US/TCN PSC GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIALIST

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or third country nationals interested in providing Personal Services for Global Climate Change Specialist position. The Global Climate Change Specialist is a key member of the core team and the expanded teams for the CARPE Operating Unit. Under the general supervision of the CARPE Team Leader, the Specialist has a wide- ranging, pivotal role in functioning and interacting within a highly specialized Team, providing overall program management and planning support, achieving results , monitoring the performance of the CARPE partners and the program overall, and coordination of implementing partners and donors . S/He is expected to exercise considerable independent judgment and initiative in executing all duties and responsibilities, and work with minimal direct supervision. His/her general responsibilities will consist of the following: - Assist the Team Leader in providing management assistance and supervision oversight in the implementation of the entire CARPE program and all its activities. - Serving as Agreement Officer's Technical Representative (AOTR) and/or Contract Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for CARPE contracts, grants and agreements. S/He will also be involved in the planning and administration of interagency agreements (i.e. IAA/PAPA/PASA). - Act as senior resident expert advisor on technical and policy pertaining to sustainable landscape management and climate change policy, practices and international agreements. - Coordinate and provide liaison and technical guidance on the development and implementation of the CARPE program with implementing partners, host country counterparts, and other donors specifically on the subjects of Global Climate Change/Sustainable Landscape (GCC/SL). Specific Responsibilities: 1. Assist the Team Leader in management assistance and supervision oversight in implementation of the entire CARPE program and all its activities: Serve as COTR/AOTR for acquisition and assistance awards under CARPE. In such capacity, the incumbent will (i) Work with the Team Leader, with CARPE Field Offices and with USAID/Washington to coordinate and manage CARPE activities in each participating country and targeted landscape; (ii) Oversee the work of contractors, grantees and recipients to ensure the achievement of the objectives set forth in the statements of work or the program descriptions of the awards and to verify that the USAID-funded activities conform to the terms and conditions of the award; (iii) Recommend in writing to the Contracting\Grant\Agreement Officer when any changes to the statement of work or program description, technical provisions, and/or any other term or condition of the award are necessary, along with justification for the proposed action; (iv) Review contractor and grantee work plans and recommend revisions where needed; (v) Administer financial management responsibilities; (vi) Organize the review of non-competition continuation applications; (vii) Provide oversight for the Operating Unit Files supervisor to ensure that OU files are in accordance with USAID ADS Regulations; (viii) Draft statements of work or program descriptions and prepare necessary funding documents for Requests for Proposal (RFPs) or Requests for Application (RFA); (ix) Plan and administer interagency agreements to ensure effective coordination of activities for result achievement; (x) Promote integration and mutual support of activities implemented under contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and interagency agreements; and (xi) Ensure closeouts of awards in compliance with existing regulations and procedures. b. With the Team Leader's authorization as needed, supervise and provide technical and managerial guidance to other team members on the subject matter. c. Support the Team Leader in program planning, designing and budgeting for the program. d. Prepare and/or contribute substantively to key CARPE documents, including, but not limited to: Obligation and earmarking documents, Congressional Budget Justifications, Annual Portfolio Review reports, Operational Plans, Annual Performance Reports, policy papers, new activity solicitation documents and the financial tracking systems; e. Participate in and/or lead the design and implementation of special studies and/or initiatives to further the objectives of CARPE in the subject areas of GCC/SL. 2. Act as Senior Resident Expert Advisor on technical and policy matters pertaining to GCC/SL: a. Advise the core management team, the expanded team, USAID Missions/field Offices, contractors, implementing grantees/recipients, host country governments, US embassies and other partners involved in CARPE on technical issues pertaining to GCC/SL and related matters. b. Advise the core SO team, the expanded SO team and concerned USAID Missions and the US embassies of the six CBFP countries and nine CARPE countries on policy matters, including strategies to assist and encourage participation of the local communities in CARPE GCC/SL. c. In the absence of the Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader and/or with his/her authorization, serve as liaison and represent the core team on technical and policy matters, as appropriate, to the host country counterpart agencies, implementing partners, and other international organizations, to help facilitate exchange of information