The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) program is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.
Driven by market demand, ATI embraces innovative approaches to achieve its goals. ATI is designed as a small, core set of centrally coordinated technical and institutional support activities, and a large, flexible performance-based subcontracting and grants under contract facility designed to support the needs and opportunities that USAID Missions and the private sector identify.
ACTIVITY BACKGROUND
The USAID ATI trade objective seeks to mobilize trade, including two-way between the U.S. and Africa, through a proactive approach that identifies and/or improves private sector awareness of opportunities, information sharing, and direct facilitation of new and existing business relationships. Building on almost two decades of successful Trade Hub work, the mechanism will have a particular focus on supporting African exports, intra-Africa and to the U.S. Activities must also accelerate the implementation of the existing Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) export strategies and trade preferences with the U.S.
In Southern Africa, USAID Southern Africa seeks to sustain the significant progress made on the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment (USAID TradeHub) through a buy-in program activity under ATI from October 2022 to September 2026, titled the USAID Africa Trade and Investment Southern Africa Buy-in Activity (the Project). Specifically, the Project will focus on increasing exports from targeted Southern African countries to South Africa and boosting sustainable utilization of AGOA opportunities by targeted Southern African countries, including Angola. To do this, the Project will deepen the market systems approach initiated under USAID TradeHub to tackle the root causes that limit Southern Africa’s agricultural and non-agricultural market systems – addressing incentives, behaviors, and relationships that impede the region’s trade competitiveness in three market systems:
- Trade promotion system refers to mechanisms linking supply with demand and helping exporters identify and meet these demands. Trade promotion activities are about raising awareness of agricultural trade opportunities among market actors.
- Trade enhancing services system, encompasses the sets of services that increase export competitiveness and functional ability to export. Trade enhancing service include all activities that build the export firms’ capacity to respond to the demand in the end markets in South Africa and the U.S.; and
- Supply chain management system deals with linking buyers to a robust supplier/exporter base and support to meet buyer needs. The activities in this market system relate to the core market functions of linking export firms to buyers with their products and services.
While the Project will initially focus on these three market systems, this list may be modified as opportunities and needs emerge and as USAID funding allows. The activity will operate primarily in the following Southern African countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Cluster Program Assistant (CPA) for South Africa will work closely with the ATI Southern Africa Buy-In technical teams on the management and implementation of work plan activities to achieve key results. The RPA will be responsible for providing administrative, communications, event management, payment requisitions, report writing, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation support to the ATI Southern Africa Buy-In’s technical components: The RPA will also support the country representative by supporting activity data collection, analysis, and entry.
The Cluster Program Assistant will support information management and reporting as well as perform administrative tasks assigned by the country representative, and will:
- Support the management and track buy-in activity implementation progress by personnel, consultants and subcontractors, ensure it adheres to the approved workplan and deliverable schedule, and troubleshoot deviations with supervision of the Trade Specialist.
- Support development and review of technical deliverables and contribute to subsequent learning.
- Support on all matters related to the buy-in, including but not limited to contractual, operational, MEL, reporting, and financial matters.
- Under supervision of the ATI Southern Africa Buy-In technical teams and relevant grants and procurement personnel, provide procedures and policy guidance and interpretation for program staff as well as grantees and subcontractors to ensure adherence to the Activity policies.
- Assist the review and analysis of proposal budgets to ensure the costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistent.
- Provide background information to the grants and procurement teams in preparation of negotiation memos for submission to USAID, supporting the development of first drafts.
- Assist to review grant/subcontract invoices and grant financial reports for accuracy and eligibility.
- Prepare grant/subcontract modifications.
- Provide assistance to grantees and subcontractors in areas of submitting proposals, achieving and maintaining compliance with USAID regulations, reporting, and other areas in which partners may require support.
- Ensure assigned buy-in activities are managed in accordance with USAID regulations and DAI Procurement policies.
- Liaise with implementing parties to ensure proper MEL data capture and data quality to contribute to overall ATI project MEL reporting; and
- In tandem with relevant technical staff, generate buy-in scopes of work and budgets as needed.
- As needed, support the project’s procurement and operational staff in administrative and operational needs
- Coordinate and schedule travel for project staff and consultants.
- Travel to regional offices as required.
- Carry out any other tasks as requested by the Activity Manager.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- B.A. Degree and 2+ years of experience
- Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations regarding project management, including project inventory, disposition, and operational procurement.
- Ability to identify time sensitive demands & inquiries and respond effectively.
- Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints.
- Demonstrated knowledge of internal controls and audit processes (e.g. procurement, local subcontract agreements, etc.)
- Demonstrated report writing skills in English is required.
- An articulate individual who possesses excellent communications and personnel management skills and who can relate to people at all levels of an organization.
- An extremely well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus.
ABOUT DAI
DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.
DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.
DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All of our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.
How to apply
APPLICATION LINK: https://fs25.formsite.com/DupOTo/xpocpx4pg2/index
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Select the position in which you are interested in applying for, fill out the required information, and upload CV. Please indicate what location you are applying for. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be conducted soon. Please note, due to the volume of applications that we receive and the urgency to fill-up positions, only shortlisted applicants will receive notification on next steps.