The Ugandan Jobline

 

 

Job Title:   Project Management Specialist (HIV-AIDS)

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

Reports to: Procurement Agent

Solicitation Number: 72061724R10007

 

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 US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) represents the US government response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Thanks to American leadership and generosity, alongside the work of many partners, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, averted millions of infections, and changed the course of the epidemic. As countries progress towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control, the point at which new HIV infections have decreased and fall below the total number of deaths among HIV-infected individuals, PEPFAR is now undertaking the challenge of controlling the pandemic.

 

The Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS) (the “Specialist”) will support planning, implementation, program and activity design, budgeting and monitoring of HIV/AIDS projects. S/He will provide programmatic and technical guidance and assist in the development and management of HIV-related programs. The jobholder will work collaboratively with other staff in the Health Office, other offices in the Mission, the Ministry of Health, and other development partners to support a coordinated, strategic approach to various HIV/AIDS-related programming. S/he will serve as a Contract Officer’s Representative/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) or Activity Manager. The jobholder will support the implementation of the planning of new activities design; help Project Design Teams in drafting acquisition and assistance-related documents; develop project financial documents, revisions, and/or amendments; and generate reports on the status of project activities and finances including projection of expenditures, quarterly accrual of expenditures, and status reports. S/He will also Review project expense vouchers for completeness and accuracy. The Specialist will serve as an in-house subject matter expert on HIV/AIDS and the Mission’s representative in policy, strategic and technical engagements with the host country government, international and bilateral organizations, and donor agencies to address technical issues and coordinate efforts in implementation of HIV/AIDS activities.

 

The position is located in the USAID/Uganda Office of Health & HIV/AIDS.

 

The jobholder reports to the Senior HIV Prevention Advisor and has no supervisory responsibility.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Management

Technical Guidance and Program Planning

• Provide up to date technical guidance on a broad range of HIV/AIDS-related interventions, including providing guidance in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluations of HIV/AIDS programs.
• Provide technical guidance in quality and performance improvement, working with key stakeholders to improve the quality of HIV/AIDS-related interventions, by applying evidence-based guidelines, approaches, and tools.
• Provide guidance to the Mission and the Ministry of Health, serving as advisor for all strategic and policy issues related to HIV/AIDS programming.
• Through literature review, research and regular communication with local and international stakeholders, stay abreast of emerging developments in the national and global HIV/AIDS landscape, and advise accordingly on how policies, strategies, and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain fidelity and relevance in its HIV/AIDS programs.
• Provide technical guidance to other PEPFAR agencies, technical counterparts in Ministry of Health, and to other national stakeholders to advance USAID, USG and PEPFAR strategic objectives related to key HIV/AIDS interventions.
• Provide on-going technical assistance to USAID local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and that services are transparent, equitable, of high quality and responsive to client needs; that partners practice sound management and robust accounting; and that local partners are prepared to assume and sustain leadership. Work closely with other staff in the Health Office and across the Mission to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration and leverage resources across the different program components.
• Effectively communicate and demonstrate technical leadership in interagency PEPFAR technical working groups to ensure USAID strategic priorities are represented, including participation in routine interagency technical discussions, presenting relevant sections of the quarterly PEPFAR country performance reviews, and annual PEPFAR COP strategic planning meetings.
• Ensure that the required audits, reports and evaluations and close-out actions are completed.
• Participate in technical evaluation committees, analyzing applications and evaluating offeror’s proposals to develop recommendations on the selection of applicants or institutions based on their suitability and responsiveness of their proposed technical intervention, and their ability to successfully implement a particular project. S/he will facilitate site visits, public meetings, and discussions with officials as needed and will track overall team budget progress and funding priorities.
• Support in drafting technical documentation such as performance reports, scopes of work, briefing papers, concept papers and conduct analyses to develop strategies, monitor ongoing programs, and report on project achievements and interventions.

