Senior Education and Youth Advisor

Ladies/Gentlemen: SOLICITATION NUMBER: 167-Pristina-PSC-FY10-04 ISSUED BY: Executive Office, USAID/Kosovo SUBJECT: Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) - Senior Education and Youth Advisor The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications (Optional Form 612) from qualified individuals interested in providing USPSC services as described in the attached solicitation. Submittals shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Any questions regarding this solicitation may be directed to the Supervisory Executive Officer, Mr. Michael B. Stewart, or the Human Resources Specialist, Ms. Mimoza Këpuska, at USAID/Kosovo's Executive Office in Pristina by: phone: (++381)(38)243673, fax: (++381) (38) 249 493, email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. All applications and the required documents should be submitted via fax or internet as email attachments or by DHL courier as follows: BY EMAIL TO: Michael B. Stewart, Supervisory Executive Officer: [email protected] Mimoza Këpuska, Human Resources Specialist: [email protected] , BY DHL, consign documents to: Address: Attention Mimoza Këpuska, Executive Office USAID/Pristina, Kosovo Arbëria I, Ismail Qemali Street, House No.1 Pristina, Kosovo Telephone 381 38 243 673 Sincerely, Michael B. Stewart Supervisory Executive Officer Please ensure that your application form is signed, otherwise it will not be taken into consideration. 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 167-Pristina-PSC-FY10-04 2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 30, 2010 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME SPECIFIED FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: September 27, 2010 4. POSITION TITLE: Senior Education and Youth Advisor - USAID/Kosovo 5. MARKET VALUE: $ 99,628 - $ 129,517 per annum (GS 15 - equivalent) 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: November 2010 - November 2012 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Pristina, Kosovo 8. POSITION DESCRIPTION: A. Background The USAID Mission in Kosovo was opened in July 1999 and much of the work has been in preparing Kosovo for independence and establishing basic institutions necessary for a democracy to function. During this period, Kosovo was established as an internationally administered region, administered by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Since 1999, over $1.2 billion in U.S. assistance has been committed to the reconstruction of Kosovo and to building self-governing institutions and a viable economy. In February 2008, Kosovo declared independence. The creation of Europe's newest state has proceeded on a forward path despite setbacks. Starting from virtually zero, Kosovo today is a functioning state, with a functioning government and a society that is growing stronger and more self-confident. The process of handover of Kosovo's nascent institutions from UN control to the new Government of Kosovo (GOK) has highlighted the young state's growing maturity and capacity. Nonetheless, much remains to be done. Kosovo, as an independent country, is only two years old and lacks human and institutional capacity, which reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of government services. Kosovo is also currently undergoing a major process of decentralizing power and resources from the central to the municipal level. Concurrent with greater powers for municipal governments is greater responsibility for the delivery of public services. The quality of municipally-provided services is low and weak human resource management in schools leads to poor education outcomes for Kosovo's citizens. Two years after independence, Kosovo has scored important successes but is faced with new challenges. A troubling risk to the country's stability is the large cohort of unemployed young people who are also unengaged and disconnected. The GOK has begun to recognize the severity of youth issues and has recently released a Youth Strategy and Action Plan that lays out GOK priorities for youth employment and engagement. Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe, with 50% under the age of 25, and 19.1% considered youth (15-24). [1] Approximately 35% of young people leave school early (10% of those before they reach secondary school). [2] Of those who finish secondary school, 10%-20% go on to university. The rest look for gainful employment. With unemployment rates ranging from 50%-75% [3] for youth between the ages of 15 and 24, and the likelihood of employment significantly lower for those who do not finish secondary school, the majority of young people, at some point, enter the ranks of the unemployed. Moreover, according to World Bank estimates, it takes approximately 10 years for young people to transition from school to full-time, permanent work. The growing youth population that is unemployed, disengaged, and disconnected is emerging as an urgent issue of central importance for the newly independent Kosovo state. Their disengagement presents the most immediate risk to stability. Youth are frustrated by an educational system that does not prepare them for the workforce, hiring practices perceived as heavily reliant on nepotism, political leaders who provide no vision, and a lack of outlets for social and civic engagement. The combination of a youth bulge with slow economic growth, weak governance, poor education, and a history of conflict contribute to a situation where negative forces, such as extremist religious groups or nationalistic political movements, can manipulate youth to create instability in the region. The serious issues faced by youth in Kosovo are inextricably linked to the systemic failures of Kosovo's education sector. A USAID assessment in June 2009 found that the education sector is plagued by poor governance, politicization of leadership positions, a weak management structure that does not promote professionalism, lack