The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation. USAID Kenya and East Africa anticipates hiring for one (1) position as a result of this solicitation, subject to availability of funds.

Offers must be in accordance with instructions in this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records.

USAID will evaluate all offerors based on the stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.

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 offers.

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

PLEASE NOTE THAT USAID DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING) AND DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON AN APPLICANT’S BANK ACCOUNTS.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72064924R10008
2. **ISSUANCE DATE:**July 15, 2024
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: August 11, 2024 (4:30 PM East Africa Time).
4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Kenya and East Africa and Somalia Human Resources, e-mail atnairobiusaid.hr@usaid.gov.
5. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist (Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries)
6. **MARKET VALUE:**5,565,120.00 KSH to 9,460,674.00 KSH per annum equivalent to FSN-11 grade level in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID Somalia. The salary range provided is inclusive of all allowances and annual bonus. All applicable taxes will be deducted from the stated gross market rate. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years estimated to start o/a January 06, 2025. The services provided under this contract are expected to be of a continuing nature that will be executed by USAID through a series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of funds, the continued need for services and successful performance.
8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.
9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Open to qualified Cooperating Country National (CCN) (an individual who is a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country). Employees presently on probation are ineligible to apply.
10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security certification issued by the US Embassy RSO.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The Project Management Specialist for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries is a member of USAID Somalia’s Economic Growth (EG) Office. The incumbent will be responsible for overseeing large investments by USAID in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries with the goal of improving the livelihoods for large numbers of people in Somalia. The Project Management Specialist should be a respected leader with strong technical capacity in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sector; able to engage high-level Somali government counterparts, international stakeholders, and the private sector.

The Specialist will serve as the hands-on manager or Contracting/Agreement Officer Representative (COR/AOR) for large EG projects, participating in the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of projects. The incumbent should have excellent management skills as the position entails managing one or more contractors implementing activities in Somalia. The incumbent will also advise on sector best practices and participate in coordination and technical meetings and working groups. The Specialist will keep abreast of current trends, publications, and information in order to advise the Mission on strategic planning and programming. The Specialist must work closely with other USAID/Somalia and U.S. Government (USG) staff across the Interagency working on economic growth issues in Somalia as well as colleagues in humanitarian and relief – Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) – who are also funding livelihood-related activities. Given the persistence of shocks and stresses that impact Somalia, particularly drought, the incumbent will be capable of designing and implementing strategies to build the long-term resilience of households and communities.

The assignment requires occasional site visits and other travel to select locations in Somalia in adherence to Mission standard operating procedures including those related to security and safety.

Statement of Duties to be Performed.

Project Management– 70%

The Project Management Specialist for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries serves as the COR/AOR and/or alternate for large grants and contracts and coordinates projects/activities to promote economic growth, employment, and resilience in Somalia. These grants and contracts are implemented by external parties selected through USAID and the Project Management Specialist is responsible for managing their performance to meet USAID requirements.

The incumbent monitors and evaluates managed projects/activities, including project expenditures, through site visits and working through third-party monitors. The incumbent will review project reporting and analyze trends with an eye towards collaboration, learning and adaptation. The incumbent works in close collaboration with the other Specialists in the Mission and with other international donors to avoid overlap and to seek synergy with other projects/activities. The incumbent facilitates the development of work plans and monitoring plans, reviewing and proposing modifications to activity approaches when necessary to better achieve results. The incumbent leads or participates in the review of annual and quarterly project reports and weekly updates, requesting or participating in the preparation of other reports as needed, and coordinates preparations for portfolio reviews. The incumbent prepares or contributes to high quality internal and external reporting and communications related agriculture, livestock, and fisheries activities, such as weekly reports, success stories, and USAID and inter-agency planning and programming documents.

As AOR/COR, the Project Management Specialist is responsible for budget allocation, obligation, and expenditure. The incumbent will be responsible for planning and implementing evaluations and audits. Outreach communications for internal USAID audiences and external stakeholders will be developed in collaboration with communications staff. The incumbent will also manage the project close process. The incumbent is responsible for drafting narratives and providing other inputs into mission planning (Operational Plan) and reporting (Performance Plan and Report; Mission Resource Request, Congressional Budget Justification, etc.).

