The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:   Project Management Specialist (Orphans and Vulnerable Children)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: USAID Uganda Office, Kampala, Uganda

Salary: UGX 157,828,400 to 232,334,711 per annum

Solicitation Number: SOL-72061724R10004

 

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years.  Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda.  The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

 

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Peace Corps

 

Job Summary:   The AID Project Management Specialist (Orphans and Vulnerable Children – PMS/OVC) position is located in the Education, Youth and Child Development (EYCD) Office. This position supports cross-cutting activities within EYCD and regularly liaises with colleagues in other technical offices to ensure coordination of holistic services for OVC.

 

Recognizing the global HIV/AIDS pandemic as one of the greatest health challenges of our time, President George W. Bush announced the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. Uganda receives approximately US$200M in FY funds to support a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment program, including support for OVC, systems strengthening, and overall improvements in service delivery. The OVC earmarked funds amount to approximately US$22M per year and are dedicated to comprehensive child protection and family strengthening services including non-health assistance and HIV and violence prevention programming with young people ages 10-14.

 

The PMS/OVC serves as Agreement/Contracting Officer’s Representative (A/COR) of OVC activities and is a technical expert in OVC child protection, and related technical areas of social service provision and support to OVC.

 

The PMS/OVC is a key member of the EYCD Office. The PMS/OVC provides technical and professional leadership to plan, implement, monitor, and oversee OVC and child protection activities. The PMS/OVC has responsibility for ensuring coordination of OVC programs funded by the USG through a variety of governmental and non-governmental (NGO) partners at provincial, district, and community levels. The role of the PMS/OVC includes planning, designing, organizing, directing, and coordinating development programs and arranging for monitoring and evaluation of activities implemented by NGOs, CBOs, UN Agencies, and other partner organizations through grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts. The PMS/OVC is responsible for PEPFAR and non-PEPFAR program activities that strengthen community-level capability to cope with the hundreds of thousands of children and families affected or infected by HIV/AIDS, to ensure that the OVC program is comprehensive and broad-based, and to ensure that Implementing Partners (IPs) follow the Government of Uganda (GoU) OVC and child protection guidance, as well as USG requirements and guidance for OVC and child protection programming.

 

Requiring a multi-sectoral response to effectively address the needs of OVC participants, all planning, management, implementation and monitoring must be in concert with key USAID focal areas including Education, Health, and Economic Growth. The PMS/OVC is responsible for identifying and building/strengthening linkages with other HIV initiatives and activities, such as pediatric care and treatment, HIV counseling and testing, elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, (EPMTCT), early infant diagnosis, and HIV prevention for youth. Non-health interventions are also required to ensure that children and families are health, stable, safe and schooled..

 

The PMS/OVC applies community-based services knowledge and experience to help achieve higher levels of service delivery for communities, and a better quality of life for in the most vulnerable Ugandan children and families, including those affected by HIV/AIDS.

 

The PMS/OVC reports to the EYCD/OVC Team Leader.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Management – 60 %

The PMS/OVC manages all activities related to OVC in USAID cooperative agreements and contracts. Key program management activities for the OVC Specialist are those included in the A/COR Designation letter and include:

Program Planning

• Provide sound technical advice to strengthen USG program policy in OVC and child protection, based on an in-depth knowledge of household economic strengthening, social protection and service delivery, family strengthening, and community capacity building for child protection. Requires close collaboration and coordination with the health, education, agriculture, human rights and economic strengthening portfolios.
• Develop, in collaboration with office and Mission colleagues the strategic direction for the OVC portfolio, including goals and objectives for long-range implementation of programs.
• Provide planning expertise, such as delineating program focus within PEPFAR relevant guidance and in coordination with cross-sectoral team members.
• Exercise good judgment and discretion in resolving program-related issues and conflicts.
• Identify and propose approaches and metrics for Community-Based, comprehensive social services programs to improve quality and demonstrate impact.

Technical Oversight and Representation

• Contribute to annual PEPFAR Country Operational Plan (COP) preparation and reporting, as well as quarterly reporting.
• Provide technical advice and guidance during USG and external discussions on improving OVC and child protection programs, including advocating for best practices and innovations.
• Provide technical advice and, when necessary, propose corrective action to IPs in the role of A/ COR and ensure programs meet quality standards and planned targets and objectives.
• Define concepts and criteria for new and expanding programs in OVC and child protection and participate in new activities design.
• Represent USAID in interagency technical discussions and with national and sub-national government counterparts, advocating for USG policy priorities and technical best practices in child protection and OVC programming.

Project Management

• Provide continuity to current programs by taking on A/COR responsibilities for existing activities and help stand up new activities providing technical and administrative instruction and guidance. Ensure activity progress, implementation quality and adherence to budgets.
• Participate in Mission review of OVC, child protection, and other technical proposals, to ensure that proposals are technically sound, realistic, and meet the needs of OVC and communities.
• Prepare required authorization documents for signature of the responsible Mission official, track disbursements to program partners and monitor IP spending to detect and prevent fraud or misuse and to alert leadership to any potential budget issues, and ensure IP compliance with USAID and USG contracting and agreement regulations.
• Ensure regular communication , both written and verbal with IPs and sub-national counterparts at all levels.
• Report implementation obstacles to the OVC and Child Protection Team Leader and office leadership and make appropriate recommendations to resolve them.
• Prepare and amend USAID documentation, including Action Memoranda, scopes of work, and budgets for assigned activities in a timely and efficient manner and consistent with USAID regulations and policies.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Assist partners in reporting all essential services provided to OVCs and other vulnerable children and families, in accordance with PEPFARUSAID and Congressional reporting guidelines.
• Supervise the maintenance of project records and the preparation of periodic reports of activity status.
• Conduct and analyze data quality assessments and activity evaluations to monitor activity quality and effectiveness.
• Conduct periodic field visits to identify and assess the quality of services and the impact of program inputs.

