Agriculture and Livelihoods Advisor

1. Position Title: Agriculture and Livelihoods Advisor. 2. Market Value: GS-14 Equivalent ($83,445-108,483). Final compensation will be based upon the candidate past salary history and work experience. 3. Place of Performance: Kampala, Uganda. 4. Period of Performance: Two year contract with three one-year extensions depending on continuance of need, demonstrated performance and availability of funds. 5. The Ag. Advisor position requires an individual with solid technical expertise in the area of agriculture development and management. 6. Education: Post graduate degree in agriculture, agricultural economics, business management, or a related field required. 7. Experience: Minimum of ten years of successfully implementing agriculture development activities including: Improved access to inputs; increased production; improved post production storage and handling; increased domestic, regional and international market penetration; facilitation of trade linkages; coordination of USG, donor, and host country government activities; development of agriculture/food policy and standards; improvement of agriculture research and education; development of sustainable natural resource and land use management practices; improvement of nutrition indicators; promotion of gender equity; and participation of the ultra poor in agricultural activities. Emphasis will be placed on demonstrated ability to act as a technical advisor, coordinated activities and stakeholders, developed and managed activities/programmed and COTR/AOTR experience. Certification as COTR, AOTR, CTO or other U.S. Federal Government or equivalent certification or must meet the experience perquisites required to attend certification courses immediately upon employment. 8. Knowledge: Current professional knowledge of agriculture-related development assistance and development approaches to foster food security through agriculture development. Demonstrated technical skills related to the design, implementation, management, and monitoring and evaluation of development projects to achieve USG objectives. Knowledge of governmental acquisitions and assistance regulatory requirements is a plus. 9. Skills and Abilities: Demonstrated ability to manage complex development activities within a portfolio, across Mission offices, and in coordination with other USG agencies and regional and other country bilateral development initiatives and activities. Demonstrated ability to coordinate with host country government officials, professional consultants, U.S. and non-U.S. military colleagues, and local and third country nationals. Demonstrated ability to analyze activities for both technical content and appropriateness to the conditions in the field required. Demonstrated ability to oversee activities and apply regulatory requirements to ensure implementing partners compliance with government standards required. Demonstrated ability to write quality reports and constructively edit work of others required. An understanding of cultural systems/norms and business practices in Uganda or the region a plus. 10. Communications: Fluent English speaking, reading, and writing proficiency is required. Demonstrated excellent communication skills, strong operational, analytical, managerial, and computer skills including ease and skill with using word processing programs, spreadsheet applications, email, the internet, familiarity with Windows applications, and in particular, proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to represent USAID and promote the Mission's goals and objectives to outside audiences required. Notice to Applicants: Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Resident Alien (offshore or resident in Uganda) able to obtain secret security and medical clearance. USAID reserves the right to obtain from previous employers relevant information concerning the applicant's past performance and may consider such information in its evaluation. Introduction: USAID Uganda seeks to hire a U. S. citizen or U.S. Resident Aliens (offshore or resident in Uganda) to serve as sub team leader and provide expert advice and services to support the USAID Uganda Mission in developing, planning, implementing, managing and monitoring the agriculture program portfolio in compliance with the Global Food Security Response and or Advancing Agriculture to End Hunger Presidential Initiative. The contractor will have a leadership role in initiating actions related to strategy, project design, budgeting, implementing, monitoring, analyzing, assessing, evaluating and closing out programs, activities, and/or strategic objectives and operational plans included in the broader agriculture portfolio. Supervise a team of three FSNs. The Advisor shall specifically: 1A. Serve as the Mission's technical expert in agriculture development, particularly as it relates to implementing the AAEH initiative. This will require technical guidance on issues including: Agriculture development (e.g. production input, production techniques, post harvest handling and storage, value-added processing, access to markets, and regional trade); Agriculture sector capacity (e.g. research and development, education, extension services, agri-business practices, access to finance, agri-business environment, and complementary business services sector; Agriculture-related environment concerns (e.g. sustainable natural resource and land use management and global climate change adaptation and mitigation); and Cross-cutting concerns (e.g. gender equity, nutrition, targeting the ultra-poor, and transitioning assistance from disaster relief to development activities in northern Uganda). 