72061320R00009 GENERAL INFORMATION SOLICITATION NO.: 72061320R00009 ISSUANCE DATE: August 27, 2020 CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: September 27, 2020 POINT OF CONTACT: Mr. Jason Bennett (
[email protected]) POSITION TITLE: Senior Health Advisor MARKET VALUE: $109,366.00 - $140,180 equivalent to GS-15; Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Targeted to begin in January 2021. Two years, with the possibility of extensions pending need, performance and funding, not to exceed five (5) years PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Harare, Zimbabwe ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: United States (U.S.) Citizens and Permanent Residents SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Attached STATEMENT OF DUTIES Background USAID/Zimbabwe manages one of USAID’s largest country programs in sub-Saharan Africa, with a total FY 2019 operating year budget of more than $130 million. A key objective of the US Mission in Zimbabwe is to support Zimbabwe in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and other health objectives by reducing maternal and child mortality through an integrated package of primary health care services, supporting voluntary use of family planning, supporting treatment expansion for and prevention of HIV and AIDS, improving access to TB treatment services, and preventing and treating malaria. To respond to these objectives, the USAID/Zimbabwe Health Office manages and receives funding for multiple health interventions, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). Zimbabwe is a USG national security and foreign policy priority. Zimbabwe is strategically located in the heart of Southern Africa and has extensive mineral, agricultural, and tourism resources, but has been going through a drastic economic decline and collapse of the health sector in the past year. To address this crisis, USAID/Zimbabwe needs a Senior Health Advisor (SHA) to help maintain the gains achieved thus far in health as we near epidemic control of HIV. The SHA will guide the overall Health Office with expert knowledge about the health needs in Zimbabwe, USG programming guidance, and technical direction in HIV programming – critical for this large and complex portfolio. Zimbabwe continues to be under intense congressional and technical review by the Department of State’s Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (O/GAC). Zimbabwe is designated by PEPFAR as one of seven Tier 1 PEPFAR countries in Africa anticipated to reach HIV epidemic control within the next five years. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Working closely with the Health Office Director and Deputy Director, the Program Office, the technical USAID Health Office staff, and CDC and the State Department teams, the proposed Senior Health Advisor (SHA) will serve as a main point of contact for the Mission for HIV programs, and will serve as the Mission Gender Point of Contact, the DREAMS Initiative Coordinator, and the Country Operational Plan (COP) Coordinator. The ultimate goal of the SHA’s work is to support the USG’s work toward controlling the HIV epidemic in Zimbabwe. Results will include: More effective public sector HIV programs that are responsive to the changing health environment in Zimbabwe. Evidence-based HIV programming that will reduce transmission rates of HIV A coordinated, comprehensive USG HIV portfolio that addresses MOHCC’s and OGAC’s goals, objectives, and requirements The SHA will be the lead policy, technical and management expert responsible for USAID/Zimbabwe’s HIV program support to Zimbabwe. S/he will provide policy, strategic and technical advice, leadership and expertise to the USAID/Zimbabwe HIV technical team and to the broader USAID Health Office and interagency USG PEPFAR teams. The incumbent will strengthen and expand other existing partnerships for HIV prevention, care, and treatment program improvement. S/he will direct attention to policy, institutional and other barriers to effective HIV programs, and identify and advocate innovations, best practices, reforms and training to remedy problems. Specific duties and approximate time allocations follow by area of responsibility. The position requires a positive and proactive attitude. Leadership, management, and diplomacy skills are critical, as the job requires work with a variety of multi-sectoral and interagency teams, as well as staff across the USG Mission to Zimbabwe, MOHCC, and other donors. The SHA will be expected to complete assigned duties with little direct supervision, exercising extensive independent judgment as s/he works extensively through diverse teams. Technical Leadership in HIV Programming (50%) Advise the Health Office Director, and technical staff as requested, on ways to technically, programmatically, and financially achieve overall PEPFAR and other health development assistance goals related to USAID/Zimbabwe’s $100 million HIV portfolio. Analyze health sector data, historical budgetary information, program result trends and prior programmatic cost patterns to make future projections for health sector programming. Develop programmatic rationales and justifications for budget levels needed to realize health sector objectives and formulate fiscal year budgetary projections in each program area linked to health results and targets. Liaise with the USAID Program and Financial Management Offices for annual programming and fiscal year budgeting processes. Advise the Health Office Director, and others as requested, on strategic integration of health sector activities, both internally in the Health Office, and externally with other teams in the Mission. Support strategies to maximize the impact of cross-cutting CDCS activities such as gender and youth. Serve as overall technical coordinator for the PEPFAR COP, leading, managing and coordinating the Mission’s submission. Collaborate with the PEPFAR Coordinator’s Office, inter-agency PEPFAR team, and support USAID technical staff to produce high quality COPs, quarterly and annual reporting, and ad hoc performance review and justification products including performance analyses, presentations and narratives. As assigned by the Health Office Director, lead, manage and/or coordinate annual Office submissions for other recurring planning or programming requirements, such as the Health Operational Plan (OP), Program Performance Report (PPR) and others. Lead and/or participate in PEPFAR inter-agency technical working groups and support adoption of current best practices in HIV programming. Provide technical expertise for program planning and budgeting and support strategic Health Office project and activity designs and monitoring and evaluation activities. As assigned, represent the Health Office and USAID at inter-agency USG meetings and in external fora and technical working groups involving host-country officials, international organization representatives and other donors. Serve as Coordinator for the DREAMS special initiative, overseeing the planning, implementation and M&E of a complex, multi-partner HIV program