Senior Strategic Information (SI) Advisor and Unit Lead (Re-advertized)
1. Position Title: Senior Strategic Information (SI) Advisor and Unit Lead 2. Market Value: GS-14 -$89,370 to $116,181. Final compensation will be based upon the candidate past salary and work history, experience, and educational background of the successful candidate. Salaries over and above the top of the GS14 pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. Post differential is currently at 30 percent. 3. Place of Performance: Kampala, Uganda 4. Period of Performance: Two year contract. 5. USAID/Uganda seeks to employ a U.S. (U.S. and Resident Aliens) offshore or resident in Uganda Personal Services Contractor to to provide leadership, guidance and overall direction on the planning, implementation and monitoring of OHH's strategic information portfolio. 6. Education: A Master's degree in an appropriate social science or public health discipline or other related field in which quantitative analysis and measurement for public health outcomes are emphasized including epidemiology, demography and statistics. A PhD Degree is preferred. 7. Work Experience: At least fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing and managing strategic information activities in health, education, and/or HIV/AIDS programs in developing countries, with a preference give to candidates with Africa experience. Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience providing effective management and oversight of program activities and proactive decision making, involving financial and human resources by cooperating partners and contractors. Prior supervision experience required. 8. Technical Skills and Abilities: Analytical ability to assess research and other data sources and translate and use data for effective programming. Demonstrated computer skills in common applications, such as Microsoft Office as well as Advanced Excel and a statistical software package. Monitoring and Evaluation system development and maintenance skills, including data management, data analysis, and data/use and interpretation are required. Skill in conceptualizing programs, policies, and plans and developing strategies for their management and implementation. The candidate must be able to integrate short and long-range objectives of the USAID with the cultural/organizational needs of the government in order to fill gaps, improved quality and implement best practices. Strong technical skills in providing technical support and capacity building for strategic information/monitoring and evaluation. Strong quantitative, analytical and reasoning skills, verbal skills and ability to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical colleagues. Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of state of the art approaches to strengthen strategic information and monitoring and evaluation systems, both in the public and private sector. Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with senior managerial and technical host-country counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders at national and decentralized levels. Preference will be given to those candidates with experience with international USG programs, procedures and systems for program design, procurement, implementation, management and monitoring, or that of other international donors. 9. Team Work and Interpersonal Skills: Excellent leadership, communications, and interpersonal skills are critical to this position. The contractor must have the following: Ability to work effectively with a broad range of USG personnel and partners, and have demonstrated skills in donor coordination and collaboration a well as the ability to work the government. Ability to work both independently and in a multi-cultural team environment to achieve overall goals and objectives. Ability to work effectively in a team environment as a team member, leader or supervisor. Demonstrated ability to navigate and manage politically and culturally sensitive issues in a diplomatic manager and bring divergent viewpoints on policy, project, research, and administrative matters. Ability to facilitate meetings and make logical and persuasive oral presentations to senior officials and partners in a multi-cultural context. Demonstrated ability to provide strategic leadership and consensus building among large and diverse units for complex projects. Management, interpersonal and teamwork skills with experience in operating effectively in a cross-cultural environment and working within an interagency setting. A high degree of judgment, maturity, ingenuity, and originality to interpret technical and political opportunities and constraints. Ability in dealing effectively and diplomatically with multiple U.S. and host-country government agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and the private sector. 10. Language, communication and computer skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills: Must be fluent in English (FSI Level 4) and have proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly and concisely in both speech and writing. Excellent writing skills must include ability to produce and edit documents in a timely manner. Demonstrated experience in communicating ideas concisely and persuasively in writing through research, technical papers, reports, strategic program designs or other written documents. Ability to communicate technical information to technical and nontechnical audiences. 