1B. Advise the Economic Growth team and Mission management, individual technical officers, and other staff regarding agriculture development, agriculture sector capacity, agriculture-related environment concerns, and cross-cutting themes. S/he provides guidance to the Mission, and/or other USG groups/forums, coordinates information, and builds consensus from various organizations involved in the preparation and approval of various documents. The advisor exercises independent judgment and applies broad technical knowledge of agricultural business conditions and trends in preparing or assuring preparation of implementation documents, concept memoranda and decision papers, briefing memoranda, authorizations, and Congressional Notifications. 2A. Provide analytical leadership and contribute to Mission strategy development to enhance the long-term impact of the USAID agriculture investments. Plan and design mission-specific activities under established and/or proposed program objectives, and is responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of agriculture sector initiatives. Design and/or manage programs addressing agriculture development, agriculture sector capacity, agriculture-related environmental concerns, and cross-cutting concerns. Leverage USG, GOU, and other donor funds to achieve the Mission's goals and objectives. 2B. Provide appropriate/effective programming of Mission resources, planning, development, budgeting, procurement (acquisition and assistance), implementation, monitoring, managing for results, and close-out of agriculture development assistance activities in Uganda. Coach and provide formal and informal training to staff in areas of expertise and develop/implement improved approaches to activity management. 2C. Coordinate closely with USAID/Uganda's offices of Investing in People, Democracy and Governance, Food for Peace, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, Office of Transition Initiatives, the USAID/East Africa Regional Mission, the U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify and exploit opportunities where funds may be leveraged to achieve objectives and results within a - whole of government framework. 2D. Oversee the preparation of reports and records of work accomplishments, and maintain administrative information such as project working files and official files. Coordinate the preparation, presentation, and communication of work-related information to the supervisor, and when required, to Mission Management, the Embassy, the GOU and others as assigned. Inform the supervisor of personnel performance management issues/problems and recommend/request related actions such as: assignments, reassignments, promotions, peer reviews, performance appraisals, and awards. 3A. Review contractor/awardees performance through site visits, correspondence, and telephone conversations for completion of technical programming, recommend cure or show cause notices when the contractor is not in compliance, and conduct contract or agreement reviews to evaluate performance. Monitor contractor/grantee activity through personal contact or review to assure compliance with technical, financial, delivery and other terms of contracts, cooperative agreements or grants. Review official agreement files to ensure no pending administrative actions and that agreements are complete in every aspect and ready to close, and obtain approval of all close out documentation. Prepare as necessary contract and grantee guidance pertaining primarily to program assistance, and approve and provide oversight on annual work plans life of project work plan, monitoring and evaluation plans, and report to the supervisor as required. Following contract award, monitor all the phases of award and closing including: Monitoring implementing partner's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the contracting officer changes in requirements; Interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; Performing technical evaluation as required; Performing technical inspection and acceptance required by contracts or agreements; and Assisting in the resolution of technical problems. 3B. Provide both oversight as well as direction on meeting the goals and objectives of the programs, modification of programs as required and reporting to the Office of Acquisition and Agreements on the status of the work and the quality of the performance. Recommend modification to work plans, changes in the contractor/grantees team and other remedial actions required to meet the goals, expected by USAID. Issue technical directives in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations/Automated Directives Systems requirements for substantial and official communications. Maintain working COTR/AOTR files for each activity managed and periodically review the official files for each activity. Because M&E are basic requirements of USAID management, closely evaluate the results, benchmarks, and milestones of activity M&E plans. Insure that the USAID required indicators from the Strategic Objective/Operational Plan are included and reported in the M&E plans. Perform other similar and related duties as required and assigned by the supervisor. 4. The Ag. Advisor shall be supervised by the USDH Economic Growth Team Leader or designee. For detailed scope of work and evaluation criteria, please send email to gnakaddu@usaid.gov, copy, gmuntu@usaid.gov