Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor

ISSUANCE DATE: 11/07/2011 CLOSING DATE: 11/28/2011 Gentlemen/Ladies: SUBJECT: Solicitation for Personal Services Contractor (PSC) No. 51-2011 USPSC Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor, USAID/Central Asian Republics, Almaty, Kazakhstan The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking proposals (Optional Form 612) from persons interested in the PSC services described in the attached. Submissions shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Any questions may be directed to Markus Dausses, Contracting Officer, and Tatiana Rossova, Personnel Specialist, who may be reached at FAX No. 7-727-250-76-34/35/36, or e-mail per.almaty@usaid.gov Offerors should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their proposals. Sincerely, Markus Dausses Contracting Officer ATTACHMENT TO SOLICITATION NO. 51-2011 - 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 51/2011 - 2. ISSUANCE DATE: 11/07/2011 - 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME SPECIFIED FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 11/28/2011 (6 p.m. Almaty Time) - 4. POSITION TITLE: USPSC Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor - 5. MARKET VALUE: $84,697 - $110,104 per annum (GS-14 equivalent) with 25% Post Differential (currently) - 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year (extension optional) - 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Central Asian Republics, Almaty, Kazakhstan - 8. JOB DESCRIPTION: A) BACKGROUND In 2004, the World Bank described the HIV/AIDS situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world. Driven by injecting drug use, high rates of HIV prevalence can be observed among the most-at-risk populations (MARPs) along the drug trafficking routes that run from Afghanistan through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Kazakhstan. Sentinel surveillance conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2007 found prevalence of HIV to be as high as 34% among injecting drug users and 16% among sex workers in parts of Uzbekistan, and 8.4% among prisoners in Tajikistan. Approximately 75% of new infections over the previous five years have occurred in people younger than thirty years of age. While still considered to be a concentrated epidemic, extremely high rates among MARPs as well as repeated healthcare-associated blood-borne outbreaks of infections indicate a potential for future spread of HIV between populations. In 2006-2008, outbreaks of HIV and AIDS were discovered among hospitalized children in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Investigations determined that these outbreaks were due to contamination of the blood supply and use of improperly sterilized medical equipment. A recent study conducted by USAID in health facilities in the Kyrgyz Republic identified seven major gaps in infection prevention and control practices, including overuse of blood products, unsafe injections, and inadequate management of supplies. The quality of laboratory testing for HIV and hepatitis is an issue across the region. A recent World Bank/ CDC study of blood services in Central Asian health systems revealed undetected cases of HIV and hepatitis B and C in blood and blood products that had been screened in local laboratories for these viruses. The USAID/CAR's Office of Health and Education (CAR/HE) provides funding in the areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, family planning and reproductive health and other public health threats. CAR/HE provides technical assistance either directly or through implementing partners to strengthen regional institutions and networks, build the capacity of regional country governments, local opinion leaders, stakeholders and practitioners, and to foster increased political will and participation at all levels to achieve its assistance objective: that Central Asian Public Health Systems better meet the needs of Vulnerable Groups. This objective has four components: 1) a safer medical environment; 2) strengthened public health capacity; 3) improved quality of health services; and, 4) empowered civil society to better respond to health needs. CAR/HE staff work in close collaboration with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other US Government (USG) agencies, National AIDS Programs, other donors (especially the Global Fund) and non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing partners to design, award, manage, monitor, evaluate and report on the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This position is based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with frequent travel to the other countries in the region. - B) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Senior HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor (HIV/AIDS Advisor) provides technical direction and develops, manages, monitors and reports on evidence-based program activities to achieve results under the CAR Regional Mission's HIV strategy and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) strategy and operational plan. The HIV/AIDS Advisor will be USAID/CAR's primary liaison with