USPSC Sahel Development Partnership (SDP) Advisor – Burkina Faso

USAID’s Sahel Development Partnership for Burkina Faso and Niger (SDP) is USAID’s integrated approach to countering violent extremism and building local communities’ resilience in vulnerable areas of Niger and Burkina Faso. Through SDP, USAID seeks to halt the spread of violent extremist groups, avert costly humanitarian crises, and stem the flow of destabilizing migration. SDP activities develop government and community capacity to manage their own security, promote self-reliance, galvanize donor support, and reduce the need for long-term assistance. SDP complements both the United States’ diplomatic engagements with these countries in the framework of the G5-Sahel and our ongoing national security interests in these countries. SDP is the optimization of various USAID and related other U.S. Government activities that will require a management structure designed to assure timely and quality coordination and collaboration across the U.S Government (USG) agencies involved, with a focus on USAID’s implementing partners. USAID’s Sahel presence under SDP includes country offices in Burkina Faso and Niger. In addition, the USAID/Senegal’s Sahel Regional Office (SRO), located in Dakar, Senegal serves to coordinate the efforts of the country offices and additional USAID and USG entities. The USAID Senegal Mission Director serves as the SDP Regional Coordinator. USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives and USAID West Africa Regional Mission in Accra also implement various activities under SDP. The incumbent will be one of three individuals tasked with ensuring that programs under SDP are aligned and delivering an impact that is greater than the sum of its parts. This position will be based in Ouagadougou and will be focused on tracking USG programs in the Centre Nord, Sahel, and Est regions of Burkina Faso, and their effects on improving local communities’ ability to cope with shocks and stresses. This position reports to the Burkina Faso USAID Country Representative. The incumbent will be expected to coordinate closely with the Dakar-based SDP Advisor, who is responsible for quality control and oversight of SDP. The incumbent will be charged with tracking, monitoring, reporting, and advising on activities under USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, Food for Peace, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID/West Africa, and SRO under the guidance of each activity AOR/COR or activity manager. Given the desire to make SDP a “Three D” (3D) approach (diplomacy, defense, and development), the incumbent will also advise on sequencing, layering, and monitoring programs from the Departments of State (DoS) and of Defense (DoD). The ideal candidate will, therefore, have a combination of strong managerial skills, excellent oral and written communication skills, and exhibit attention to detail. The incumbent may be expected to represent USAID at various forums to present USG technical and policy positions. This could include regular meetings with senior and mid-level host-government officials, representatives of various national and regional institutions and organizations, other donors, U.S. Embassy officials, and officials from other USG agencies.