Education Program Specialist

ATTACHMENT 1: Solicitation 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL-669-12-000019 2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 31, 2012 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME: September 17, 2012 / 4PM Local time 4. POSITION TITLE: Education Program Specialist, USAID/Liberia 5. MARKET VALUE OF POSITION (Base Pay): GS-12. ($60,274 - $78,355). Salary is not negotiable beyond this range. Salary to be paid within this grade will depend on experience, qualifications, and salary history. The standard compensation package also includes a contribution for life and health insurance and a contribution to FICA. - 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year, to start on or about December 2012 with the possibility of extensions. Extensions will depend on the need for continuation of such services, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance. 7. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: United States (US) citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residency) & Third Country Nationals (TCN) NOTE: ALL ORDINARY RESIDENT APPLICANTS MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENT PERMITS ALLOWING WORK IN LIBERIA BEFORE BEING ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. 8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Based in Monrovia, Liberia 9. JOB DESCRIPTION: Basic Functions The incumbent will be based in the USAID/Liberia Mission in Monrovia. S/he will serve as a member of the USAID Education Team, working to support overall internal operations and to streamline and standardize processes that support more effective portfolio management. The incumbent will also interact regularly with other offices within the USAID Mission, including the Financial Management, Contracts and Program Offices. S/he will accomplish work related to the conceptualization, design, documentation, and management of development assistance projects. S/he will play a key role in data and information management and analysis and in reporting on program budgets, work plans, performance management plans and overall activity performance. Major Duties and Responsibilities Program Design & Administration (50%) Coordinate and support new activity design, program evaluations, procurements, and ongoing implementation actions in support of the Education Office, including facilitating stakeholder consultations and cross-team collaboration, as appropriate; Draft and review scopes of work and independent government cost estimates for new projects, evaluations, special studies or personnel; Serve as the Education Team point of contact for unsolicited proposals; Support the Education Office in carrying out Agency and USAID/Liberia priorities, strategies, and directives; Provide input into USAID/Liberia's review of documentation submitted to USAID/Washington; Assist the Education Office in identifying innovative and best practices for education projects through online research, in-country collaboration, work with USAID/Washington and in collaboration with the Program Office; Provide monitoring and evaluation support to project managers as needed, including through field visits to education project sites. Financial Management & Performance Reporting (30%) Working closely with the Office of Financial Management, provide overall coordination and internal monitoring and analysis of the Education program budget; Maintain all Education Office budget documentation, including pipeline analyses, and provide regularly briefings to the Education Team on this information; Serve as the Education Office's liaison with the Mission's Liberia Monitoring and Evaluation Project (L-MEP), assisting the Education Team with the use of the performance and data management PIDS system; Lead the internal tracking of performance indicators and results and coordinate the annual Operational Plan and Performance Plan and Report (PPR) preparation processes for the Education Office; Contribute to the organization and writing of other official planning and performance reports. Program Information Management & Communications (20%) Prepare and maintain office briefing materials, sector profiles, fact sheets and other core communication materials in collaboration with the Mission's Development Outreach Coordinator (DOC); Support the preparation of events materials, including speeches, talking points, success stories and press releases for education projects; Serve as the primary point of contact for preparation of materials for portfolio reviews; Meet with stakeholders to provide information on the education portfolio. The incumbent will also perform other duties as assigned and/or required.