Turkey: OTI Deputy Country Representative/Senior Deputy Country Representative

Organization: US Agency for International Development
Country: Turkey
Closing date: 27 Apr 2017

The OTI Deputy Country Representative/Senior Deputy Country Representative – Syria is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-13/14 equivalent level and located in Turkey. Applications for this position are due no later than April 27, 2017 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.

INTRODUCTION:

The Deputy Country Representative/Senior Deputy Country Representative is a member of the DCHA/OTI Middle East Regional Team, reports to the OTI Syria Country Representative or designee, and is based in Ankara, Turkey. The incumbent will be required to travel within Turkey to Adana, Istanbul, and/or Gaziantep, and regionally as required. The Deputy Country Representative’s principal responsibility will be the stabilization portfolio for northeastern Syria. These efforts put the incumbent in an important role to inform the strategic direction and overall effectiveness of the program. The incumbent will also be called upon to represent OTI’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.
The OTI Syria program will support the larger objectives of the U.S. Government to promote stability and democracy in Syria. In close coordination with State Department representatives and other USG actors and with consideration of USG priorities, OTI’s rapid and targeted programs will address emerging issues and empower local partners potentially to include non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, media outlets, and local and national government offices to reduce or mitigate conflict, increase transparency and accountability, and foster positive political change.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

At the GS-13 Deputy Country Representative level:

• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to research and monitoring initiatives to understand the political environment, help target program interventions, verify delivery of assistance, and evaluate the effects of programming;

• Provide continued guidance on the identification and development of projects that meet OTI funding criteria, further OTI programmatic objectives, and complement other projects and programs implemented by other OTI offices, U.S. Government agencies and donor organizations;

• Represent OTI interests during meetings with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international donors, and others interested in DCHA/OTI activities;

• As requested by embassies or USAID Missions, provide support for the design and execution of programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model. Support to embassies and USAID Missions may include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming including rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews, and management reviews;

• Evaluate proposals and work with diverse groups, many of which have not previously had international funding;

• Assist the Country Representative in monitoring the performance of OTI implementing partners in the implementation of OTI-financed activities designed to achieve OTI strategic objectives;

• If required, travel extensively in low security areas of focus to monitor and assess political conditions, meet with potential grantees, and develop activity ideas;

• Mentor and train OTI and implementing partner field staff as required;

• Take the lead on collecting information and drafting/editing regular reporting products;

• When required, assume higher representational responsibilities, potentially serving as Acting OTI Country Representative in his/her absence;

• Perform a wide range of administrative functions (budget preparation, financial management, records management, travel assistance, etc.) to help ensure programmatic success;

• Assist in developing an exit strategy in coordination with the OTI Country Representative that ensures reasonable time to transition from OTI programs to follow-on USAID or other donor programs;

• As appropriate, communicate regularly and share program information with other USAID project managers, the US Embassy, bilateral donors, UN Organizations, International Organizations, and indigenous and international NGOs to ensure visibility and synergy of USAID/OTI activities;

• Support the Country Representative to ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;

• When required, report to the OTI Country Representative and OTI/Washington on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation, 2) OTI contractor performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among OTI offices with other U.S. Government entities, 5) security concerns, 6) relations with local partners including local, state and national government representatives, and 7) other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

• Assist the Country Representative in managing and/or supervising the FSN staff, including program officers, administrative assistants and drivers;

• Supervise staff as delegated by the Country Representative (e.g. Program Managers, Program Assistants, Administrative Program Assistants, etc.). Provide orientation, training, and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel, program and operations requests;

• Perform other related duties as determined by the supervisor or OTI Regional Team Leader to ensure successful OTI program implementation.

At the GS-14 Senior Deputy Country Representative level:

• Evaluate proposals and grant concepts and work with diverse groups, many of which have not previously had international funding;

• Assist the Country Representative, and support/mentor other OTI field staff, in monitoring the performance of OTI implementing partners in the implementation of OTI-financed activities designed to achieve OTI strategic objectives;

• Travel to monitor and independently assess political conditions, implementing partner operational platforms, meet with potential grantees, senior host government and other program counterparts, and develop recommendations in response to evolving dynamics;

• Take the lead and/or mentor others on collecting and analyzing information, as well as, drafting/editing regular reporting products for internal and external audience;

• Regularly assume high-level representational responsibilities serving as a subject matter expert including, but not limited to potentially serving as Acting Country Representative in his/her absence;

• Perform a wide range of administrative functions including budget preparation, financial management, records management, and travel assistance, to help ensure programmatic success;

• Coordinate with the OTI Country Representative to develop an exit strategy that ensures reasonable time to transition from OTI programs to follow-on USAID or other donor programs;

• Actively collaborate and share program information with other USAID project managers, the U.S. Embassy, bilateral donors, United Nations organizations, international organizations, and indigenous and international NGOs to ensure visibility and synergy of USAID/OTI activities;

• Support the Country Representative to ensure cross portfolio use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, and monitoring and evaluation;

• When required, report to the Country Representative and OTI/Washington on the status of: 1) grant development and implementation across the portfolio, 2) OTI contractors performance, 3) Foreign Service National (FSN) staff support needs and morale, 4) communication and coordination issues among OTI offices with other U.S. Government entities, 5) security concerns, 6) relations with local partners including local, state and national government representatives, and 7) other pertinent information required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

• As required by the Country Representative, assist in managing and/or supervising the FSN and expatriate staff, including regionally-based Deputy Country Representatives, program officers, administrative assistants and drivers;

• Supervise staff as delegated by the Country Representative, provide orientation, training, and mentoring for staff; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets, as well as training, travel, program and operations requests;

• Perform other related duties as determined by the supervisor or OTI Regional Team Leader to ensure successful OTI program implementation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

GS-13 Deputy Country Representative

At a minimum, the applicant must have:

(1) A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience;

A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;

AND

(2) Five (5) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis;

(3) One (1) year of overseas field experience working in a developing country, of which six (6) months must include experience working in one or more countries undergoing political transition;

(4) One (1) year of supervisory experience (including mentoring, guiding, and training staff).

GS-14 Senior Deputy Country Representative

At a minimum, the applicant must have:

(1) A Master’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;

A Bachelor’s Degree with nine (9) years of work experience;
AND

(2) Six (6) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis;

(3) Two (2) years of overseas field experience working in a developing country, of which six (6) months must include experience working in one or more countries undergoing political transition;

(4) One (1) year of supervisory experience (including mentoring, guiding, and training staff).

Please direct questions about this position or the application process to the OTI Recruitment Team at otijobs@usaid.gov.

How to apply:

For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.