11. Evaluation Criteria: Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) - Candidates must address and will be scored and ranked based on the following selection criteria: A. TECHNICAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES (35 points) - Analytical ability to assess research and other data sources and translate and use data for effective programming. Demonstrated computer skills in common applications, such as Microsoft Office as well as Advanced Excel and a statistical software package. Monitoring and Evaluation system development and maintenance skills, including data management, data analysis, and data/use and interpretation are required. Skill in conceptualizing programs, policies, and plans and developing strategies for their management and implementation. The candidate must be able to integrate short and long-range objectives of the USAID with the cultural/organizational needs of the government in order to fill gaps, improved quality and implement best practices. Strong technical skills in providing technical support and capacity building for strategic information/monitoring and evaluation. Strong quantitative, analytical and reasoning skills, verbal skills and ability to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical colleagues. Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of state of the art approaches to strengthen strategic information and monitoring and evaluation systems, both in the public and private sector. Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with senior managerial and technical host-country counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders at national and decentralized levels. Preference will be given to those candidates with experience with international USG programs, procedures and systems for program design, procurement, implementation, management and monitoring, or that of other international donors. B. PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE (25 points) - At least fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing and managing strategic information activities in health, education, and/or HIV/AIDS programs in developing countries, with a preference give to candidates with Africa experience. Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience providing effective management and oversight of program activities and proactive decision making, involving financial and human resources by cooperating partners and contractors. Prior supervision experience required. C.TEAMWORK AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS (20 points) - Excellent leadership, communications, and interpersonal skills are critical to this position. The contractor must have the following: Ability to work effectively with a broad range of USG personnel and partners, and have demonstrated skills in donor coordination and collaboration a well as the ability to work the government. Ability to work both independently and in a multi-cultural team environment to achieve overall goals and objectives. Ability to work effectively in a team environment as a team member, leader or supervisor. Demonstrated ability to navigate and manage politically and culturally sensitive issues in a diplomatic manager and bring divergent viewpoints on policy, project, research, and administrative matters. Ability to facilitate meetings and make logical and persuasive oral presentations to senior officials and partners in a multi-cultural context. Demonstrated ability to provide strategic leadership and consensus building among large and diverse units for complex projects. Management, interpersonal and teamwork skills with experience in operating effectively in a cross-cultural environment and working within an interagency setting. A high degree of judgment, maturity, ingenuity, and originality to interpret technical and political opportunities and constraints. Ability in dealing effectively and diplomatically with multiple U.S. and host-country government agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and the private sector. D. EDUCATION (10 points) - A Master's degree in an appropriate social science or public health discipline or other related field in which quantitative analysis and measurement for public health outcomes are emphasized including epidemiology, demography and statistics. A PhD Degree is preferred. E. LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER SKILLS (10 points) - Strong written and verbal communication skills: Must be fluent in English (FSI Level 4) and have proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly and concisely in both speech and writing. Excellent writing skills must include ability to produce and edit documents in a timely manner. Demonstrated experience in communicating ideas concisely and persuasively in writing through research, technical papers, reports, strategic program designs or other written documents. Ability to communicate technical information to technical and nontechnical audiences. 12. Notice to Applicants: All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. Only top ranked Offerors will be interviewed; Reference checks will be conducted on those Offerors selected for interview. The Offeror's references must be able to provide substantive information about the Offeror's past performance, skills and abilities; USAID reserves the right to obtain from previous employers relevant information concerning the Offeror's past performance, technical knowledge, required skills, including teamwork and team-building experience and may consider such information in its evaluation; USAID reserves the right to conduct telephonic interviews with the most highly ranked applicants and make the interview a deciding factor in selection; USAID/Uganda will not reimburse expenses associated with the application and evaluation process (e.g. interviews, writing samples, writing tests). Introduction: The Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead is a member of the USAID/Uganda's Office of Health and HIV/AIDS and: (i) provides leadership, guidance and overall direction on the planning, implementation and monitoring of OHH's strategic information portfolio. This requires regular contact, coordination, and collaboration with different Ministries including