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION:

USAID/Moldova has program responsibility for the development, implementation and oversight of USAID-financed activities in Moldova, as well as the formulation of the overarching strategy within which these activities operate. USAID programs are currently focused on two primary foreign assistance objectives: (1) Economic Growth and (2) Governing Justly and Democratically.

The USAID/Moldova Office manages a diverse and growing portfolio.

The Democracy and Governance Project Management Specialist is located in the Office of Democracy and Governance (DG), USAID/Moldova, Chisinau, Moldova. The Specialist will serve as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) for activities/awards managed by the office, which currently oversees six (6) major activities/awards in three (3) umbrella projects through contracts, cooperative agreements, and grant instruments. Mission DG activities/awards are designed to promote democratic development and good governance within Moldova. The Specialist advises the Office Director and other USAID and USG staff on matters of democratic reform and good governance, including issues relating to government reforms, anti-corruption activities, civil society advocacy and joint projects with other donors (also known as Emerging Donors Challenge Fund -- EDCF). The Specialist monitors democracy and governance events, and prepares analysis and briefing material for the Mission and the Embassy on important trends and directions. The Specialist provides liaison with other donors and works to coordinate efforts and leverage assistance in fields relating the democratic development and good governance. The Specialist exercises well-developed inter-personal and diplomatic skills to build relationships with high-level Government of Moldova (GOM) counterparts, NGO personnel, other donor organization staffs, Mission management, and senior Embassy and USAID/Washington staff. The Specialist develops and monitors budgets for assigned activities/awards, provides senior-level and specialized technical guidance to implementing partners (IPs), and provides administrative approval for payments.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A. Program/Project Development, Management, and Oversight – 60%

• Serves as a COR/AOR and/or Activity Manager for agreements relevant to democracy and governance sector and alternate COR/AOR for any other activities programs in the Democracy and Governance portfolio.
• Manages USAID technical assistance to strengthen civil society, rule of law, and democratic institutions by determining 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; and assuring that activities are carried out in accordance with all applicable Mission and Agency directives and requirements.
• Facilitates high-impact programming; identifies/develops innovative and technically feasible approaches to programming.
• Ensures that the programming reflects best practices and supports USG policy objectives and is responsive to the Government of Moldova’s needs.
• Plans, implements, participates in, comments upon, or prepares Mission reviews and evaluations, assessments or audits of Mission governance activities in relevant areas of responsibility.
• Provides technical guidance to its institutional contractors, grantees, Moldovan Government officials and other stakeholders as warranted with regards to the design and implementation of these activities to meet the intended results.
• Monitors and evaluates programs/activities through site visits, reporting, and trends analysis, as well as facilitates the development of work plans and PMPs, and reviews performance reporting.
• Prepares all necessary internal USAID program implementation documentation for smooth program implementation, including GLAAS actions and other required reporting.
• Continuously identifies and prioritizes challenges and opportunities, mitigating program/activity implementation challenges and acting on program opportunities in a timely manner.
• Cultivates successful relationships and ensures programmatic integration in a cross-cutting manner that leads to synergy between various USAID activities and accomplishment of development objectives outlined in the Mission CDCS.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

B. Technical Advice and Advocacy – 40%

• The incumbent places special emphasis on advancing the democratic processes and institutions in Moldova.
• The incumbent will also serve as a primary resource in solving program issues related to his/her portfolio.
• Provides advice and feedback on program directions and effective solutions to technically complex matters.
• Provides analysis, advice and recommendations to Mission management and staff regarding the management and implementation of democracy and governance activities in Moldova.
• Contributes, as required, in the development of Mission strategic plans, updates to the Operational Plan and other reporting documentation.
• Coordinates and manages democracy and governance assessments and other baseline data collection conducted by USAID or in conjunction with other USG agencies, international organizations, or other donors.
• Develops and maintains close collaborative, professional relationships with working level government and parliament officials, key local leaders, local governments associations, think tanks, other major donors and international organizations, such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, IOM, EU Delegation, EBRD, UNWOMEN, and SIDA. The incumbent also participates in government-led partners meetings; keeps abreast of trends, policies, GoM needs, and other donor programs in the democracy and governance sector.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

a. Education: Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree or the local equivalent formal education in public administration, policy analysis, law, international development, political science, business, communications, public health or other related field is required. An advanced Degree in a similar field is strongly desired.