Technical Specialist and Representational Duties – 30%

The Project Management Specialist actively leads the strategic planning and all facets of project design, including drafting and amending documents and ensuring necessary clearances are in place. The Specialist gathers information, analyzes data, prepares concept papers, scopes of work and other project documents, prepares independent government cost estimates, and evaluates proposals for all agriculture, livestock and fisheries related economic growth activities. As a member of the Economic Growth Office, the incumbent will collaborate with other Offices to strengthen USAID strategic and programmatic directions, and ability to address managed projects/activities, with special emphasis on implementing best practices related to agriculture, livestock, fisheries and broader issues related to resilience in Somalia. The Specialist assists senior USG, Mission, and Office staff in representing USAID to implementing partners, NGOs, Somali government counterparts, donors, and other national and international groups and bodies, in order to develop effective and sustainable strategies for implementing economic growth programs, and the scaling up of activities to meet national and international standards and to achieve national and USAID goals. The Specialist collaborates with other Office members and inter-agency processes in the preparation and presentation of deliverables and assists in monitoring progress toward meeting overall Mission and broader USG objectives.

The Specialist plays a leading role in fostering and managing relationships with cabinet level Somali government counterparts, private sector, donor partners, and other stakeholders, leading or supporting coordination and negotiation efforts in economic growth activities, and for providing technical guidance and leadership as appropriate, participating in partners and coordination meetings. The Specialist represents USAID at official meetings and events and provides written reporting as appropriate. The Specialist coordinates VIP and other short-term technical engagements related to personally managed and Office-wide activities. The Specialist participates in budgeting and financial analysis with other Office staff, and with other Offices in areas related to economic growth activities. The Specialist mentors Project Management Assistants and other administrative personnel, and backstops other Office members.

Supervisory Relationship

The Specialist will work under the supervision of the CCNFSN Project Management Specialist (Food Security). The incumbent ’s immediate supervisor will: 1) establish annual work objectives and performance measures; 2) review work outputs and accomplishments to ensure compliance with agency policies, and implementation of best practices; 3) provide regular feedback to incumbent throughout the performance evaluation period; 4) prepare the annual Evaluation Report(s) as/when required. As the incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of independence, they must be able to establish priorities, adhere to and meet established deadlines, and perform responsibilities and duties with minimal guidance and little or no follow up. The incumbent must be proactive as well as self-motivated.

Supervisory Controls

This position does not supervise other staff.

1. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.

1. Education: Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Business Administration, Economics, Finance or related field is required.
2. Prior Work Experience: Five years of relevant work experience is required, in areas relevant to agriculture, livestock, and fisheries that demonstrate ability to have significant influence in value chain development. Out of the five years, at least two must have been in Somalia or a similar conflict context.
3. Language Proficiency: Complete Level IV fluency (written/spoken/reading) in English.

CCN PSCs may participate in temporary duty (TDY) travel to USAID/Washington and other Missions in order to participate in the Foreign Service National Fellowship Program described in ADS 495maa.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

• Job Knowledge (60 points)

The Specialist must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially in fragile states. The incumbent must possess a comprehensive technical knowledge of agriculture, livestock, and/or fisheries and/or other work related to value chain development. The Specialist must have a sophisticated knowledge of economic, social, and political characteristics in fragile states. The incumbent should have a strong understanding of private sector led development principles and practice. The incumbent must have competency in cross-cultural work and gender in development.

• Skills and abilities (35 points)

The Specialist must have experience both implementing projects in the field and managing others who are implementers. The incumbent should have excellent interpersonal skills in order to establish relationships with key private sector, cabinet level host-country counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders, and strong coordination and negotiation skills to ensure activities are carried out efficiently, effectively, and meaningfully. The incumbent must have demonstrated the ability to rapidly learn new technical areas. Good written and oral communication skills is required in order to represent USAID, speak publicly and give presentations, and develop original reports and other communications products for a variety of audiences and a variety of purposes. The Specialist must have the ability to prioritize among a considerable range of differing tasks and the ability to use critical thinking and innovation to solve problems as well as to develop new approaches. The Specialist must be able to function both independently and as part of a team with a high degree of proactivity, responsiveness, and motivation in order to meet established deadlines. The Specialist must have strong analytical skills to analyze information and evaluate data to inform program and project decisions. Advanced IT skills in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint) and adherence to USAID’s Core Values and Ethical Code of Conduct is required. Given the nature of the position, effective communications (written/spoken/reading) are absolutely critical to perform successfully in this position and must be exceptional. The incumbent must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with: 1) all categories of USG employees at post and in Washington, D.C.; 2) cabinet level Somali government officials; 3) senior officials from International Organizations, Donors, and Embassies; and 4) the general public. The incumbent is required to be able to prepare concise/thorough documents and reports including but not limited to: concept papers; scopes of work; reports; budgets; a range of other project documents for internal and external purposes; human interest stories; and correspondence, all of which must be done in a professional and competent manner requiring little or no editorial changes. The incumbent will also be required to be able to speak publicly in English representing USAID effectively and competently.

• Language (5 points)

Evaluation criteria points will be given to offerors who exceed the minimum language requirement by having the ability to communicate in Somali language.

Total possible points: 100