Description
General Statement of Purpose of the Contract Background: The 2022-2026 National Development Plan outlines key governance reform strategies: decentralization, strengthening of transparency and accountability mechanisms including legal reform, combatting corruption, and improving performance management through human resource reforms, public financial management, and accelerating e-governance solutions. The Government of the Republic of Zambia’s (GRZ’s) plan to devolve sector functions to local government is also supported by human resource management reforms, fiscal decentralization, policy and legal reforms, and investments in capacity development. The key goals of the devolution policy are to improve accountability and transparency in the management of resources and to provide a legal and institutional framework that promotes autonomy in decision-making at the local level. Since taking office in August 2021, the new administration has taken steps to increase investigations and strengthen accountability for corruption, although efforts are at an early stage. The lack of an effective institutional accountability framework that will hold institutions and public officers accountable is also identified as one of the binding constraints to improved governance in the National Development Plan. The incumbent’s primary role will be to serve as adviser to USAID Zambia on support to GRZ on central level public sector reforms, anti-corruption, and to sector decentralization issues across technical teams. The incumbent’s secondary role will be to support the GRZ, as requested, in promoting its anti-corruption and public sector reform agenda. The incumbent will provide expertise on, and analysis of Zambia’s public sector reform priorities as articulated in the 2022-2026 National Development Plan, namely devolution of public service delivery, public financial management, human resource management, and administrative reforms, including e-governance. The individual will also provide analysis and advice on appropriate systems-wide anti-corruption approaches, and adaptations suited to USAID’s sector interventions across technical teams. S/he will provide advisory services to design and project management teams, including Government to Government awards, to identify and mitigate risks, and to incorporate governance systems strengthening interventions as appropriate to the activity. The adviser will play a key role in promoting the exchange of good practices and innovative thinking across sectors. For selected activities focused on center of government reforms and cross-cutting anti-corruption initiatives a/he will lead the USAID technical teams in the design of programs, facilitate the preparation of procurement actions with the Office of Acquisition and Assistance, liaise with the Program Office in the preparation of the Operational Plan and budget, manage selected USAID-funded activities, represent USAID in stakeholder discussions, and perform a broad range of duties as assigned by the Democracy, Rights and Governance Office Director. Statement of Duties to be Performed Senior Technical Leadership and Strategic Planning Provide technical leadership to the USAID Mission in the areas of systems strengthening and the devolution of public sector service delivery, public financial management, and civil service and administrative reforms to strengthen accountability, transparency, and efficiency. The Advisor will also be relied upon to provide technical and policy advice to other USG agencies at post, donor agencies, local partners, and GRZ counterparts. Lead the Anti-Corruption thematic area and apply deep technical knowledge, policy expertise, personal experience, and state-of-the-art knowledge of anti-corruption to the formulation of USAID’s and USG’s strategies. Develop internal capacity development approaches, including the development/adaptation of tools and guidance on anti-corruption. Collaborate closely with the Program Office and other technical offices, ensuring a coordinated approach to anti-corruption, public sector reforms, and capacity development as a cross-cutting issue across the Mission’s portfolios. Conduct expert analysis, review evidence, draw on knowledge and experience, evaluate options, and consider various tactics and approaches when developing policy positions on complex anti-corruption and public sector reform issues. Consult broadly within USAID and the interagency, private sector entities, and civil society organizations, and ensures the best ideas are integrated into the USG’s policies and strategies. Provide technical leadership and support to design and implement project activities to enhance the government’s institutional accountability and capability to deter corruption and increase effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery at the national and sub-national levels. Support, as required, GRZ counterparts in developing and implementing anti-corruption and accountability policies and mechanisms, and monitoring government performance. Develop and pilot-test guidance in accountability, transparency and anti-corruption and its linkages to other areas, including but not restricted to health and education, extractive industries governance, climate change, public administration reform, election and political party financing, local governance, e-governance, etc. Portfolio and Activity Management Maintain a diplomatic and productive dialogue with host country officials at the technical level up to and including the ministerial level. Develop a strong working relationship with host country government counterparts, implementing partners and key stakeholders to gain knowledge of Zambia, identify needs, and further shared priorities. Serve as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or Assistance Officer’s Representative (AOR) for assigned contracts and grants, or as the Technical Representative for grants to public international organizations and for Government-to-Government awards. These functions include the day-to-day responsibility for monitoring the implementation of activities, monitoring pipelines and ensure they conform to action plans, processing obligation actions, and responding to requests for approvals or modifications to specific activities. It also may include writing technical justifications for changes to on-going programs, objectives, activities, or indicators. Design development activities to meet Mission strategic objectives. This includes preparing statements of work or program descriptions, requests for proposals/applications, Acquisition and Assistance requests, decision memos, Congressional Notifications, inter-agency agreement letters, etc. Develop assessment/evaluation documents. The Advisor may participate in, coordinate, and manage assessments that are conducted in conjunction with other USG agencies, international organizations, or other donors. Work with other A/COR/AMs and technical staff, to ensure that systems strengthening -related activities are well coordinated to improve effectiveness and efficiencies. Provide thought leadership, strategic guidance, and facilitation support to learning strategies and identification of performance improvement best practices. Representation and Coordination Serve as the USAID representative in donor and government coordination forums and promote projects that help to meet U.S. foreign policy objectives. Provide briefings to U.S. and foreign officials and other donors on USAID programming, as necessary. Contribute to briefers or testimony for high level U.S. Government staff. Maintain contact with USAID/Washington staff on latest sectoral governance and anti-corruption policy and technical issues. Provide expert technical and programmatic representation in key national fora on the subject matter and engage leading thinkers, academics, and high-level government functionaries/Ministers on USAID’s position, comparative advantage, and activities in this field. This may include meetings with senior USAID staff, GRZ officials, senior representatives from donor agencies and non-governmental organizations. Negotiate with stakeholders to identify opportunities and gives recommendations for USAID to strategically leverage and coordinate investments with other multilateral, bilateral, national partner, or other resources. Coordinate with GRZ counterparts, donors, technical and financial partners, and other stakeholders to identify, prevent, and solve bottlenecks and underlying issues and dissemination of lessons learned. Supervision of DRG Team Members Full supervisory responsibility over up to two specialist employees in economic governance and anti-corruption. Work with employees to develop their personal performance objectives and supports them to achieve these, including recommending formal and informal training, providing constructive feedback, incentive awards when appropriate, approval of leave, and evaluating performance. Supervisory Relationship The Governance Advisor works under the day-to-day supervision of the DRG Office Director (or her/his designate). Assignments are made orally and in writing. S/he exercises independence in most phases of the assignment but determines those situations that must be coordinated with the supervisor and/or other Mission staff as appropriate. The supervisor provides a review of the assignment, the goals, and objectives to be achieved, and the results expected; the Governance Advisor is expected to carry out those tasks independently. Supervisor Control The incumbent will supervise two specialist staff in economic governance and anti-corruption. If a third country national (TCN) is selected for award, during the period of this contract, the TCN personal services contractor must provide at least 15% of their time to the training of a cooperating country national (CCN) designated by USAID. The PSC Supervisor will establish a training plan with benchmarks to measure the TCNPSC's progress toward achieving this training deliverable.