The Office of Transition Initiatives Deputy Country Representative - Cote d'Ivoire is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) Position at the GS-13 equivalent level located in Cote d'Ivoire. Applications for the position are due no later than April 27, 2015 at 5:00pm Eastern Time (ET). For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net
Introduction
OTI launched the Côte d’Ivoire Transition Initiative (CITI) program in September 2011, four months after the end of post-election violence. The contested presidential election of November 28, 2010 was a part of the 2007 Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which outlined steps towards reunifying the country which had been divided between a government-controlled south and a rebel-controlled north. Instead of ensuring Côte d’Ivoire’s transition to a stable and democratic country, the contested elections provoked violence and resulted in three thousand people losing their lives, hundreds of thousands being displaced, and an already tense social and political environment throughout the region becoming more inflamed.
Significant progress has been made towards economic recovery and political stability since the 2011 electoral crisis. Since assuming the presidency in May 2011, Alassane Ouattara has promoted economic growth, extended state authority and services across the country, and overseen relatively peaceful legislative and local elections in 2012 and 2013, respectively. However, the underlying causes of the crisis have only been partially addressed, allowing community divisions to deepen and political tensions to simmer. Since 1990, elections have been major sources of instability and violence in Cote d’Ivoire. The Presidential elections in 2015 could emerge as an incendiary flashpoint, bringing to the fore unresolved issues such as nationality/citizenship, ethnicity, land tenure and impunity that were at the heart of the crisis and remain impediments to a successful post transition period. There is concern that these issues could be exploited particularly at the community level to disrupt the electoral process, undermine the gains made during the recovery period, and impede progress towards consolidating and achieving additional political and economic reforms.
Given these issues, the second phase of OTI’s Cote d’Ivoire Transition Initiatives (CITI) program, CITI 2, focuses on increasing community cohesion and resilience and providing support to the 2015 electoral process with a view towards local-level issues. Taking advantage of key partnerships with local government institutions and non-governmental organizations, and utilizing OTI’s ability to rapidly design and implement activities through its small-grant mechanism, CITI 2 concentrates on grassroots solutions to potential flashpoint issues while continuing to strengthen relationships across and within communities. OTI’s programming aims to increase voter access to information and participation in the elections, with the overall goal to further consolidate social cohesion and political stability through an inclusive and credible electoral process.
The Deputy Country Representative is a member of the DCHA/OTI Africa Regional Team and will be based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire along with the OTI Country Representative. The Deputy Country Representative’s principal responsibility is supporting the Country Representative in the development, oversight and management of the Côte d’Ivoire country program. Working closely with the implementing partner staff, the Deputy Country Representative assists in the design and development of grant activities, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The incumbent will be called upon to represent OTI’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the direct supervision of the DCHA/OTI Country Representative or his/her designee, the Deputy Country Representative will perform the following duties:
- Represent OTI interests during meetings with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international donors, and others interested in DCHA/OTI activities;
- Provide continued guidance on the identification and development of projects that meet OTI funding criteria, further OTI programmatic objectives, and complement other projects and programs implemented by other OTI offices, U.S. Government agencies and donor organizations;
- As requested by embassies or USAID Missions, provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model. Support to embassies and USAID Missions may include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming including rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews, and management reviews;
- Evaluate proposals and grant concepts and work with diverse groups, many of which have not previously had international funding;
- Assist the Country Representative in monitoring the performance of OTI implementing partners in the implementation of OTI-financed activities designed to achieve OTI strategic objectives;
- Travel to monitor and assess political conditions, implementing partner operational platforms, meet with potential grantees, host government and other program counterparts, and develop activity ideas;
- Mentor and train OTI and implementing partner field staff as required;
- Take the lead on collecting information and drafting/editing regular reporting products;
- When required, assume higher representational responsibilities, potentially serving as Acting OTI Country Representative in his/her absence;
- Perform a wide range of administrative functions including budget preparation, financial management, records management, and travel assistance, to help ensure programmatic success;
- Coordinate with the OTI Country Representative to develop an exit strategy that ensures reasonable time to transition from OTI programs to follow-on USAID or other donor programs;
- Communicate regularly and share program information with other USAID project managers, the U.S. Embassy, bilateral donors, United Nations organizations, international organizations, and indigenous and international NGOs to ensure visibility and synergy of USAID/OTI activities;
- Support the Country Representative to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;
- When required, report to the OTI Country Representative and OTI/Washington on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation, 2) OTI contractor performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among OTI offices with other U.S. Government entities, 5) security concerns, 6) relations with local partners including local, state and national government representatives, and 7) other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;
- Assist the Country Representative in managing and/or supervising the FSN staff, including program officers, administrative assistants and drivers;
- Supervise staff as delegated by the Country Representative (e.g. Program Managers, Program Assistants, Administrative Program Assistants, etc.). Provide orientation, training, and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel, program and operations requests;
- Perform other duties as determined by the supervisor or OTI Regional Team Leader to ensure successful OTI program implementation.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position. See detailed instructions for demonstrating Education/Experience under "Applying")
At a minimum, the applicant must have:
(1) A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;
AND
(2) Five (5) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis;
(3) One (1) year of overseas field experience working in a developing country, of which six (6) months must include experience working in one or more countries undergoing political transition;
(4) Six (6) months of supervisory experience (including mentoring, guiding, and training staff).
SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
- Applicant is a U.S. Citizen;
- Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements;
- Supplemental document specifically addressing how the candidate meets each of the Evaluation Factors submitted;
- Ability to obtain a SECRET level security clearance (NOTE: Dual citizens may be asked to renounce second-country citizenship);
- Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;
- Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
A USAID Secret level security clearance and Department of State medical clearance are required prior to issuance of the contract for this position.
NOTE: If a full security investigation package is not submitted by the selected within 30 days after it is requested, the offer may be rescinded. If a security clearance is not able to be obtained within four months after the selected submits the initial security clearance documentation, the offer may be rescinded.
NOTE:The selected must obtain Department of State medical clearance within four months after offer acceptance. If medical clearance is not obtained within this period, the offer may be rescinded.
Due to anticipated program needs, individuals should be able to travel to post within 60 days after a contract is awarded.
HOW TO APPLY:
For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please visitwww.otijobs.net