of quality assurance and teacher evaluation and licensing mechanisms, poor curriculum development, and a dire lack of learning materials that would develop practical skills, such as textbooks focused on applied learning, laboratory and physical equipment. The assessment noted wide disparities in per-student funding across municipalities, leading to questions about equitable access to education. There are also considerable and increasing differences in drop-out rates among girls and boys, and for students from ethnic minorities or with disabilities. Constructive engagement with the education sector will be critical for addressing some of the root causes of youth disengagement. The USAID/Kosovo strategic plan for 2010-2014 has a Youth Assistance Objective (AO) and includes youth as a cross-cutting theme. The Youth AO is structured as follows: AO 1: Youth are more productive and engaged members of a stable Kosovo •1.1 Improved Capacity of Schools to Provide Relevant Skills •1.2 Increased Opportunities for Youth to Acquire Skills for Employment •1.3 Improved Youth Engagement in the Community The candidate selected under this statement of work will lead the Youth and Education Team based at USAID/Kosovo in Pristina, Kosovo. Travel within Kosovo will be routinely required. S/he will report directly to the Economic Growth (EG) Office Director and directly supervise two professional Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) who comprise the Youth and Education Team. The successful candidate must be able to establish productive relationships with a wide range of senior counterparts, government officials, USAID staff, Embassy personnel, and other international donors. S/he must be able to manage competing interests and demands specifically related to youth employment and engagement, basic education reform, and discrete activities in higher education in Kosovo. II. OBJECTIVE The Senior Education and Youth Advisor will be expected to work independently, with minimal oversight from the EG Office Director, based on a general assignment of responsibilities. Her/his primary task will be overall responsibility and management of the Economic Growth Office's portfolio of activities that assist in addressing Kosovo's educational and youth needs. Currently, this means oversight of two new projects that are under development and that will address basic education and youth development issues; it could include other, smaller activities as well. This Advisor will lead the Mission's implementation of the Youth Assistance Objective and guide the Youth and Education Team in accomplishing highly complex duties and responsibilities. S/he will be responsible for daily management of Mission-critical activities, informing and consulting with the Office Director, Mission Director, and U.S. Embassy Front Office, as necessary. Due to the high level of responsibility for this position, the Senior Advisor will have considerable latitude in the exercise of her/his duties for program design, management, and evaluation, and for the identification and resolution of issues affecting program performance both within and outside of the Mission. The Senior Advisor is considered the Mission's expatriate education and youth expert with all of the duties and responsibilities of a senior USAID officer. III. DETAILED DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Senior Education and Youth Advisor will provide leadership, guidance, and overall direction on the development and execution of USAID-financed activities related to the highly critical sector of youth and education in Kosovo. Specifically, s/he will guide the Mission's education and youth initiatives which are an imperative of the USG and the GOK by analyzing current policies and programs, as well as new programs under development and mentoring the FSN Activity Managers. S/he will also lead the Mission's effort in GOK and donor coordination within the context of the GOK's medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and the sector-wide assistance program (SWAP), specifically for education. Overall, the Senior Advisor will provide technical advice for the identification of linkages of all activities with the Mission's Youth Assistance Objective, and with the EG Office Director, help manage the Mission's senior contacts within the Kosovo civil, political, education, and business spheres and within the broader USG Mission - as related to USAID's investments in education and youth. Specific job duties are as follows: 1. Serves as the Senior Advisor to USAID Mission management and USG officials on policy and programs related to education and youth, including the decentralized delivery of education services, professional development of teachers, assessment of learning outcomes, school construction and maintenance, and workforce development and participation initiatives for youth. As such, s/he will develop and implement comprehensive new programs and methodologies under the Youth AO. 2. Maintains a wide range of contacts with government, private sector, and voluntary institutions as well as other multilateral and bilateral donors on matters related to education and youth to ensure proper activity design and implementation. Maintains contact and coordination with the Ministers of Education, Science, and Technology; Youth, Culture, and Sports; and Finance and Economy, among others, to ensure broad buy-in, support, coordination, and information sharing. Actively represents USAID at donor coordination meetings, government briefings, and other events on issues related to the education and youth sector. 3. Analyzes economic, political, and other trends affecting education development and youth employment and engagement. Identifies ways to further meet both USG foreign policy and GOK education and youth policy objectives in Kosovo. 