Coordination with USG and Key Stakeholders – 40 %

• Maintain regular contact with Ministry officials, in order to enhance appropriate policy development and guidance documents for OVC and child protection implementing partners and other service providers, and to ensure the quality and feasibility of public policies and guidance.
• Effectively explain and, when necessary defend EYCD and USG program and policy priorities to high-level Mission, Embassy, and external counterparts.
• Actively help coordination USAID, PEPFAR, interagency, other USG implementers, and key stakeholders involved in improving OVC and child protection services in Uganda, as well as other donors, Government of Uganda structures, and other principal actors (e.g. through the Social Care and Support Technical Working Group).
• Encourage coordination and collaboration between USAID-funded programs for enhanced service provision, including through site visits and contribution to quarterly EYCD IP meetings.
• Make recommendations for and utilize outside technical assistance, as needed to further enhance implementation of program activities.
• Adjust assigned duties and responsibilities as the OVC and child protection program develops, and as guidance and requirements evolve under PEPFAR or subsequent initiatives – including:
• Organizing site visits and preparation of orientation documents as required.
• Preparing reports for the Mission for internal and external distribution.
• Attending appropriate USAID-sponsored training.

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the USAID job must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Social Work, Psychology, International Development, Community Development, or the equivalent in a job-related field is required.
• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in community-based service provision, with an emphasis on family strengthening, child development or child protection, and/or service provision is required.
• Of those seven years, at least six (6) years must include experience with planning, developing, managing, and evaluating OVC and/or child protection programs and community activities with donor organizations, GoU organizations, and/or NGOs and analyzing program data and presenting findings in written or oral form.
• Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, speaking and writing, is required. Language competence may be tested.

Job Knowledge:

• Strong knowledge of OVC and child protection programming and strategic needs in Uganda and in other sub-Saharan African countries, including lessons learned that are applicable to Uganda; and a thorough understanding of the social, economic, and cultural determinants that contribute to vulnerability of children and families in Uganda.
• Expert knowledge of OVC and child protection policies, including the National Child Policy; Understanding of other donor involvement in OVC, child protection, and social service provision; understanding of community-based care activities and family strengthening approaches; and knowledge of US Government and PEPFAR policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation.
• In-depth knowledge of social systems strengthening, and service delivery is a must.

Skills and Abilities:

• Technical expertise in OVC and/or child protection programming.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working- and management-level contacts counterparts in the Mission, interagency, host government, other donors, and NGOs.
• Ability to work effectively with team and interagency environments, and to train, mentor, and effectively coordinate with others.
• Ability to interpret regulatory directives and related guidance.
• Proficiency in Google Suite (and/or similar Microsoft products), MS Word, Excel, database software, Email, and the internet.
• Strong management skills, including financial and administrative, management, and monitoring skills to track the performance of IPs and activities.
• Ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats.
• Ability to travel within Uganda up to 20% of the time, with occasional international travel.

 

How to Apply:

Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit (Requirements (i) – (v) below are critical for compliance of the offer. Therefore, candidates MUST pay due attention to these):

• A complete DS-174 Employment Application for Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds174.pdf; [click at this link for latest version]. Offerors are required to complete sections 1 through 6 (use additional pages, if needed).
• Cover letter (addressed to the USAID Supervisory Executive Officer) clearly indicating the position for which you are applying and describing how you meet the minimum requirements.
• Complete curriculum vitae/resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, the resume must include:
• Paid and non-paid experience, job title, dates held (month/year). Please specify unpaid or part time work. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year) will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements. (NOTE: Resume and DS-174 work experience should match.)
• Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
• Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards, or accomplishments.
• Name and contact information (phone and email) of three (3) professional references. At least one of the references must be a prior or current direct supervisor.
• Supplemental [separate] document specifically addressing each QRF as outlined in the solicitation
• Copies of Academic Transcripts
• Offers should be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). No other file types will be accepted. All documents should be scanned into one (1) document (one (1) ATTACHMENT) which should not exceed 10MB.

 

Documents should be arranged and scanned in this order:

• DS-174
• Cover Letter
• Complete Curriculum vitae/resume
• Supplemental documents
• Academic Transcripts
• (vi) Submitted offers and documents become the property of USAID and will not be returned.

 

Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I at kampalausaidjobs@usaid.gov Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

All qualified Offerors will be considered regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, national or tribal origin, lawful political affiliation, non-disqualifying handicap, marital status, sexual orientation, affiliation with an employee organization or other non-merit factor.

Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

 

For this position, the subject line of the email MUST read:

 

SOL NUMBER TITLE OF POSITION, LAST, FIRST CANDIDATE NAME Ex: 72061724R10004, Project Management Specialist (OVC)), Smith, Jose

 

Deadline: 21^st March 2024

 

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