aimed at reducing the incidence of HIV infection among adolescent girls and young women. Serve as the USAID/Zimbabwe gender point of contact, ensuring that gender considerations are taken into consideration for all aspects of health and other programming. Provide technical guidance to implementing partners in areas such as improved use of data for decision making, use of evidence-based tools, standardization of approaches, adoption of up-to-date technical priorities, and cross-partner engagement and collaboration. Identify staffing gaps and support onboarding of short-term technical assistance to address critical needs. As requested, lead/coordinate technical teams in support of goal-setting and teamwork to efficiently complete tasks Program Management (45%) Serve as Activity Manager and COR/AOR, as needed, for HIV projects and other activities that USAID may undertake. Duties include programmatic and financial oversight; seeing that suitable management information and impact monitoring and reporting systems are in place; and ensuring that obligations, expenditures and pipelines conform to work plans, and that incremental funding is appropriate and timely. Conduct work plan review and negotiation, ensuring that technical advice is appropriate, timely and effective. Document and report program performance; conduct regular site visits to monitor program performance; review all written reports and furnish feedback to partners; verify asset use; assist with technical program planning; and recommend and pursue measures to improve implementing partners’ performance. Participate in PEPFAR Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS) to health facilities and communities in USAID priority districts. Utilize findings from field visits to enhance program performance. Support senior technical staff by identifying technical gaps and providing mentoring for senior technical staff that will help to fill those identified gaps. Ensure that programs are implemented in compliance with relevant USAID and O/GAC guidelines, policies, regulations and procedures. Organize and support field visits by external parties that highlight HIV programs in action. Work with the USAID’s Development Outreach Coordinator’s (DOC) office to promote and raise the visibility of the HIV portfolio through multiple communications channels. Promote communication and full partnership with USG HIV implementing partners, and the MOHCC POSITION ELEMENTS Supervisory Controls: Work will be performed under the general supervision of the Health Office Director. The Senior Health Advisor (SHA) works with minimum direction and supervision. The SHA independently plans and carries out the work, selecting technical and managerial approaches and techniques to be used, and informs the supervisor of progress and significant challenges and remedies. Regular consultation with other members of USAID’s Health Office staff and the USG PEPFAR teams are expected. Evaluation of performance will be based, broadly, on the degree to which health development objectives are achieved, and technical and policy guidance proves useful to USG HIV implementing partners and associated partners and stakeholders. Supervision Exercised: None. Exercise of Judgment: An exceedingly high degree of judgment based on technical expertise will be required to provide guidance and assistance to a wide variety of high-level professionals in the USG Zimbabwe Mission. As a recognized expert and highly qualified professional, substantial reliance will be placed on the incumbent to independently plan, prioritize, and carry out the specific activities entailed in fulfilling major duties and responsibilities to achieve sustainable programming. The incumbent will be expected to maintain a high level of diplomacy and tact in working with country partners, resolve problems that arise by determining the approaches to be taken and methodologies to be used; making independent judgments that can be defended as necessary. S/he will have to demonstrate considerable leadership as well as individual initiative and creativity and serve as a high-level decision maker to steer programming in the right direction to support mission needs. Authority to Make Commitments: Based on the incumbent’s expertise and standing as a highly qualified professional in his/her field, significant weight will be given to his/her conclusions and recommendations when commitments are made by those with the authority to do so. As COR/AOR, the SHA may have authority and responsibility as delegated by the signed COR/AOR letter to carry out agency cooperative agreement support commitments. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The incumbent will maintain contacts and work with USAID staff in USAID/Zimbabwe, with considerable interaction with USAID/Washington Global Health, the Washington Office of HIV/AIDS, AFR Bureau staff, PEPFAR/Zimbabwe staff at the State Department, and CDC to provide policy and procedural guidance and to obtain information relative to programs and activities. The incumbent will be involved in establishing a common understanding among high-level decision makers the various interested ministries to find satisfactory solutions that address their various objectives and concerns. In addition, the SHA will work closely with senior technical officers from other donors. Official contacts will be the USAID Mission Director, US Embassy/Zimbabwe, USAID/Washington staff, and other high-ranking USG representatives. Complexity: The SHA must be able to function effectively and efficiently with limited supervision in a highly complex, fast-paced environment. The needs of multiple stakeholders in Zimbabwe and the U.S. must be considered, while balancing performance and resource priorities. S/he will be expected to meet high-performance standards despite uncertainties. Year to year resource levels are unknown. Central offices have considerable influence. The scope of HIV program implementation is large and within varying degrees of control of the Activity Manager. The need for decisive leadership in managerially complex and often sensitive, high pressure situations requires that the incumbent exercise good judgment and tact, and operate with substantial responsibility and authority. QUALIFICATIONS: In order to be considered for this position a candidate must meet the Required Minimum Qualifications listed below. Consideration and selection will be based on panel evaluation of Required Minimum Qualifications, Desired Qualifications and Evaluation Factors. Additionally, interviews and writing samples may be requested. Applicants are encouraged to write a brief appendix to a resume, OF-612 to demonstrate how prior experience and/or training addresses the Minimum Qualifications and Evaluation Factors listed below: Required Minimum Qualifications: A master’s degree in international public health, systems or administration or comparable education. At least ten years’ experience in public health programming, especially in HIV, in developing country contexts. Experience with successfully leading large international health