the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) in the US State Department, with designated Embassies, Central Asian counterparts, and with representatives of the USG PEPFAR Interagency Team. The HIV/AIDS Advisor must be pro-active and provide strong leadership among partners with differing viewpoints and agendas. Proven negotiation and consensus building skills are essential to the position. The HIV/AIDS Advisor is expected to be current at all times on national, development partner, and global mechanisms related to HIV/AIDS in Central Asia, including the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism, donor groups, and others. The incumbent will be a key source of HIV/AIDS technical assistance, both in CAR/Almaty and in the countries of the region. The HIV/AIDS Advisor will have particular responsibility for strengthening and fostering the professional development of the USAID's FSN team, including the regional FSN HIV/AIDS advisor, TB Advisor and Strategic Information Advisor. This includes providing access to state-of-the-art strategic information, mentoring and training for HIV/AIDS program design, monitoring and management and oversight of contractors/grantees. S/he will receive programmatic guidance from the HE Office Director and will assist the Director in coordinating and collaborating on PEPFAR implementation with other USG agencies and with international agency and other donor partners in the region. The incumbent's primary responsibilities include facilitating communications between and among the various USG agencies and partners involved in the Emergency Plan; liaising routinely with staff at CAR/Almaty and its country offices, USAID Washington, OGAC and technical working groups; ensuring proper coordination and communication between USAID and the various coordinating bodies in the region including the Governments, major ministries including the Ministry of Health, and major donors (Global Fund, UNAIDS, World Bank, DfID, etc). S/he will play a lead role in coordinating the development of OGAC reporting requirements to include annual regional and country operational planning and the submission of semi-annual and annual reports and other documentation as required by OGAC and USAID. In addition, s/he will provide advice and counsel to the Mission Director and CAR Senior Management on HIV/AIDS matters, as requested. The HIV/AIDS Advisor serves as the HIV/AIDS subject matter expert for prevention, behavior change, counseling and testing, care and treatment, program planning (both strategy and budget), and program implementation, as well as relevant policy, monitoring and evaluation. This requires the incumbent to have superior technical skills and experience, knowledge and understanding of PEPFAR guidance and directives, development principles and approaches, host country requirements, host government priorities, as well as situational assessment and interpretation skills, timely decision-making ability, extensive judgment in planning and carrying out tasks, and strong interpersonal and team-building skills. The incumbent is expected to be well versed in PEPFAR and USAID policy and requirements regarding all aspects of strategic planning, budget formulation, monitoring, evaluation, and policy dialogue. Duties and responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following: 1) Provides expert programmatic and technical leadership, policy advice, guidance and support to the USAID/CAR HIV/AIDS program, both regional and country-specific (30%) Develops evidence-based program activities designed to achieve results under the CAR Mission's regional and country-specific HIV strategies while supporting the PEPFAR strategic framework; Provides technical assistance in setting strategy and technical guidelines for program implementation with implementing partners; Clearly articulates how HIV/AIDS activities contribute to higher-level USG strategic priorities in each CAR country and in the region; Provides technical leadership to integrate HIV/AIDS activities with other USAID and USG health and non-health initiatives in the region, including cross border and other USG priorities. Participates in reviewing and approving long-term technical strategies, annual work plans, quarterly reports and other implementation planning; Takes the lead to develop and review technical documents and guidelines to include state-of-the-art scientific and policy program data and best practices; Assists the USG team in recommending adjustments to program direction as needed; Provides direct technical assistance to other missions as requested; Provides technical leadership to HIV-related communities of practice in CAR and outside the region; Brings state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS expertise to inform programs and to mentor, train and support the entire health team; and, Develops recommendations for policy engagement with donors, host governments and other actors to improve the enabling environment for HIV-related services in the region. 