b. Prior Work Experience: At least five to seven years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience must be directly related to project management in the field of development.

c. Post Entry Training: AOR training course. Participation in job-related seminars, workshops, and development studies programs organized by USAID, and participation the USAID Emerging Leader training course as warranted and appropriate and subject to course offerings and availability of funds.

d. Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English written and spoken is required. Incumbent must have excellent English writing skills, be able to communicate fluently in English, as well as be able to present findings and recommendations effectively in written and oral forms. Romanian and Russian languages are required at level IV (fluent).

e. Knowledge: A thorough understanding of the concepts, principles, techniques, and practices of democratic development and good governance is required. The incumbent must have a thorough knowledge of political, economic, and social current events in Moldova and the region; and of political and developmental realities, prospects, and priorities in Moldova.

f. Skills and Abilities: Ability to establish and maintain contacts with appropriate technical-level officials of the GOM, courts, NGOs, and the donor community. Ability to explain and defend USAID project policies, objectives, and procedures. Ability to plan, develop, manage, and evaluate important programs/projects.

POSITION ELEMENTS:

a. Supervision received: Employee is expected to work independently in planning and carrying out assignments, receiving only general guidance from the Supervisory General Development Officer. In consultation with supervisor, the Specialist plans their own work and establishes priorities. Work is assigned primarily in terms of desired results and suggested approaches. Performance is evaluated primarily in terms of accomplishments.

b. Available guidelines: The incumbent will abide by all Embassy and USAID administrative procedures, USAID's Automated Directives System, supervisor's oral and written instructions, and USAID/Moldova Mission Orders.

c. Exercise of judgment: The incumbent shall demonstrate a professional level of judgment and initiative in order to respond to intra-office, inter-office, inter-agency and inter-governmental activities. Sound judgment is required to deal effectively with government officials. Judgment to anticipate and identify office needs related to administrative and program support is important. She/he is also required to use sound judgment in dealing with implementing partners and other U.S. governmental entities. The incumbent is expected to analyze situations and the requirements to resolve problems. The incumbent must recognize requests for decisions or position papers that require prior USAID review and approval.

d. Authority to make commitments: Commitments are limited to actions within the scope of the position (i.e., advising on when actions will be completed, assuring that required documents will be delivered by a certain time, etc.). No commitments are authorized to GOM officials, international agencies, donor organizations, contractors or grantees.

e. Nature, level and purpose of contacts: Contacts are maintained with all levels of Mission personnel in USAID/Moldova in order to advise and develop strategies for jointly implementing programs. Contacts are at mid to high levels of the GOM, both formal and informal, including the Ministry of Justice, Superior Council of Magistracy and the Supreme Court. High-level contacts are also maintained with NGOs and other donors.

f. Supervision exercised: N/A

g. Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: one year

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:

Interested candidates in order to apply for this position must submit in English:

• Current résumé or curriculum vitae and a letter of interest;
• Mandatory Universal Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (DS-174).

A résumé or curriculum vitae must contain three to five references with current contact information. The Technical evaluation committee shall consider the past performance information obtained from the reference checks in scoring past performance. It is therefore recommended that the applicant alerts the contacts that their names have been submitted and that they are authorized to provide past performance information when requested.

A letter of interest must describe what the applicant understands to be the key responsibilities of the position and highlight the applicant’s qualifications, skills, attributes and past experience to demonstrate suitability for the position and how the applicant meets the requirements of each of the evaluation criteria described above.  The letter of interest may be considered as a writing sample and should not exceed three (3) pages using standard font (12) Times New Roman.