4. Participates in all aspects of strategic and program planning for project activities related to the Youth AO. Functions broadly, developing employee plans, contractor/partner work areas, and independently initiates studies and analyses on relevant development topics. These responsibilities also include representing the Mission in consultations and negotiations with highest level host country government officials, and development and coordination of all U.S. government and U.S. Embassy related initiatives. 5. Assures adequate oversight for financial planning and accountability, as well as effective implementation of the 2010-2014 USAID/Kosovo Strategy. As such, develops broad policy statements for the USG and GOK that serve to achieve goals within USAID's manageable interests. 6. Confers with host-country government officials, development partners, including private sector vendors and other donors, to obtain compliance with commitments and to resolve problems. As such, resolves highly complex problems related to program development, activity management, and human resource capacity. 7. Assists the Mission in collecting information and evaluating the impact of all education and youth sector activities. This responsibility encompasses: a) completing on an annual basis the sections of the Operational Plan and the Performance Report; b) participating in evaluation efforts of current and completed projects, including the performance of contractors and grantees; c) ensuring that relevant recommendations are implemented and taken into consideration in the design of new initiatives; and d) evaluating audit report findings and recommending and participating in corrective action. 8. Interacts with all other USAID offices on all issues related to education and youth, including reporting, budgeting, and outreach functions. Also coordinates with other USAID/Kosovo Mission offices on cross-cutting issues affecting the Youth and Education sectors, i.e. (a) increased focus on assistance at the municipal level; (b) increased focus on making institutions functional; and (c) increased focus on the private sector as the engine of growth, and on civil society as a means for enhanced government accountability. 9. Ensures adequate management of USAID's education and youth program with local hire FSN employees and mentors these employees to ensure the technical integrity and sound execution of the education and youth programs. 10. Provides advice for the strategic programming and sound implementation of discrete education and youth development activities. The strategic link among the mission's higher education activities has not been historically strong and the budget has been and is expected to continue to be limited. The Senior Advisor is expected to program and implement higher education activities which are consistent with the Mission's 2010-2014 Strategy, respond to the various stakeholders' priorities, and adequately incorporate requirements for long-term sustainability and host-country ownership. The projects under the Youth Assistance Objective have a combined budget of $42 million over the next five years. IV. QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA Experience (40 POINTS): •· A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience is required. This must include some combination of professional development of teachers and education managers, decentralization and school-based reform, assessment of learning outcomes, workforce development, and youth participation in community-based initiatives. •· Six years experience working in developing countries is required. Experience in Eastern Europe or with other multi-ethnic countries is desirable. •· Prior knowledge of managing contracts and/or grants is required. •· Experience working with donor institutional structures is required. Knowledge and/or experience in SWAP and/or Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) arrangements with other donors is highly desirable. Education (20 POINTS): •· A master's degree and at least 10 years of experience in supporting basic education programs, youth programming efforts, and/or international development assistance related planning and management are required; or a PhD and at least 8 years of experience in supporting similar education reform, youth programming, and international development efforts, related planning and management are required. Interpersonal and Communication Skills (40 POINTS): •· Excellent interpersonal skills are required; the candidate should have a good record of establishing and maintaining relationships with counterparts, government officials, and international organization representatives. •· Excellent English writing, editing and speaking skills, as well as an ability to process information from a wide variety of sources into cohesive, polished documents is required. •· Albanian language skills are desirable but not required. V. SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The Senior Advisor will serve as the key manager for ensuring the smooth implementation of a complex and highly visible $42 million education and youth programs over the 2010-2014 Strategy period. S/he will report directly to the Economic Growth Office Director. This Senior Advisor position will be a lead officer in discussions with senior Mission management and high level GOK leaders (i.e. Minister of Education, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Sports, etc.). S/he will directly supervise two senior FSNs at the FSN-10 grade and oversee the management of up to 30 contract employees working on a full-time basis in two or more partner organizations. B. Length of contract : 2 years, with the option for Renewal (Mutually agreed to by USAID and selected applicant). LOGISTICAL SUPPORT Assignments of U.S. personnel to Kosovo may be accompanied: Spouses and dependents over 21 years of age are authorized to travel to and/or reside at post. Children under five (5) years of age may also travel to and/or reside at post. While all dependent children may travel to post, those from age five (5) to 21 may not