Regional Coordinator - Joint Planning Cell, Horn of Africa

The Regional Coordinator - Joint Planning Cell-Horn of Africa (JPC-HOA) will be responsible for ensuring that all USAID JPC-HOA planning, implementation, programming, and reporting is effectively coordinated across the USAID/Kenya, USAID/Ethiopia, and USAID/East Africa Missions. 
 

Minimum Requirements

The position is open to U.S. Citizens currently residing in Kenya.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated. Only short listed applicants will be contacted. If you have not been contacted within one month from the closing date of this advertisement, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Education: The candidate must have a post-graduate degree in a subject that is relevant to humanitarian and development assistance such as     agriculture, natural resource management, economics, international development, or public health (10 points).  

Prior Work Experience: The candidate must have at least seven years of relevant professional experience. Relevant experience is defined as some combination of experience in developing, managing, assessing, evaluating and reporting on development programs; performance-based management and budgeting; strategic planning; and project design. (15 points).  Experience in Africa or other developing region with pastoralist systems and/or dryland development or closely related issues (5 points).

Post Entry Training: Following the successful completion of trial period: USAID Project Management course, or similar such training.  In-house training in contract and financial management.

Language Proficiency: English Level IV (fluent).

Job Knowledge:  (40 points)

• Demonstrated familiarity with one or more of the following sectors or program areas: economic governance; resilience; institutional development and capacity building; community development; private sector development; agriculture/agribusiness; disaster risk management; and/or natural resources management.
• Demonstrated knowledge of broad cross-cutting issues which can impact on the development of a country, such as gender, governance, climate change, food security, internally displaced persons, minority populations, and youth.  
• Demonstrated understanding of program/project planning, design and implementation. 
• Demonstrated understanding of performance monitoring and evaluation.
• Demonstrated knowledge on how to build alliances with international partners and host country counterparts.

Skills and Abilities: (30 points)

• Evidence of excellent team leadership skills and the ability to work effectively and efficiently as a member of a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural team with strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent English writing and editing skills.
• Ability to make cogent arguments clearly and succinctly in written and oral presentations.
• Ability to effectively facilitate and lead discussions and/or meetings.
• Evidence of initiative and proactive engagement with colleagues to complete assigned tasks in accordance with agreed upon timetables.

 

Job Specification

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The  Regional Coordinator - Joint Planning Cell-Horn of Africa (JPC-HOA) will be responsible for: 1) ensuring that all USAID JPC-HOA planning, implementation, programming, and reporting is effectively coordinated across the USAID/Kenya, USAID/Ethiopia, and USAID/East Africa Missions; 2)  promoting effective communication and liaison among the Missions and partners to advance JPC-HOA objectives, including the Global Alliance, USAID/Washington stakeholders, including the Bureau for Food Security (BFS), Africa Bureau (AFR), Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Food for Peace (FFP), and Programming, Policy and Learning (PPL), and with other institutions as necessary, such as IGAD, the Technical Consortium, and others; and 3) providing organizational and management support to the Chair of the JPC-HOA.  He/she will serve as the primary point of contact for JPC-HOA to coordinate the work efforts of the missions carrying out JPC-HOA activities and responding to requests for information, reports, and other tasks.  On behalf of the JPC-HOA Chair, h/she will organize regular JPC-HOA meetings and teleconferences between the Missions and USAID/Washington. 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Regional JPC-HOA Coordinator shall be responsible for the effective and efficient coordination of USAID JPC-HOA activities between and among the Kenya, Ethiopia and East Africa missions, with USAID/Washington stakeholders, and with JPC-HOA external partners, in support of the JPC-HOA Chair. The Regional Coordinator’s activities will include, but will not necessarily be limited, to: 

• Managing communication and coordination among the USAID missions and offices working on the JPC agenda in Kenya, Ethiopia and EA mission and in Washington through e-mail, quarterly conference calls, and periodic visits.
• Support the rotating Chair of the JPC (normally one of the JPC-HOA Mission Directors or Deputy Directors) to gather and organize the information that he or she requires, and to assist with other tasks as needed.
• Organizing an annual regional meeting of the JPC missions, offices in Washington, and their partners, plus other meetings as may be required.
• Coordinating the preparation and distribution of consolidated quarterly progress reports and an annual report.
• Preparing briefing papers and materials for public awareness on activities and events of the JPC missions, offices in Washington, and their partners. 
• Assisting and backstopping the missions in their communication and dialogue with other development partners and international agencies working on humanitarian and development assistance in the Horn of Africa. This function includes maintaining linkages with the Global Alliance partners, and with the JPC for the Sahel in West Africa.
• Liaising with African regional organizations, particularly IGAD, but also the African Union Commission, AU-IBAR, the EAC, ASARECA, and other institutions in the HOA to ensure leveraging of activities and maximize impact of program resources.
• Assisting and backstopping the JPC missions, USAID offices in Washington, other donors, the Technical Consortium, and their partners on the development and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation system to track changes in resilience at the community, national, and regional levels. 
• Facilitates and participates in monitoring and evaluation field visits of USAID implementing partner activities and other relevant programs with a resilience agenda.
• Assisting and backstopping the JPC missions, USAID offices in Washington, and their partners on the analysis and review of evolving regional policies that affect resilience.

POSITION ELEMENTS

1. Supervision Received: Work within the USAID/East Africa Agriculture Team in support of the Chair of the JPC-HOA.  The JPC-HOA Chair rotates between USAID/Kenya, USAID/East Africa, and USAID/Ethiopia on a yearly basis and is usually filled by either the Mission Director or Deputy Mission Director at the mission.
2. Supervision Exercised: As required to fulfill position activities. 
3. Available Guidelines: USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) requirements that are relevant to project planning, management, evaluation and reporting.
4. Exercise of Judgment:  In interpreting guidelines noted above, the incumbent will use considerable judgment in deciding between alternatives and in interpreting, adapting and possibly recommending new guidelines and procedures.  The incumbent will be expected to perform without daily oversight by the supervisor.
5. Authority to Make Commitments: He/she will not make commitments on behalf of the USG, but will be given substantial leeway in discussing development options and alternatives with all parties.  S/he will be expected to keep the supervisor informed regarding discussions that may ultimately result in USG commitments.
6. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The incumbent will interact with high level officials from Horn of Africa Governments and Regional Economic Communities up to Ministers, Members of Parliament, Permanent Secretaries and Directors of departments/institutions; and Country Representatives of local PVOs/NGOs, international organizations and other donor agencies.  These contacts will be used to transmit specific information, obtain required information, and conveying positions/opinions and requests on behalf of USAID.  The incumbent will be expected to ascertain or predict government official reaction to program plans, USAID policies and, through these contacts, keep USAID apprised of reactions to USAID’s development activities.
7. Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: Six months.

HOW TO APPLY

Step 1: Complete the job application questionnaire at www.myjobsinkenya.com/usaid. The applicant must answer all the questions in the Questionnaire. Once this is done, go to Step 2. 

Step 2: Send a letter explaining your qualifications for this position and your up-to-date and resume to nairobihr@usaid.gov. Scan and send all your attachments as one document. The Notice No. (on the top left-hand side of the vacancy announcement), and your name, as it appears on your online application, must be included in your e-mail subject line. Incomplete application packages will not be considered. 

The closing date for receipt of applications is COB July 10, 2013.