Health, Education, Gender, Labor and Social Development, the Uganda AIDS Commission, development partners, civil society, the private sector and other implementing partners. (ii) works closely with the Program and Policy Development Office, the interagency PEPFAR/Strategic Information Working group, backstops in Washington and other USAID personnel working with and overseeing Mission's strategic development and activities. (iii) exercises independent judgment in planning and conducting tasks, developing consensus among diverse stakeholders, representing the U.S. Government in critical technical and policy fora, resolving problems and conflicts and in meeting deadlines. In this capacity, the contractor also performs inherently USG functions including officially representing USAID at functions, approving policy documents, managing contract and grants, budgeting, developing planning documents and workplans, and reporting. (iv) provides technical expertise in strategic information, including but not limited to performance monitoring and analysis at the CDCS DO and project level; program level data gathering/validation; trend monitoring and reporting; implementation of public health evaluations and special studies; health and education management information systems, national surveillance systems and population based surveys. (v) provides senior leadership, technical guidance and program management to effectively monitor and evaluate program progress and results. The position requires a positive and proactive attitude to teamwork; leadership skills are critical to the success of this position; the contractor is expected to complete assigned duties with little direct supervision and work extensively through diverse units and also expected to perform any additional emerging duties necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of USAID/Uganda. In this capacity, the Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead shall: --Provide senior technical and strategic oversight to USAID/Uganda SI portfolio to include but not limited to: providing leadership for a strong national response; understanding the Uganda sociopolitical landscape; prioritizing and tailoring response to changing dynamics, setting ambitious but realistic goals, activities and targets for the improvement of systems; and using data to guide strategic information efforts. --Coordinate the design and implementation of activities and ensures that Strategic Information activities are integrated into overall USAID-supported health, education and HIV/AIDS activities and establish effective collaboration with other Mission activities. --Provide managerial oversight to ensure full accountability and value for money of funds provided for Strategic Information activities. --Report on activities as part of the Mission's annual strategic planning and reporting processes, participates in the preparation of Congressional presentations, drafting technical and congressional notifications, and preparing MAARDS and other implementing documents. -- Review and analyze reports by implementing partners, prepares summary reports with analyses and recommendations, and ensures that financial and technical reports are prepared and submitted as required. -- Ensure that all activities are technically excellent and consistent with internationally accepted best practices and relevant to Uganda. --Provide strategic and technical support to implementing partners and managerial support during the designing and implementing phases of projects to ensure the quality of interventions supported and that programmatic targets align with the CDCS and GOU national plans and are met. --Work with interagency working groups to develop annual operational plans, annual reports, undertake special studies and provide overall strategic and technical guidance to interagency initiative such as PEPFAR. --Represent USAID to very senior levels of Government of Uganda (GOU), including the Minister of Health and senior USG officials including the U.S. Ambassador and congressional delegates. --Collaborate with senior technical staff of various Ministries and other partners, such as the Global Fund (GF), UNAIDS, DANIDA, DfID, WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, NGOs and FBOs to design, plan and implement strategic information activities related to health, education and HIV/AIDS. --Help build the technical and managerial capacity within the GOU agencies at the national, district and lower levels. --Provide technical assistance to various ministries to develop and execute management information systems and performance management and monitoring plans to better capture and reflect the status of HIV/AIDS, health, education and OVC in Uganda. -- In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Uganda AIDS Commission, conduct monitoring and evaluation visits to implementation sites to ensure that all quantitative and qualitative data is collected properly and programmatic quality and value for money are maintained. