Project Management Specialist: Children And Youth Development

Closing date of the position: October 20, 2014

ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT (OR) APPLICANTS MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

The US Embassy is seeking an individual for the position of Project Management Specialist: Children and Youth Development at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This is a full-time Personal Services Contract position.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The Project Management Specialist (Specialist) for Children and Youth Development leads and supports planning, design, management, and evaluation of activities that facilitate improved health and development outcomes for children and youth. The Specialist works within the Community-based Services team and collaborates with other specialists within the Health Office and the broader USAID Mission to promote comprehensive programs for children and youth. In particular, this position supports interventions that promote community-based health, education, protection, and social services for children and youth. As a core member of the Community Care Unit, the Specialist will develop agency-specific program goals and objectives to improve health and social support services for vulnerable children.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Coordination and Management

50%

The Specialist provides management support to at least one grant, cooperative agreement or contract, which includes reviewing and approving partner work plans; conducting quarterly financial analyses and forecasting partner financial needs; routinely reviewing partner reports and conducting field visits to monitor program implementation; and completing administrative processes, as per USAID policy, to ensure the effective implementation of program activities. At the Mission-level, the Specialist also collaborates with colleagues across the Health Office and other teams within the Mission to facilitate complementarity of children and youth-focused activities across technical and geographic areas. This may involve participating in Mission-level technical working groups, leading joint-site monitoring visits and other similar activities. At the national-level, the Specialist collaborates with the GOT, other donors and civil society to ensure USAID-supported children and youth development programs are responsive to the needs of the Tanzania and well-coordinated with related external initiatives. 

The Specialist will manage USAID programs, as well as develop and coordinate programming between USAID, USG Interagency counterparts (e.g. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the GOT and other key stakeholders. The Specialist will advise and support USAID Tanzania’s Health and Education offices, the USG and the Tanzanian government on implementation of national children and youth development programs and policies. The Specialist’s key programmatic stakeholders will be international and local non-governmental organizations; the USG Interagency team that implements PEPFAR; Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children (MCDGC), Prime Minister’s Office for Regional and Local Government (PMORALG),Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS), and Ministry of Education.

Technical Leadership

30%

The Specialist provides technical leadership and programmatic guidance to the Community Care unit, the broader Health Office, and wider Mission in the areas of children and youth development components of the USAID Tanzania portfolio. The Specialist advises and provides support to interventions in the following (but not limited to) areas: 
- Orphan and childhood vulnerability
- Children and youth development
- Child protection
- Social welfare
- Care and support for children and youth infected or affected by HIV 
- Community-based care and support
- Stigma reduction and enabling environment

The Specialist stays abreast of and translates programmatic best practices and program evidence into the USAID program. In addition, the Specialist identifies areas for further analysis and research, as well as provides technical input into research and evaluation protocols. The Specialist also drafts technical narratives for key planning and budget document such as the Country Operational Plan, semi-annual and annual progress reports, and Congressional Notifications. The Specialist represents USAID within at least one PEPFAR interagency technical working groups and may also participate in national technical working groups with GOT and other development partners to develop appropriate policies for improving children and youth outcomes.

Strategic Planning and Program Development

20%

The Specialist supports the Health Office to plan and develop interventions that contribute to the Health Office and broader Mission goals, which includes: drafting technical documents for routine planning processes such as annual operational plans; advising senior management on priority interventions for children and youth development; participating in annual budget negotiations and allocating resources for program activities; promoting child and youth priorities through participation in Mission-level strategic planning exercises; contributing data and technical input into documents needed for routine portfolio reviews; facilitating the integration of effective outcome and impact indicators into program interventions; identifying program gaps and proposing solutions to address the gaps within existing or new programs; designing strategic frameworks for new program designs; and contribute to drafting solicitations for new activities.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