2) Monitoring & Evaluation, Analysis and Reporting (35%) Collects and analyzes available HIV program and epidemiological data to formulate specific recommendations for USAID program direction and most effective contribution to the CAR PEPFAR program; Tracks performance data from partners implementing USAID-financed activities, as well as from governments and other donor agencies, on a routine basis to provide updated information to the Health team and other USAID Mission senior staff as needed; Provide ongoing assessment of CAR HIV/AIDS and TB-HIV co-infection activities; In collaboration with other USAID and USG colleagues, develops specific monitoring and evaluation plan for USAID programs and staff to ensure strong and proactive oversight of USAID HIV activities under all implementing mechanisms. Coordinates closely with project managers to ensure essential HIV data and performance measures are included in M&E systems and regularly gathered, analyzed and applied to program decisions; Provides support for evaluating selected HIV/AIDS activities by ensuring that performance monitoring systems are in place and in line with OGAC guidance. Takes part in review and approval of annual work plans and quarterly reports of implementing partners; In collaboration with the USAID Strategic Information Advisor, ensures all required components and PEPFAR reporting information are assembled, analyzed and provided to OGAC and other parties as needed for regular and ad-hoc PEPFAR reporting; Prepares regular briefings on PEPFAR program progress, issues and future directions and recommendations to USAID, US embassies and other parties, as needed; and, Generates analysis and responses to ad-hoc information requests from USAID, State Department, OGAC, and other parties. 3) Program Coordination and Networking (30%) Serves as the primary USAID representative on the inter-agency PEPFAR team, negotiating and finalizing program budgets and activities, work plans and other essential planning documents with the inter-agency PEPFAR Team (The incumbent will act under the direction and with the assistance of the HE Office Chief, who will engage with these discussions as needed to arrive at reasonable consensus); Establishes and maintains close, collaborative working relationships with major regional actors such as OGAC, CDC, NIH and other USG agencies, the Global Fund, UN agencies and their regional task forces, multilateral and regional institutions, other donors and foundations in order to relate USAID's priorities and capabilities to those of others in assessing overall requirements in HIV/AIDS; Provides expert technical advice and guidance to assess and improve the performance of GFATM programs related to HIV and TB-HIV to produce greater results; Together with the USAID Regional HIV/AIDS Advisor (FSN), serves as the first point of contact to MOH, other donors and other stakeholders in Central Asia and the US for HIV-related issues; Maintains close contact with the USAID Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA) and keeps up to date on all USAID and PEPFAR guidelines, strategies and other program directives; Together with the Regional HIV/AIDS Advisor and PEPFAR Coordinator, generate a concrete plan and schedule to conduct regular quarterly joint progress reviews of USG PEPFAR activities in the region; Attend regular donor and MOH/stakeholder meetings on HIV-related programs in Kazakhstan and in other countries as needed in conjunction with the Regional HIV/AIDS Advisor and USAID Country Health Advisors; Attend meetings and briefings on PEPFAR program and issues with the Chiefs of Mission in each of the five CAR countries. Provides specific ad-hoc briefings and prepare topical or background papers as needed; and, Prepare and present technical presentations at international technical conferences and workshops, including events sponsored by WHO, USAID, and other donors. 4) Other duties as assigned (5%): Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the incumbent's own interests. C) REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 1) Prior Work Experience: This is a position that requires maturity and a minimum of seven years of experience in public health/development programs in developing countries with demonstrated broad technical knowledge and experience in (a) program analysis and planning, and (b) management of programs in developing countries. At least two years' demonstrated experience in strategic planning, program management and implementation, especially within a developing country or resource-poor setting, HIV experience preferred. 2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving skills working on complex projects in a highly-sensitive, fast-paced environment. Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment. Knowledge of and experience with complex, web-based program planning and reporting databases. High degree of judgment, maturity, ingenuity and originality to interpret strategy; to analyze, develop and present work; and to monitor and evaluate implementation of programs. Ability to manage and work with diverse teams and strong interpersonal communication and excellent oral communication and writing skills. Must be fluent in English (working knowledge of Russian language highly desired but not required) and have demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to clearly and convincingly articulate USAID and USG policy regarding HIV and related topics to a variety of audiences, including host country experts, ministers, and other donors. Proven ability to present convincing evidence-based vision and arguments and build consensus among senior level stakeholders with frequently differing opinions and policy agendas. 