Peace Corps Roving Regional Management and Operations Advisor - Personal Services Contractor (Intermittent and/or Full-Time Position(s))

INTRODUCTION: DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION Peace Corps seeks individual candidates highly experienced in management and operations with the ability to travel on extended assignments to support posts in the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia (EMA) or Africa (AFR) Region as a Roving Regional Management and Operations (M&O) Advisor (RA) personal services contractor (PSC). The RA is a dynamic position that provides expert guidance, support, and leadership to overseas operations, and collaborates across Peace Corps countries administrative units to develop a body of knowledge, practices, and procedures. The role of the RA is to provide administrative support on an as needed basis to Peace Corps overseas posts and the assigned Region. The RA may be assigned to an overseas post's administrative team during staffing gaps, for training purposes, for special assignments (post assessments, new country entry, crisis/emergency management, post closure, etc.), and/or for other purposes as determined by Peace Corps. The RA identifies and shares best practices across the Region, participates in posts staff regional communication, working groups, and projects, and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and adoption of Standard Operating Procedures. The RA is a senior staff member actively involved in all aspects of Peace Corps overseas operations, including programming and training, ensuring overall Volunteer support, and responding to emergencies to protect the health and well-being of Volunteers, staff, and property. The RA provides support and mentoring to an administrative unit composed of host country national staff that may include a Deputy Director of Management and Operations (DDMO); Financial Manager, Specialist, and/or Assistant (FM/FS/FA); Cashier; Administrative Assistant(s) (AAs); General Services Manager and/or Assistant (GSM/GSA), Information Technology Specialist and/or Assistant (ITS/ITA), Drivers, and/or Guards. The RA provides training and guidance to all staff, including post leadership, on topics such as time management, federal budget processes, best practices for customer service, personnel management, travel policies, occupational safety and health, financial management, and budget development and execution. The RA provides support for post administrative operations such as budget formulation and execution, human resource management, procurement, contracts management, property management, information systems administration, and all aspects of general services support including vehicle fleet management. The RA maintains and develops responsive and effective administrative procedures and ensures ongoing evaluation of their effectiveness. The RA also provides technical advice and guidance to staff and Volunteers on a variety of policy and post management issues. The RA reports to, and is supervised by, the Regional Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The duties will be carried out in consultation with the CAO, as well as Country Directors (CDs), Directors of Management Operations (DMOs), FMs/FSs/FAss, GSM/GSAs, and ITS/ITAs at overseas posts. The RA will be expected to submit a detailed report to the CAO, CD, and DMO (and others, as directed) after each assignment. See attached Statement of Work (SOW) for complete description of responsibilities. With the applications received in response to this advertisement, Peace Corps may, at its discretion, fill one or more RA PSC position(s) which may materialize within six (6) months following the closing date of this advertisement, or may decide not to fill any such PSC positions. All PSC positions are subject to the availability of funds and continued need. WORKING CONDITIONS: The anticipated personal services contract(s) will be Assignment-Based/Roving. The Contractor will be assigned to various posts throughout the EMA or AF Region on an as-needed basis under the direct supervision of the CAO of EMA or AF Region. The RA will be assigned to a post for all working days of their contract. The RA must travel to the post of assignment and will be expected to physically be present in the commuting area of that post of assignment for the length of that assignment. The PSC will not be assigned to work at/from the United States. The Contractor will not be assigned to work at/from the Peace Corps post/facility in their country of citizenship, if one exists. This is not a remote work position. Any Peace Corps telework policy that applies to other personal services contractors in the country of assignment also applies to the Contractor. The anticipated personal services contract(s) will be for a one-year period with up to four (4) one-year option periods, exercisable based on satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and continued need. Depending on specific position requirements, the anticipated personal services contract will be written as one of the following: Full-time: Typically 260 workdays authorized per contract year (10 workdays per two-week Pay Period (PP)) and 26 PPs per contract year) with a minimum of 80 hours each PP. Intermittent: When on assignment, the Contractor's schedule will be full-time (averaging a minimum of 8 hours per workday, with 10 workdays in a PP), with up to 195 workdays authorized per contract year (which is subject to change at Peace Corps discretion each year). No minimum number of workdays authorized per contract year or workdays per contract year actually worked are guaranteed. Periods of increased work are expected while away from the office on in-country travel and during the periods when working in a delegated Acting capacity or handling the duties of post M&O staff. Further, the RA may be required to hold a duty phone and/or to respond to off-hour calls or attend off-hour meetings (i.e., nights, weekends, and holidays) related to their position. The RA is ineligible for additional pay or leave (e.g., paid leave, holiday pay, or overtime pay) for work performed off-hours (i.e., nights, weekends, and holidays) or for hours spent working beyond their minimum work schedule. The selected applicant(s) must follow all health and safety guidelines as specified by the position by the Peace Corps. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Daily pre-tax compensation will be negotiated within the appropriate range for the position at the discretion of the Peace Corps Contracting Officer. Items of consideration may include salary history and experience. Benefits will be offered for this position in accordance with guidance provided by Peace Corps' Sub-Office of Acquisition and Contract Management. Benefits may include the following, depending on citizenship/permanent residence of the selected applicant, Full-Time vs. Intermittent status, and for Intermittent RAs, workdays authorized within a given contract period: Medical emergency evacuation insurance or limited United States Embassy health unit access Health insurance premium partial reimbursement Housing or Lodging/Utilities while on assignment (may be provided under a Travel Authorization (TA) with reduced meals and incidental expenses payments if the lodging includes a kitchen) For Full-Time RAs, note that: Some paid vacation/annual leave and sick leave will be included with the contract. The Full-Time RA may earn Home Leave. Most individuals will not qualify as dependents, and when they do, reimbursement of dependent-related expenses and eligibility for Peace Corps-provided assistance to dependents (e.g. securing a visa for the country of assignment) under a full-time contract are very limited. For Intermittent RAs, note that: No paid vacation/annual leave or sick leave will be included with the contract. Any days not worked while under contract will be unpaid. Also, no dependent expenses will be paid for by Peace Corps, nor assistance (e.g. securing a visa for the country of assignment) for dependents will be provided by Peace Corps. