Supervisory Program Budget Specialist JOB AT US EMBASSY IN TANZANIA

Closing Date of The Position: August 31, 2015

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 Supervisory Program budget Specialist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This is a full-time Personal Services Contract position.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

This position is located in the Program Office, USAID/Tanzania. The incumbent serves as the Mission expert on the entire budget for USG foreign assistance activities in Tanzania, currently over $600 million per year and the eighth largest globally. S/he is responsible for developing and managing the Mission program budget and acting as the principal advisor to USAID senior managers and staff, as well as senior staff of other Agencies at Post, in USAID Kenya Regional Mission, and Washington DC, on all aspects of USG program budget planning, implementation, and tracking. S/he serves as the Mission’s primary point of contact with the Government of Tanzania (GOT) for negotiating, managing, and monitoring Development Objective (DO) agreements. S/he also serves as a Mission expert on planning and management of Government-to-Government (G2G) and other host country system assistance mechanisms. S/he liaises with the GOT and other donors to ensure that Foreign Assistance programming is consistent with USG and host country priorities 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. Budget Document Development: 
40% of time 

Under the Program Office Director’s general direction and in collaboration with the Deputy Program Officer, serves as the principal liaison between the Mission and USAID/Washington on all matters relating to the program budget. In this capacity and in collaboration with the Controller’s staff, Contracting Office’s staff, DO teams, and technical offices, leads the preparation and tracking of overall Mission program budgets utilizing FACTS Info, Planning and Performance System, Phoenix, OPS Master, and other Mission-based tracking databases. Independently drafts or oversees all budgetary documentation in the USAID program cycle including budget planning documents, the Mission Resource Request (MRR), the Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ), field support, OYB submissions, individual Country Narratives, congressional notifications, the Operational Plan, and mortgage and pipeline analyses in compliance with the Agency Forward Funding guidelines. In addition, liaises and collaborates with and advises senior staff from other USG Agencies at Post, and as relevant other USAID operating units, to develop and update the inter-agency MRR foreign assistance budget and the budget for all USG activities taking place in Tanzania. Leads the development of Quarterly Financial Review (QFR) materials and facilitates the QFR meeting. Reviews, comments on, and/or recommends amendments to, USAID/Tanzania bi-lateral Grant Agreements or Strategic Objective Agreements (SOAGs) and DO Agreements. Advises the Program Office Director, Mission Director, and Deputy Mission Directors on the most appropriate means of programming and reprogramming funds to achieve greater development impact within the Mission; ensures that all reprogramming actions comply with Agency guidance and regulations.

b. Analysis and Strategic Information:
20% of time 

Independently, analyzes and interprets the policies, laws and programs of the GOT, including the economic, social and governance sectors, particularly as they relate to the achievement of USAID/Tanzania’s approved DOs. Advises the Mission Director and other USAID staff on GOT policies and programs. Updates the Mission Director, the Program Office, and DO teams on the development and/or evolution of multilateral organizations (e.g. World Bank, IMF, etc.) in Tanzania in relationship to the Mission’s and GOT’s strategic programming and budgeting. Explains USAID strategy and policies to senior GOT officials and other Mission’s partners, including program priorities and elements. Independently analyzes Mission budget, procurement and pipeline data to identify potential inconsistencies or concerns, and proactively alert senior Mission staff and Washington and propose corrective actions.

c. Budget Data Management: 
15% of time 

Supervises and advises the Mission’s primary point of contact for program budget data management, particularly related to OPS Master, a data management tool that tracks all USAID planned programming and expenditures within the Mission, and other mission-based budget management databases and tools. Advises on and troubleshoots issues related to OPS Master and other relevant budget databases/ tracking tools, ensuring that discrepancies are resolved, standardized queries are accurate, and data is updated on a monthly basis. Utilizes relevant databases and tracking tools to respond to senior staff inquiries and alert senior staff to any concerns.

d. Liaison with DO Teams and Technical Offices:
15% of time 

Carries out senior liaison duties with the DO teams and technical offices as directed by the Program Office Director or Deputy Director. Participates in DO team meetings within USAID as senior advisor on policy, strategy, budget, and all program-related matters. Leads the preparation of program documents, such as Strategic Objective Grant Agreements and DO Grant Agreements (and Amendments), Implementation Letters, Reprogramming Memos, and official correspondence on policy issues, in collaboration with other Program Office staff and senior level and mid-level staff in technical offices. Builds capacity of and advises all USAID staff on budget-related issues including OPS Master, budget planning, and budget execution.

e. Program Office Liaison with GOT Senior Officials: 
10% of time 

Acts as the main communication link between USAID and the GOT’s highest levels regarding negotiation and execution of Strategic Objective Grant Agreements or DO Grant Agreements (and their Amendments). (The Agreement is the bridge between activity designs and implementation and must be fully executed before implementation activities may begin). Within that framework, s/he serves as the principal contact with the Ministry of Finance on matters related to planning and budget, including the GOT’s development strategy. Coordinates closely with the GOT on G2G planning, development, and negotiations. Represents the Mission, at times, in meetings with GOT officials at high levels. Monitors compliance with agreed commitments, drafting related letters for Mission Director’s signature. Participates in negotiations with senior USAID and director-level personnel in GOT Ministries to obtain agreement on Strategic Objective or DO achievement, budget levels, counterpart contributions, and changes requested by the two parties to ensure that new activities will be properly implemented. Meets and briefs senior USG official visitors and accompanies them in their various meetings with GOT senior officials as escort and interpreter. These efforts are all geared to furtherance of jointly-agreed objectives between the GOT and USAID.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

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

1. Education: Master’s degree in economics, business administration/management, accounting, finance, or other closely related field is required.
2. Prior Work Experience: A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in accounting, financial analysis, financial management, or budget planning and management is required. Seven years of this experience must have been in development assistance or related work for donor agencies, host-government organizations, or private sector institutions and must include experience in program or project/activity design and management, program planning, and budgeting and financial management, ideally with an international development partner, international NGO, or other international organization in Tanzania, or with the GOT in a senior position is required.
3. Language proficiency: Level IV (fluent) in English and Kiswahili (speaking, writing and reading) is required.
4. Job Knowledge: Familiar with political and administrative structure of the GOT: GOT laws, policies and procedures; financial institutions and systems; and the economic and fiscal structure and dynamics of Tanzania. A sound theoretical knowledge of political and economic development issues. While a thorough knowledge of USAID policies, goals, procedures and regulations is desirable from the outset, it may have to be acquired on the job and through participation in the Post Entry Training mentioned in Item 15c, above is required.
5. Skills and Abilities: Must have the ability to identify actions required by both the GOT and the Mission in order to move toward implementation of the policies which have been jointly identified as critical to the host country. Must be able to develop and maintain an extensive network of contacts at high levels of the GOT, donor organizations, and the private sector. Must be able to inspire their confidence and trust and to accurately judge the limits – social, political and economic – to the conditions being negotiated between USAID and the GOT. The position requires strong management, analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills. Must have demonstrable tact and extreme discretion so as to enjoy the full confidence of the Mission Director, the U.S. Ambassador, and the GOT, ensuring that reports, analyses, advice, and recommendations rendered are both objective and accurate is required.

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: (255-22)229 4000, Ext: 4137/4148/4233/4024
Fax: (255-22)229 4726

CLOSING DATE OF THE POSITION: August 31, 2015