and coordination of activities. d. Take the lead role in assessing the breadth, depth, and appropriateness of CARPE activities, and the programs of various donors in addressing the identified environmental problems such as deforestation in target zones. e. Interpret/analyze the social, economic, political and institutional issues that affect the achievement of CARPE objectives and keep abreast of developments in the international negotiations and discussions around GCC/SL and apply the results to the design and implementation of new activities or to the modification of existing activities. f. Provide technical advice and support for CARPE in-house team, CARPE beneficiaries and implementing partners through training and capacity building activities by: (i) assembling input from all activity managers and other team members and preparing an annual training plan with appropriate targets and technical content; (ii) working with implementing partners to agree on respective roles and responsibilities, identify training needs and opportunities, and implement training programs within the host countries, in the U. S. and in other countries; (iii) ensuring complementarities and integration of the implementing partners' training programs with the OU Performance plan ; and (iv) facilitating reporting on training activities in an appropriate format and frequency. g. Act as liaison with USAID/Washington and State Department (especially EGAT Pillar and Africa Bureau; State/OES Bureau) on technical, policy and programmatic issues and identify opportunities for collaboration with USAID/Washington programs. h. Ensure adequate dissemination of CARPE results to partners, stakeholders, and beneficiaries through organizing and making presentations at workshops, symposia, conferences, publications, etc. i. Keep abreast of, and disseminate to interested stakeholders and implementing partners as appropriate, new developments or sources of worldwide information in the fields of GCC/SL. 3. Oversee the design, updating and/or implementation of CARPE's performance monitoring plan (PMP) and evaluation plan, especially with reference to objectives and measurement systems for carbon emissions, sequestration and forest management: a. Take the lead in updating and summarizing data for the implementation of the CARPE's PMP in the GCC/SL technical fields. b. Ensure coordination among implementing partners and an understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities, in implementing the team's Performance Management Plan. c. Organize periodic forums to discuss, and take the lead in updating the PMP- -including results framework, performance indicators and targets--as new activities are integrated within the CARPE program. d. Ensure the adequacy of core team members' respective activity monitoring plans by helping to prepare site visit schedules and providing technical oversight and quality control in methods of data sampling, measurement and verification. e. In collaboration with other team members, coordinate, verify, compile and present of annual performance data for CARPE's annual portfolio reviews and the Performance Report submission to USAID/Washington. f. In coordination with activity managers and implementing partners, prepare and monitor implementation of CARPE evaluations and special analytical agenda and studies plan. 4. Monitor compliance of CARPE activities with USG environmental regulations: a. Work with CARPE colleagues, Mission Environmental Officers and Regional Environmental Officer to ensure compliance of all CARPE activities with USG environmental regulations, in particular Regulation 216, by conducting periodic field monitoring of activities' compliance with approved Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs) and environmental assessments (EAs) and recommending modifications to the IEEs or EAs as appropriate. b. Identify opportunities for training, as needed, for team members and implementing partners (both U.S. and host country nationals) for preparation of environmental scoping statements, activity IEEs, environmental impact monitoring and mitigation plans, environmental assessments. Relationships and Responsibilities Supervision Exercised: No continuing personnel supervisory responsibilities are envisaged for the incumbent, but supervisory responsibilities may be delegated by the team leader in special circumstances Supervision Received: The position will work as a full member of CARPE 's core team, supervised by the CARPE Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader . Annual evaluations of work performance will be prepared by the Team Leader based on 360 input from the core team members, partners and customers. Employee Guidelines: The individual will be expected to be an expert in his/her field, and be able to independently obtain USAID policy guidance and USG/USAID acquisition and assistance regulations as necessary to perform his/her duties. Exercise of Judgment: The incumbent will handle all work independently, according to policies, previous training, accepted practices, and programmatic guidance. He/she must be able to set priorities and initiate and complete tasks in a timely manner and with minimal supervision. The incumbent will make program decisions based on expert knowledge and judgment and will function as acting SO Team leader in the absence of the CARPE SO Team Leader/Deputy Team Leader. He/she must demonstrate sound judgment in determining the application of current legislative provisions and policy determinations to assigned responsibilities. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The incumbent will work with all levels of staff in USAID's Field Missions/Offices and USAID/East Africa, including team leaders and members of appropriate Operating Units and support offices. The incumbent will develop working contacts with USAID/Washington technical offices, State Department Officials in Washington Headquarters, particularly State/OES, the Special Climate Change Envoy's Office, regional US Embassy staff including and up to US ambassadors, host countries' counterpart ministries to the level of Minister, and other USG agencies at post, PVO and NGO partners, other donors and international organizations, and community-based organizations and customers. III. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications: A comprehensive range of broad experience and formal education are required, including: Education and Experience A postgraduate degree in environmental science with specialty in climate change, forest management, sustainable ecological systems or equivalent is required. A Ph. D. degree in a similar discipline is preferred. A minimum of 10 years of experience in managing programs related to natural resources or a similar field with at least five years' experience managing projects and programs in developing countries. At least a Foreign Service Institute or equivalent French language rating of 3 speaking and 3 reading. Fluency in spoken and written English. Other Required Knowledge, Skills and Aptitudes: Ability and willingness to undertake frequent work-related regional travel under difficult and harsh conditions. Demonstrated ability to live and work effectively in cross-cultural settings at many levels. Ability to interact with high-level officials and community members alike. Demonstrated keen interest in global climate change science as it is related to sustainable forest landscapes land use management subjects and issues. Highly developed communication skills in both written and spoken form, in English and French languages. Administrative and management skills commensurate to manage complex monitoring, evaluation and project implementation activities in multiple countries under difficult and adverse conditions. Existing or ability to obtain a secret security clearance. Existing or ability to obtain a State Department medical clearance for service in the DRC. Desired Qualifications: Demonstrated experience and knowledge of climate change policy and the international framework that will support the Sustainable Landscape programs. Supervisory experience and skills. USAID Activity management and Program management experience. Certified USAID CTO/AOTR/COTR Capability in a variety of USAID web-based applications such as Global Climate Change Report, Operational Plan, Performance Monitoring and Management, USAID Financial Management, GLAAS, and other USAID reporting and management systems. Work experience with an international organization in Central Africa. Duration of the Position: The position is valid for a period of two years, but at the option of USAID and depending on availability of funds and continuing need of USAID, the position may be extended with mutual agreement. Selection Criteria Points Education 20 Graduate degree in a environmental science or related field PhD in relevant field strongly preferred Experience and Skills 80 At least 10 years of experience in managing large field-based programs related to natural resources or a similar field with at least five years' experience managing projects and programs in developing countries. Demonstrated ability to live and work effectively in cross-cultural settings at many levels. Ability to interact with high-level officials and community members alike. Evidence of strong writing skills particularly in English language At least a Foreign Service Institute or equivalent French language rating of 3 speaking and reading. Medical and Security Clearance The selected applicant must be able to obtain a USG Secret Level security clearance, TCNs should have Employment Certification by the RSO, and a Department of State Class I Medical Clearance. Benefits: As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the benefits and allowances listed in this section. [NOTE: A contractor meeting the definition of a U.S. Resident Hire PSC, shall be subject to U.S. Federal Income Tax, but shall not be eligible for any fringe benefits (except contributions for FICA, health insurance, and life insurance), including differentials and allowances.] A. BENEFITS: - o FICA Contribution - o Contribution toward Health & life insurance - o Pay Comparability Adjustment - o Eligibility for Worker's Compensation - o Annual & Sick Leave - o Access to Embassy medical facilities, commissary and pouch mail service as per post policy B. ALLOWANCES (If Applicable): (1) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120) (2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130) (3) Post Allowance (Section 220) (4) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230) (5) Post Differential (Chapter 500) (6) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600) and (7) Danger Pay where applicable (Goma) (Section 650) (8) Education Allowance (Section 270) (9) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) (10)Education Travel (Section 280) * Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).