Project Management

• Serve as an AOR/COR or Activity Manager on designated HIV/AIDS programs.
• Work with IPs to develop strategic work plans with realistic and measurable targets to support effective implementation of the Mission’s and PEPFAR HIV/AIDS programs.
• Review and approve annual work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, quarterly reports and other key documents of assigned projects. Monitor program resources allocated for HIV/AIDS activities to ensure that they are being used rationally and that there are no cost overruns.
• Ensure quality of HIV/AIDS programs by monitoring compliance to national and international guidelines, approaches and tools and provision of supportive supervisions to IPs.
• Support country-level PEPFAR annual budget preparation process, providing technical assistance to USG financial teams and technical working groups in completing the PEPFAR budgeting tools.
• Provide oversight to the annual HIV/AIDS budget and ensure costs remain within budget planning levels and that efficiency is maximized.
• Provide technical and organizational development guidance to local organizations entailing transfer of knowledge and skills in HIV/AIDS programming, implementation, monitoring and reporting, and quality improvement.
• Lead routine meetings with implementing partners to discuss technical and programmatic direction of the HIV/AIDS program.
• Technically advise and makes recommendations on the need for short-term technical assistance (STTA) from USAID/Washington central projects and write the technical components of the scope of work for the consultants.
• Participate in each stage of project design for new activities, including drafting and obtaining approval for concept papers, writing scopes of work, evaluating applications/proposals, and starting up new projects.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• In collaboration with Strategic Information staff, regularly analyze and interpret HIV/AIDS data to generate key results and trends to assist the Mission maintain a highly nimble program with proven achievement across PEPFAR indicators.
• Contribute to data quality assessments to ensure the quality and reliability of program data.
• Participate in site visits to USAID supported programs to assess the quality of services, provide guidance to implementing partners on newly emerging and highly efficacious approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment interventions.
• Monitor project activities and make recommendations to resolve implementation obstacles to ensure judicious use of USG funds and effective implementation of HIV/AIDS interventions.
• Contribute to and participate in HIV/AIDS-related program evaluations to document and scale up proven best practices.
• Participate in and ensure the effectiveness of Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) and other field visits to improve quality of service delivery.

Representation and Reporting

• Provide strategic and technical leadership in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning and reporting documents including the Country Operational Plan, Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports, among others.
• Prepare reports and responses to a wide range of requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/Washington, Congress and the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD).
• Ensure that USAID successes, best practices and approaches are shared widely with partner country officials, private sector, civil society and other donors.
• Represent USAID and PEPFAR at designated national, regional and international meetings that relate to HIV/AIDS.
• As requested by the Mission Director, Health Office Director or Deputy Director, represent USAID at meetings outside of the HIV/AIDS field when needed.
• Organize site visits and prepare orientation materials for delegations from GHSD, USAID Headquarters, State Department, and other agencies.
• As a member of the PEPFAR Team, respond flexibly and capably to a wide range of work-related requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/Washington, Congress and GHSD.
• Establish working relationships with government officials at the national and district level, donor agencies, civil society organizations, private sector health counterparts and medical associations to enhance regular and timely sharing of information on HIV interventions in the country, including changes in key policies, and legal and regulatory environments that could affect the implementation of USAID programs.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE:  All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

• The applicants for the United States USAID Uganda Project Management Specialist (HIV-AIDS) job opportunity should have a Master’s Degree in Medicine, Public Health, Health, Social Work, International Development, Social or Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Biology, Infectious Disease, Organizational Development, Political Science or Business Administration is required.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible, professional experience in international development or global health programming in developing or middle -income countries, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, is required. Of that experience, at least one (1) year with the USG, other multi-lateral or bi-lateral organizations, and/or NGOs is required.
• Increasingly responsible experience in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health-related initiatives in developing countries.
• Experience in analyzing epidemiological data and translating data into practice.

Job Knowledge:

• Demonstrated in-depth professional understanding of HIV/AIDS interventions, PEPFAR initiatives, and the current priorities at national and global level.
• Demonstrated thorough knowledge of country’s development and HIV/AIDS program dynamics, particularly the social, economic and cultural determinants and implications of the HIV epidemic in the country.
• Demonstrated knowledge of PEPFAR processes through which HIV/AIDS programs are planned, reviewed, approved, implemented, and evaluated.

 

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats.
• Outstanding ability to independently conceive, plan, organize, manage, and evaluate important, diverse and complex work projects, to drive high-level performance and outcomes of USAID HIV programs.
• Demonstrated ability to apply policy directives to activity design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
• Excellent analytical, technical and project management skills to review and provide substantive feedback on concept papers, proposals, program descriptions/scopes of work, performance reports, and other technical and programmatic documents.
• Ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to work effectively with people at all levels, from senior officials to support staff, in a culturally diverse environment, accepting divergent points of view and help find consensus to achieve team goals.
• Excellent computer skills including in Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing, including the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly.
• Ability to travel to regions and districts within the host country, up to 20% of the time, and regionally or internationally up to 10%.
• Language Proficiency: Level IV fluency in English and in the appropriate host-country business language, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested.

 

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: 72061724R10007_ PMS (HIV-AIDS), Smith, Jose

 

Deadline: 3rd May 2024

 

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