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: An applicant is considered to be minimally qualified if they submit a complete application by the deadline, and show evidence of having met the following criteria in their application materials: Bachelor's degree in related field. Minimum seven years of experience in administrative operations, such as budget formulation and execution, human resource management, procurement, contracts, property management, supervising computer system administration, and general services support. Minimum five years of experience providing administrative support to international volunteers, students, or interns. Minimum five years of experience living and working in transitioning or developing international countries. Minimum five years of supervisory experience as a first-level supervisor or higher. Minimum three years of experience providing training and/or mentoring to management staff on administrative procedures. Minimum two years of experience conducting assessments and preparing written reports. Ability to communicate professionally orally and in writing in English. Ability to appropriately work in confidential situations. Ability to travel to overseas posts for undefined periods of time. Have confirmed in their application materials that they know of no impediment to complying with the following requirements: Completing a background investigation and security certification prior to contract award and maintaining their status throughout the period of the contract. For US Citizens, a Top Secret security clearance is required. Completing a medical evaluation and doctor's note or medical clearance for overseas assignments within the EMA or AFR Region prior to contract award and maintaining their medical status throughout the period of the contract. For US Citizens, a Worldwide Department of State medical clearance is required. For US Citizens, obtaining and/or providing proof of having international health insurance coverage (to include coverage for overseas hospitalization) prior to contract award and maintaining the coverage throughout the period of the contract. Successfully registering in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) prior to contract award and maintaining active registration throughout the period of the contract. Receiving payment in US dollars via electronic funds transfer (EFT) throughout the period of the contract. APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS: Interested applicants should submit the following materials together via e-mail to the Point of Contact and Secondary Point of Contact listed. Please include "Application for Regional M&O Advisor, Solicitation #1145PC24R0002" in the e-mail subject line. Completed and signed Application Form (a blank Application Form is an attachment to this solicitation), and the attachment indicated therein (e.g. current resume or CV) All documents must be in English or translated into English. Peace Corps does not accept responsibility for technical issues or glitches that cause application materials to be received past this cutoff date. Peace Corps reserves the right to delay the application review and/or evaluation process, should it be in their interests to do so. Only the submitted application materials of those candidates that have been found to be technically qualified upon initial application review (i.e., submitted a complete application package, have been determined to have met all of the required qualifications stated above) will move further along in the evaluation process. Additional steps in the evaluation process will be as described below. All candidates found to be technically qualified upon initial application review will have the application materials they submitted reviewed further in accordance with the following evaluation criteria: Education beyond the minimum requirements (which may include certifications, master's degree, and/or doctorate). Experience beyond the minimum requirements in one or more of the areas described above (e.g., years of experience providing administrative support to international volunteers, students, or interns as defined above) and/or evidence that the experience was gained either working at Peace Corps or in a M&O role at another international organization (i.e., one with extensive operations outside of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia). Familiarity with M&O approach, guidance, policies, procedures, and systems at Peace Corps or another international organization (i.e., one with extensive operations outside of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia). Fluency or proficiency in languages spoken in Peace Corps countries in the assigned Region. The most highly ranked candidate(s) following the paper application review process described above will be invited to complete one or more interview(s), which will cover, at a minimum: The applicant's training, skills, and/or experience in the areas specified in the Statement of Work. The applicant's accuracy and/or style when responding to scenarios and/or problem statements. The applicant's English proficiency and professional comportment during the interview. Please also note that the following may also be evaluated by Peace Corps: Past performance in similar positions (both formal and informal information regarding past performance may be sought by Peace Corps and considered). Past performance information may be obtained on both hard skills (i.e., technical experience and expertise, quality and timeliness of work product produced, etc.) and soft skills (i.e., professional judgment, professional demeanor, leadership abilities, ability to work as a member of a team, etc.). Country or Region-specific experience related to the possible countries of assignment. Skill in language(s) related to the language(s) utilized in countries of possible assignment. The highest ranked candidate(s) following the interview(s) will have their references checked and/or past performance reviewed. Based on the outcome of those additional application reviews, interview(s), and/or reference checks, applicant(s) may be tentatively chosen to fill open RA PSC position(s) for Peace Corps. Please note that: Peace Corps reserves the right to not evaluate the application of or to withhold an offer of a personal services contract to an individual that has a history of poor past performance or conduct as a Peace Corps Trainee, Volunteer, or staff member (USDH, PSC, or FSN). Peace Corps reserves the right to withhold an offer of a personal services contract to an individual that is a relative or household member of a current Peace Corps staff member. Individuals who have current or prior connections with intelligence activities or agencies through employment, related work, or even family relations may be ineligible for a personal services contract. The selected individual will be required to follow any workplace health and/or safety rules indicated for their position - including complying with any medical and/or training requirements specified for their position in accordance with public health and/or occupational health or safety policies. This may require the individual to submit to a medical evaluation/examination, submit proof of required vaccinations, or submit other medical information to the Peace Corps or another US Government Agency both prior to contract award and/or during the period of performance of the contract. Peace Corps will not discriminate against an applicant because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. FILES ATTACHED TO THIS SOLICITATION: 1. RA Statement of Work 2. RA Application Form