programs and systems strengthening actions, as well as with working closely with high-level host government officials, the private sector and multilaterals. Level IV English ability (fluent) is required. The incumbent must possess a high degree of proficiency in both written and spoken English. U.S. Citizen (offshore or resident). Desired Qualifications: Experience working with the full continuum of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs. Experience working with host country governments, USG health agencies and/or USAID partner organizations. Excellent knowledge of USAID policies, procedures, and reporting requirements. Positive and proactive attitude. Leadership and diplomacy skills. Capability in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. EVALUATION FACTORS The following factors are listed in descending order of importance and will be the basis for the evaluation of applications meeting the required minimum qualifications. All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation. The highest-ranking applicants may be selected for an interview, but an interview is not always necessary. Work Experience (50 points): Quality and length of experience in health technical leadership and development, program management, and strategy development. Quality and length of experience leading large international health programs and systems strengthening actions. Quality and length of experience in working with Implementing Partners, PVOs and/or Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), and other bilateral donors, internationally. Quality and length of experience working with host country governments, health agencies or health development organizations in developing countries. Abilities and Skills (40 points): Demonstrated ability to interpret program strategies, expenditure analysis, and other related data sources to monitor and evaluate program implementation and inform design. Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills. Demonstrated ability in maintaining close counterpart relationships, both governmental and in the partner community. Advanced knowledge of USG policy and procedures and experience in implementing PEPFAR programs. Strong collaborative skills and the ability to work in the inter-Agency environment effectively. Strong commitment to developing local capacity and transferring ownership to local partners and projects Education/Certification (10 points): Relevant academic and/or professional training in social work, international relations, community development, public health, epidemiology, social and behavior science. All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation. The highest-ranking applicants may be selected for an interview, but an interview is not always necessary. APPLYING Eligible offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 309-2 , “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts,” available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms. An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) or resume: Your CV/resume must contain sufficient relevant information to evaluate the application in accordance with the stated evaluation criteria. Broad general statements that are vague or lacking specificity will not be considered as effectively addressing selection criteria. Applicants are encouraged to write a brief appendix to demonstrate how prior experience and/or training addresses the minimum qualifications and evaluation criteria set forth in the solicitation. References: Three (3) references, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about your past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation of the application. Security Clearance : Prior to signing a contract, the selected individual will be required to obtain an “employment authorization” if a US Citizen or US Green Card Holder. This temporary security clearance will be requested while a personal background investigation is conducted. Instructions for obtaining the security clearance will be forwarded to the selected individual once negotiations have been concluded. Submissions shall be in accordance with the above information at the place and time specified. In order to be considered for the position a candidate must meet the minimum qualifications listed in the solicitation. Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the applications vis-a-vis the required qualifications. Applicants should note that the salary history for the purposes of the AID309-2 is the base salary paid, excluding benefits and allowances such as housing, travel, educational support, vehicle use, etc. Applicants are reminded and required to sign the certification at the end of the AID309-2. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I, item 12 . To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission. Methods of application submissions: For applicants to be considered for this position the following guidelines will be adhered to and forms completed, signed and submitted to
[email protected], to allow the evaluation committee to thoroughly and objectively review your application vis-a-vis the requirements of the position. If sent via email: Mr. Jason Bennett Supervisory Executive Officer E-mail address:
[email protected] LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES Once the CO informs the successful Offeror about being selected for a contract award, the CO will provide the successful Offeror instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances: BENEFITS: Employer's FICA Contribution Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance Pay Comparability Adjustment Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation Annual and Sick Leave ALLOWANCES: Section numbers refer to rules from the Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas) Temporary Quarter Subsistence Allowance (Section 120) Cost-of-Living Allowance (Chapter 210) Post Allowance (Section 220) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) Education Allowance (Section 270) Education Travel (Section 280) Post Differential (Chapter 500) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600), and TAXES USPSCs are required to pay Federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare and applicable State Income taxes. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSHA USAID regulations and policies governing USPSC awards are available at these sources: USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix D, “Direct USAID Contracts with a U.S. Citizen or a U.S. Resident Alien for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/s ites/de fault/files/do c uments/1868/aidar_0.pdf . Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/form s Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins ( AAPDs/CIBs ) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs . Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “ Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, ” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635 . See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations END OF SOLICITATION