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

1. Education: A Master Degree or the host-country equivalent in a field relevant to development assistance, such as education, public health, or social work/social sciences is required.
2. Prior Work Experience: Five years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in a Public Health-related area is required. Prior work experience must include program design, management, monitoring and evaluation for Public Health programs on children and youth infected or affected by HIV, (e.g. adolescent, reproductive health, early childhood development, orphans and vulnerable children etc.), education or related program within a limited resource setting. Demonstrated experience of coordinating and engaging with high-level government officials, donor communities and national-level stakeholders.
3. Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) English language proficiency, speaking and writing, as well as written and spoken proficiency in Swahili, is required.
4. Knowledge: In-depth professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate to children and youth development, is required. Technical expertise in early childhood development is highly desired. The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of Tanzania and the health and development challenges faced by vulnerable children and youth within the Tanzanian context. The Specialist must be familiar with international and national policy frameworks that guide child and youth development programs (e.g. National Costed Plan of Action for Vulnerable Children, Tanzania Millennium Development Goals), as well as related Government of Tanzania (GOT) priorities. Furthermore needs to demonstrate familiarity with USAID and USG development assistance in Tanzania. In addition, the Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the organization and respective roles of the different branches in the GOT, in order to enhance the partnership between USAID and the GOT.
5. Skills and Abilities: Program Management and Analysis – The Specialist must have ability to effectively monitor project performance and adherence to donor policies and procedures; monitor and analyze program expenditures, as well as forecast financial needs; analyze and interpret public policies; and assist in the development of revised policies, as required. Desired skills include conducting needs assessments and applying them to program designs, and familiarity with developing logical framework models.
   
   Communication – The Specialist must have excellent English and Swahili language verbal communication skills, tact, and diplomacy in order to establish and develop sustainable working relationships and a high level of trust with senior- and middle-level GOT officials, Mission and Interagency colleagues as well as with public and private organizations and donor agencies. Strong English writing skills are required in order to independently prepare regular and ad hoc reports, memos, program documentation, and briefing papers free of grammatical, spelling and structural errors. The Specialist must also be able to develop and deliver presentations that communicate complex information in an accessible way to a variety of audiences.
6. Leadership: The Specialist must have ability to work effectively in a multicultural team environment with skills in negotiation and collaboration to effectively engage with colleagues, development partners and the GOT to promote policy that improves outcomes for vulnerable children and youth.

SELECTION PROCESS

When fully qualified, US Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) and US Veterans are given preference. Therefore, it is essential that the candidate specifically address the required qualifications above in the application. 

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA

1. Management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, and residency status in determining successful candidacy.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates for this position must submit the following for consideration of the application:

1. Universal Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (DS-174). A hard copy of the application form (DS-174) is also available at the American Embassy, gate 3; or
2. A combination of both; i.e. Sections 1 -24 of the UAE along with a listing of the applicant’s work experience attached as a separate sheet; or
3. A current resume or curriculum vitae that provides the same information found on the UAE (see section 3A below for more information); plus
4. Candidates who claim US Veterans preference must provide a copy of their Form DD-214 with their application. Candidates who claim conditional US Veterans preference must submit documentation confirming eligibility for a conditional preference in hiring with their application.
5. Any other documentation (e.g., essays, certificates, awards) that addresses the qualification requirements of the position as listed above.

3A. If an applicant is submitting a resume or curriculum vitae, s/he must provide the following information equal to what is found on the UAE. 

Failure to do so will result in an incomplete application.

A. Position Title
B. Position Grade
C. Vacancy Announcement Number (if known) 
D. Dates Available for Work
E. First, Middle, & Last Names as well as any other names used
F. Date and Place of Birth
G. Current Address, Day, Evening, and Cell phone numbers
H. U.S. Citizenship Status (Yes or No) & status of permanent U.S. Resident (Yes or No; if yes, provide number) 
I. U.S. Social Security Number and/or Identification Number
J. Eligibility to work in the country (Yes or No) 
K. Special Accommodations the Mission needs to provide 
L. If applying for position that includes driving a U.S. Government vehicle, Driver’s License Class / Type 
M. Days available to work
N. List any relatives or members of your household that work for the U.S. Government (include their Name, Relationship, & Agency, Position, Location) 
O. U.S. Eligible Family Member and Veterans Hiring Preference 
P. Education 
Q. License, Skills, Training, Membership, & Recognition
R. Language Skills 
S. Work Experience
T. References

SUBMIT APPLICATION TO

American Embassy
Human Resources Office
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam

POINT OF CONTACT

Telephone: 229 4000, Ext: 4137/4148/4233/4024
Fax: 2294726 or 2294970

CLOSING DATE OF THE POSITION: October 20, 2014