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The primary responsibilities of the Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead are as follows: C-1. Technical and Management Responsibilities. --Lead and provide technical input into the development of public health evaluations (PHE), operational research, education tracking studies and evaluations, program assessments, national surveys, such as the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, Service Provision Assessment, the national AIDS Indicator and Malaria Indicator Surveys. --Maintain familiarity with current literature and best practices in strategic information relevant to health, education and HIV/AIDS in Uganda, especially in regard to performance monitoring; program level data gathering/validation; trend monitoring and reporting; implementation of public health evaluations and special studies; health and education management information systems, national surveillance systems and population based surveys. --Advise OHH and Mission management on the status of performance. As a senior-level professional, coordinate with relevant stakeholders, provide program oversight, and exercise independent technical and professional judgment in organizing, planning and supervising program implementation, including routine site visits. Also manage relationships and assignments independently with minimal supervision and limited guidance. --Participate in the development of the Performance Management Plan (PMP) is USAID/Uganda's plan for adaptive management and is a tool for planning and managing the processes of monitoring strategic progress, project performance, programmatic assumptions, and operational context; evaluating performance and impact; and learning and adapting from evidence. This PMP provides evidence to inform course correction decisions, such as award modifications and relationship adjustments. --Provide technical direction, strategic planning and oversight of the implementation of SI activities, and ensure that planned development results are achieved in a highly efficient, effective and timely manner, consistent with USAID regulations, policies and development principles. The Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead manages and oversees services and deliverables provided by contractors and grantees, in accordance with USAID program management regulations and procedures, and practices. C-2. Technical Coordination. The Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead coordinates with and provides technical advice, direction or assistance to the following organizations as described below: USAID/Uganda - Responsible for: --ensuring that performance monitoring plans are current with meaningful indicators, targets and achievements; monitoring and conducting analysis performance; identifying and developing consensus on key issues related to performance monitoring; --ensuring that Strategic Information activities are sound and are achieving their expected results and for ensuring that all Strategic Information activities are integrated appropriately into Mission activities. Coordinate the results component of the Investing in People portions of all operational plans and reports. USAID implementing partners - Responsible for: --ensuring that the Strategic Information activities of all USAID/Uganda partners are well coordinated and in line with the Mission's performance monitoring plan and GOU national plans; --coordination with the Program Office and Agreement and Contracting Officer Representatives (A/CORs) to ensure that all partners are complying with USAID requirements for performance monitoring and reporting; --developing and facilitating regular communication and feedback with implementing partners on SI issues. The Ministries of Health, Education and Gender and the UAC - Responsible for providing technical assistance to develop and implement strategic information activities including MIS, performance monitoring, and population based surveys as part of the sector strategic plans and population based surveys. C-3. Collaboration and Communication. The Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead collaborates and communicates as described below: --working together with GOU institutions, development partners, and other key stakeholders to support the strengthening of key government systems at the national, district and community level including but not limited to the health, education and OVC Management Information Systems, roll-out of the UACs performance monitoring plan. This includes attending technical working group meetings on related issues. --working with senior and technical representatives from the GOU, foreign embassies providing development assistance, international donor organizations, multilateral organizations, local and international NGOs, private international organizations, senior USG officials and USAID and CDC technical staff. C-4. Working with other organizations. The Senior SI Advisor and Unit Lead works closely with the following organizations: The Ministries of Health, Education and Gender, UAC and other GOU institutions - to ensure coordination in the roll-out of management information systems at the central and district levels; to coordinate the collection and analysis of HIV/AIDS specific information across the different government institutions; to assist in documenting and distributing policy and guidelines for data management; Implementing Partners - to ensure Strategic Information activities are aligned across the portfolio and to oversee and coordinate reporting of the portfolio; Other multilateral and bilateral partners - to coordinate support to Strategic Information activities including the Demographic and Health Survey, the AIDS and Malaria Indicator Surveys, management information systems, performance monitoring plans, etc; Health partners at the District, Health sub-District levels and civil society level such as the local council system, schools, churches, NGOs, FBOs - to ensure understanding and collaboration with reporting in national systems. Other USG agencies supporting Strategic Information - to communicate regularly and work jointly to ensure complementarity including CDC, State Department, Walter Reid Program, Peace Corps, USAID/Washington Global Health and EGAT Bureaus. Supervision: The Senior Strategic Information (SI) Advisor and Unit Lead reports to the OHH Director and Deputy Directors. All questions to be directed to gnakaddu@usaid.gov and copy aocen@usaid.gov
Grace K. Nakaddu, Contract Specialist, Phone 256-41-4306-001, Fax 2546-41-4306-661, Email gnakaddu@usaid.gov - Fredrick O. Onyango, Supervisory Executive Officer, Phone +2560414306655, Email fonyango@usaid.gov