3) Education: Master's degree in public health, international health, international relations, social sciences, epidemiology, or related field, HIV concentration preferred. D) Selection Criteria: Applicants will be evaluated against the following criteria: Prior Work Experience: 30 points Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 30 points Knowledge of health sector development, HIV/AIDS issues,: 30 points Education: 10 points Total: 100 points Bonus: Language (level II or above) Russian: 5 points. Grand Total: 105 points (100 required plus 5 bonus points) Notice to Applicants: The 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. F) OTHER REQUIREMENTS 1) Must be an U.S. Citizen and possess or be able to obtain a U.S. Government-issued security clearance at the level of SECRET. 2) Must be able to obtain a State/Med medical clearance to serve in Central Asia. 3) Must be available and willing to commit to the Contract Performance Period of 12 months; 4) Available and willing to work additional hours beyond the established 40-hour workweek and outside established Monday-Friday workweek, as may be required or necessary; and 5) Must be willing to reside in a developing country and to travel throughout the Central Asia Region. 9. APPLYING Qualified individuals are requested to submit an Optional Application for Federal Employment OF-612 including experience, salary history, list of references, and recent sample of his/her written work (maximum 1-3 pages, i.e. policy memo) no later than COB (6 p.m. Almaty time) November 28, 2011. The form is available at the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/forms/. Applications, recent supervisor reference and three (3) personal references, and writing sample may be submitted by e-mail, fax, DHL or FedEx air courier by the closing date, above, to: Tatiana Rossova Personnel Specialist Personnel Office USAID/CAR Almaty 41 Kazibek Bi Street Almaty, Kazakhstan Email: per.almaty@usaid.gov Fax: 7 727 2507634/35/36 Email or faxed documentation is preferred as mail delivery may be untimely. To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any cover letter. USAID/CAR expects to award a personal services contract for an off-shore US Citizen for one-year period commencing as early as practically possible (preferably before December 30) subject to security and medical clearances and funds availability. The duty post for this contract is Almaty, Kazakhstan. 10. Benefits include post differential, housing, and other benefits per USAID regulations. Basic household furnishings will be available in quarters to be provided by USAID. 11. For more information about USAID/Central Asian Republics see Mission's website http://centralasia.usaid.gov/ Attachment 3 AS A MATTER OF POLICY, AND AS APPROPRIATE, A PSC IS NORMALLY AUTHORIZED THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: 1. BENEFITS Employer's FICA Contribution Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance Pay Comparability Adjustment Annual Increase Eligibility for Worker's Compensation Annual & Sick Leave Eligibility for 401(k) 2. ALLOWANCES (if Applicable). (A) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120). (B) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130). (C) Post Allowance (Section 220). (D) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230). (E) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260). (F) Education Allowance (Section 270). (G) Education Travel (Section 280). (H) Post Differential (Chapter 500). (I) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600), and (J) Danger Pay (Section 650). LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs 1. Optional Form 612. **2. Medical History and Examination (DS-1843) or Contractor Physical Examination (AID Form 1420-62). **3. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86), or **4. Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF-85P). **5. Finger Print Card (FD-258). NOTE: Form 5 is available from the requirements office. * Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). ** The forms listed 2 through 5 shall only be completed upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. 3. POLICY GUIDANCE PERTAINING TO PSCs a) ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPDs) and CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs) contain changes to USAID policy and General Provisions in USAID regulations and contracts. Please refer to this website http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/cib/subject.html#psc to determine which AAPDs and CIBs apply to this contract. b) AIDAR: The Agency for International Development Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR) Appendix D - Direct USAID Contracts With U.S. Citizens or U.S. Residents for Personal Services Abroad found at: http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf is the primary regulation governing USPSCs for USAID.