U.S. Personal Services Contractor for a Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships in the Global Partnership Division of the Office of Innovation and Development Alternatives (IDEA)

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL-OAA-GRO-12-000003 ISSUANCE DATE: December 14, 2011 CLOSING DATE/TIME: January 4, 2012 POSITION TITLE: Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships, Office of Innovation and Development Alliances (Global Partnership Division) MARKET VALUE: GS-14 equivalent ($105,211 - $136,771). Final compensation will be negotiated within the market value listed above based upon the candidate's past salary, work history and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the GS-14 pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. Candidates who live outside the Washington, D.C. area will be considered for employment but no relocation expenses will be reimbursed. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two (2) year base contract with one (1) option year. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, D.C. TRAVEL: Up to approximately 20% travel; occasional overseas travel may be required for a week or two every six months; however, total travel time period will not exceed more than 1 month a year. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is primarily performed in an office setting. The work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. Temporary Duty (TDY) travel and tele-commuting represent other circumstances affecting working environments. In all instances, all parties represent that the conditions will be suitable and appropriate for work. START DATE: Immediately, yet only after necessary clearances are obtained. SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP: The Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships is a member of IDEA/GP and will report to the Chief of USAID's Global Partnerships Division, possibly through the Team Leader for Strategic Partnerships depending on the incumbent's seniority. SUPERVISORY CONTROL: The Senior Advisor is expected to take initiative, act independently, and manage his/her tasks with minimal direction and supervision. The need for quick response in high profile, complex, and often fluid situations requires the Senior Advisor to exercise discretion and good judgment and operate with certain levels of autonomy, responsibility and authority. Work is evaluated for effectiveness of results and compliance with prevailing policies, regulations, directives and objectives. The Senior Advisor is subject to administrative and policy direction concerning overall project priorities and objectives. Analyses, evaluations, and recommendations developed by the employee are normally reviewed by management officials only for potential influence on broad agency policy objectives and program goals. Findings and recommendations are normally accepted without significant change. SECURITY ACCESS: Secret-level Security Clearance required AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens Only (Secret-level Security Clearance Required) STATEMENT OF WORK: BACKGROUND Public-private partnerships are increasingly critical to producing effective, sustainable development outcomes. USAID has been a pioneer in public-private partnerships (PPPs), and has helped create billions of dollars in partnerships over the last decade. In its recent peer review of US foreign assistance efforts, the OECD's Development Assistance Committee noted that, "since the creation of the Global Development Alliance in 2001, the US has been a leader in promoting public-private partnerships. These increasingly go beyond corporate philanthropy to address core business interests." The Global Partnerships Division (GP) in the Office of Innovation and Development Alliances (IDEA) is responsible for providing the overall leadership of the Agency's partnership efforts, many of which are established as Global Development Alliances (GDAs). GP focuses on two key areas: establishing high-impact partnerships in a select number of issue areas and assisting Bureaus, Offices, and Missions across the Agency in building their own partnership capacity. The partnerships pursued and managed directly by GP are focused on issue areas that are cutting edge frontiers in development, global priorities for USAID, and "Agency-wide goods" that don't fit easily into the missions of other Bureaus. Secondly, GP helps build the Agency's overall partnership capacity by providing thought leadership on PPPs; advising other Bureaus, Offices, and Missions on the partnerships they are pursuing, establishing, and managing; providing training and technical assistance on PPPs and private sector engagement; overseeing a community of practice; assisting with legal and policy issues related to PPPs; and helping to track and coordinate partnerships across the Agency. Two teams, Strategic Partnerships and Advisory Services, address these areas respectively. INTRODUCTION The Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships is a member of IDEA/GP and will report to the Chief of USAID's Global Partnerships Division, possibly through the Team Leader for Strategic Partnerships depending on the incumbent's seniority. The Senior Advisor is primarily responsible for sourcing and delivering for Senior Management signature (at least 1-3 in the first year) high-impact and strategic partnerships related to Agency and GP priorities. Each of these partnerships will be expected to achieve significant, sustainable development outcomes faster or at a lower cost than standard USAID practice. To that end, the incumbent will be required to have a proven track record of conceptualizing, developing, managing, awarding or overseeing grants, contracts, or public-private partnership activities. The incumbent will also serve as an interface between the Division and one or more of the Agency's regional or pillar bureaus (please visit www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/). OBJECTIVE The objective of this recruitment is to ensure that IDEA/GP has a highly-qualified Senior Advisor for Partnerships for the Office of Innovation and Development Alliances, Global Partnerships Division team that will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position. The following duties and responsibilities reflect the typical duties expected of the Senior Advisor for Partnerships, however the work assignments will also be subject to workload and IDEA priorities. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Establishing and Managing Public-Private Partnerships. The incumbent is primarily responsible for establishing (i.e., design, negotiate, close/award) strategic and high impact partnerships related to Agency and GP priorities, and for managing these and other existing partnerships. This responsibility will require the incumbent to proactively identify potential strategic resource partners and establish the necessary relationships where they do not already exist; negotiate and establish partnerships; and ensure that partnerships are successfully implemented. The incumbent will be expected to comply with USAID policies and procedures related to contracts and grants, project design, management, evaluation and reporting. The incumbent will be required to identify and develop (at least 3) major strategic public-private partnership building opportunities and highlight constraints that can be overcome by policy, legislative, or other initiatives, working in collaboration within the Agency and with developing countries or other development partners. These strategic partnerships must represent a significant breakthrough in development in terms of scope and commitment which will be sustained over the long-term without USG support. These partnerships must align with the priorities of the Office. S/he will also prepare briefing materials, trip reports, and meeting and periodic read-outs on public-private building activities. Provide thought leadership on public-private partnerships. The incumbent is expected to maintain expertise in the field of public-private partnership, and serve as a resource for GP and the Agency on this topic. S/he should be able to provide thoughtful analysis and advice on: different models of partnership and when to use them; how to improve USAID and GP's ability to engage partners, and to develop and implement strategic public-private partnerships; how to effectively monitor, leverage, and evaluate partnerships; issues and areas that hold promise for public-private partnership; and future trends related to public-private partnerships in international development. Assist Bureaus, Offices, and Missions in developing and managing public-private partnerships. The Global Partnership (GP) division is set up with two teams, Advisory Services and Strategic Partnerships. The incumbent will be assigned to the GP Strategic Partnership team and may be tasked occasionally to support the functions of the Advisory Services team. The incumbent may also be asked to contribute to reviews of Country Development Cooperation Strategies and other planning and strategy documents to ensure that documents reflect state-of-the-art thinking about the role that public-private partnerships and private-sector engagement can play in development. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum Qualifications listed below. These minimum qualifications determine basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position. - Demonstrated experience (i.e., through substantial and closed deals) in design, implementation, management, oversight, assessment, and evaluation of international development programs, private sector activities in developing countries/emerging markets, corporate social responsibility programs, or public-private partnerships; - Demonstrated experience working for an international development organization on economic growth/private sector development, health, education or agriculture issues, or working for a private sector organization on issues related to developing countries/emerging markets, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, or public-private partnerships; - Demonstrate a minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working on international development, economic growth, health, education, or private sector development; - Demonstrate a minimum of two (2) years experience working on economic growth/private sector development in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean, Eastern Europe and/or the countries of the former Soviet Union or in other developing and transition countries in similar stages of development; - A PhD and/or Master's degree in economics, business, finance, agriculture, public health, international affairs, public administration, or a related field and/or a JD degree. - U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain U.S. government security clearance, in accordance with USAID hiring policy.