reside at post. Current post danger pay for Pristina is 15% and current post differential pay is 20%. Please note that all allowances are subject to change. FICA and federal income tax will be withheld by USAID. In addition, employees will be authorized the standard household effects (HHE) limited shipment allowance for furnished post (7, 200lb), standard airfreight (250 lb. for the employee; 200 lb. for an accompanying spouse or other EFM) and shipment of POV. USAID/Kosovo will provide the contractor with suitable housing and office space and equipment, consistent with mission standards and requirements. The Contractor will have post privileges, such as check cashing, medical care, and in-coming and out-going personal mail service in accordance with USEP rules and regulations. PERIOD OF SERVICE The target start date for this position is o/a November 2010. Within 15 days after written notice from the Contracting Officer that all clearances have been received or, unless another date is specified by the Contracting Officer in writing, the Contractor shall proceed to Pristina to perform the above services. 9. OTHER REQUIREMENTS: This position is opened to U.S. Citizens only. The selected candidate must obtain a security clearance (Secret) and all required medical clearances. 10. BENEFITS: AS A MATTER OF POLICY, AND AS APPROPRIATE, A PSC IS NORMALLY AUTHORIZED THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: 10-1. BENEFITS Employee's FICA Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance Pay Comparability Adjustment Annual Increase Eligibility for Worker's Compensation Annual & Sick Leave Access to medical facilities Pouch mail service as per post policy 10-2. ALLOWANCES (if Applicable). * (A) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120) (B) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130) (C) Post Allowance (Section 220) (D) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230) (E) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) (F) Education Allowance (Section 270) (G) Education Travel (Section 280) (H) Post Differential (Chapter 500) (I) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600) (J) Danger Pay (Section 650) * Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). C. FEDERAL TAXES: PSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income taxes under the foreign earned income exclusion. 11. APPLYING Qualified individuals are requested to submit a U.S. Government Optional Form 612. This form is available at the USAID website, http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms or http://fillform.gsa.gov , or at local US Federal offices. OF 612 shall be submitted by fax, e-mail, DHL air courier by the closing date. To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any cover letter. 12. CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs and AAPDs) PERTAINING TO PSCs AAPD 10-01 Personal Services Contracts - Changes in USG reimbursement amount for health insurance and physical examination costs (2010) AAPD 06-12 Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) Implementation (2006) AAPD 06-11 Home Leave and Revised General Provision 5, Leave and Holidays (August 2006) AAPD 06-10 PSC Updated Medical Expense Payment Responsibility (October 2006) AAPD 06-07 AIDAR, Appendix D: Contract budget, salary determination and salary increase AAPD 06-03 Updated Contractor Salary Approval Threshold Policy/Procedures AAPD 06-01 Medical Evacuation Update AAPD 05-10 Calculation of Vacation Leave for U.S. Personal Services Contractor's (USPSC) AAPD 05-08 Personal Service Contracts (PSCs) Annual Health Insurance Costs AAPD 05-02 Clarification of Policy for Personal Services Contracts with Anticipated Contract Performance periods Exceeding Five (5) Years AAPD 04-15 Cash Awards for USPSCs and TCNPSCs CIB 01-07 Clarification of the Extension/Renewal Policy Regarding Personal Services Contracts CIB 01-10 Revision of Medical Clearance Process - Personal Services Contracts ("PSC") with U.S. Citizens CIB 00-08 Revision of Competitive Process - Personal Services Services Contracts ("PSCs") with U.S. Citizen CIB 00-3 FICA & Medicare Tax Rates for Personal Services Contracts (PSCs) CIB 99-7 Contractual Coverage for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Services CIB 98-25 Defense Base Act (DBA) Coverage and DBA Waiver List CIB 98-24 Use of Compensatory (Comp) Time by PSCs CIB 98-23 Guidance Regarding Classified Contract Security and Contractor Personnel Security Requirements CIB 98-16 Annual Salary Increase for USPSCs CIB 98-14 Change in Required Application Form for USPSCs CIB 97-16 Class Justification for Use of Other Than Full & Open Competition for Personal Services Contracts with U.S. Citizens Contracted with Locally with CCNs and TCNs Subject to the Local Compensation Plan, and for Overseas Contracts of $250,000 or Less CIB 97-3 New USAID Contractor Employee Physical Examination CIB 96-23 Unauthorized Provision in Personal Services Contract CIB 96-19 U. S. Personal Services Contract (USPSC) - Leave CIB 96-8 Determining a Market Value for PSCs Hired Under Appendix D, Handbook 14 CIB 94-9 Sunday Pay for U.S. Personal Services Contractors (PSCs) CIB 93-17 Financial Disclosure Requirements Under a Personal Services Contract (PSC) 13. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs For initial consideration: 1. Optional Form 612. Resume or CV may be attached. Upon advice by the Contracting Officer that the applicant is successful the following forms will be needed: 2. Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17) 3. Contractor Physical Examination ( Form DS 1843) 4. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86) 5. Finger Print Card (FD-258). ** (Available from the law enforcement offices or in USAID/Washington). * Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). ** Forms 2 through 5 shall be completed only upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. SUBJECT TO FUNDS AVAILABILITY