USAID Project Management Specialist – Budget
Recruiter : USAID Southern Africa
REF: 264/HR/SM/USAID Project Management Specialist – Budget/Lesotho/250419
Advert Details
Recruiter: USAID Southern Africa Updated on: 2019-04-29 00:00:00
Start Date: 2019-04-25 End Date: 2019-05-09
AA/EE: Not Applicable Contract Permanent
Location: Lesotho Available: Immediately
Category: Office Support Offer: FSN 10: L 317, 933.00- L508, 684.00 pa Full Performance Basic
Introduction…
POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist – Budget
MARKET VALUE: FSN 10: L 317, 933.00- L508, 684.00 pa equivalent to FSN GRADE/10
Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: five years renewable contract subject to funds availability and need for the position.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: US Embassy for USAID- Lesotho, Maseru
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: All Lesotho citizens and Lesotho permanent residence permit holders.
The plan includes basic salary, miscellaneous allowance, pension fund and medical aid subsidy.
Minimum Requirements…
Education: Completion of Minimum of University degree in accounting, business administration, public administration, economics, finance or related social science fields is required.
Work Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible prior experience in budget, accounting and/or financial analysis is required. Experience should include analysis and interpretation of data and presentation of findings in written and oral form. Three (3) years of prior work experience with a bilateral, regional or multilateral development agency is required.
Post Entry Training: Post-entry training will include a customized list such as Programming Foreign Assistance, Project Design and Management and relevant USAID Financial Management courses.
Language Proficiency: (List both English and host country language(s) proficiency requirements by level (II, III) and specialization (sp/read): Level IV English (fluency) is required. .
Job Knowledge: The incumbent is expected to be highly knowledgeable of USAID procedures and regulations, including both the substantive and administrative elements of USAID’s assistance mechanisms
Must be able to obtain, analyze and evaluate complex financial and program information to prepare concise, accurate analyses, written reports and oral briefings of information received.
Broad knowledge of computer applications, such as PowerPoint and Access database programs. Advanced knowledge of Excel.
Broad knowledge of accounting and ability to understand and derive budget and program information from accounting systems. Broad knowledge of internal control processes not limited to ability to obtain and analyze information.
A thorough and detailed understanding of the substantive and administrative elements of USAID budget and program operations, project designs, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes is desired, not limited to ability to create and manipulate spreadsheets, databases and word processing documents.
Skills and Abilities:
The incumbent must be able to develop and maintain good working relationships with senior USAID officials and staff throughout the Embassy Maseru community and the Regional Mission, including the Regional Legal Office (RLO), RFMO, and ROAA offices. In addition to applying her/his own technical expertise, the incumbent must be able to effectively identify, mobilize, and draw upon the expertise of other technical and managerial personnel in the Mission. Must have demonstrated skills in budget planning and management, program planning, and budget tracking and monitoring. Incumbent must have ability to work independently in support of team efforts, demonstrated capability for perceptive analysis and the ability to write and speak effectively. Must have expertise in using databases and spreadsheet software for budget monitoring purposes.
The incumbent will be expected to lead and/or participate actively in meetings as appropriate with OGAC, USAID/Washington representatives, other donors, and implementing partners. Must be able to work in teams and lead teams set up for specific events and projects. This position requires some travel to the districts of Lesotho.
Supervision received: The incumbent will report to the Lesotho USAID Program Director. The incumbent is expected to be able to exercise considerable independent judgment in carrying out assigned tasks and to be able to function effectively within a multicultural and interagency environment. S/he functions as a part of USG Interagency team.
Supervision Exercised: None.
Available Guidelines: Guidelines include PEPFAR Guidance, Agency regulations, the ADS, Mission Orders and professional development literature. All of these are general; presenting options and approaches rather than blueprints. Therefore, the incumbent must be able to assess alternatives and interpret the guidelines accordingly. Excellent judgment and the ability to clarify discrepancies and ambiguities are essential.
Exercise of Judgment: Planning, budgeting and program operations involve the analysis of financial, administrative, economic, social, and technical factors, as well as management of complex PEPFAR and USAID procedures. Program operations, support, and project management responsibilities involve complex obligation, contracting, and implementation actions. Monitoring and coordination responsibilities involve the creation of reporting and management control systems, as well as interpretation of guidance and rules as applied to problems, resulting in advice to Lesotho team management. All of these responsibilities require the incumbent to develop, check, analyze, interpret, and evaluate facts before work can progress. In making decisions, the incumbent will need to consider and be sensitive to the merits of proposals, financial soundness and accountability, their feasibility given local conditions and a variety of factors. The incumbent must exercise considerable judgment in carrying out all the responsibilities outlined above.
Authority to make commitments: While the incumbent has no authority to commit USG funds, s/he is regularly asked to explain and interpret existing PEPFAR and USAID guidelines and policies in areas related to program management, strategy, evaluation and budgeting. S/He is also accountable for accuracy in the finalization of budget documentation including reports.
Nature, level , and Purport of Contacts: The incumbent will be expected to dialogue with Senior USAID officials and staff throughout the Embassy Maseru community and the Regional Mission, including the Regional Legal Office (RLO), RFMO, and ROAA offices. The incumbent will be expected to lead and/or participate actively in meetings as appropriate with OGAC, USAID/Washington representatives, other donors, and implementing partners.
Job Specification…
Basic Function of the Position:
The USAID Lesotho Project Management Specialist (Budget) serves as the Lesotho Operating Unit and manages the budgets of PEPFAR programs in Lesotho, one of the two countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. USAID Lesotho operationally falls under the Regional HIV AIDS Program (RHAP). RHAP is responsible for the management and program oversight of PEPFAR programs in the non-presence countries of Lesotho and Swaziland. This position is responsible for PEPFAR budget management and coordination, and serves as principal advisor to the USAID Office Director in Lesotho, and all program staff under the operating unit, on PEPFAR budget development and budget implementation. This includes projected expenditures or burn rates, accruals, pipeline, and incremental funding. In FY 19, the incumbent will manage a total Operating Year Budget (OYB) of $ 45.4 million per annum.
Major Roles and Responsibilities:
The incumbent provides leadership, coordination, advice, and assistance to Lesotho management teams, AORs and activity managers on all aspects of budgeting and the programming of funding for the annual Country Operational Plan (COP), Operational Plans, Program Performance Reports, Semi-Annual Portfolio Implementation Reviews, Congressional Budget Justifications, Congressional Notifications and the Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS).
PEPFAR Program Budget Management, Tracking and Monitoring: 60%
1) Management and tracking of incoming PEPFAR budgets allocations and obligations of the Lesotho Operational Year
Budgets (OYB). This includes:a) Working closely with RHAP and USAID/W’s Office of HIV and AIDS (OHA) budget team on all budget and program matters, including: providing, interpreting, disseminating, and explaining PEPFAR guidance to the USAID PEPFAR Directors in Lesotho, AORs and Activity Managers.
b) Coordinating with RHAP, USAID/SA Regional Financial Management Office (RFMO) and the Regional Office of Acquisition and Assistance (ROAA) on all issues relating to program budget implementation in accordance with the requirements of Congressional Notifications and approved COP and Operational Plans;
c) Collecting, analyzing, aggregating, and maintaining budget data and information related to Lesotho activities to assist USAID management and activity managers to monitor expenditures, pipelines, and overall financials of implementing partners;
d) Maintaining up-to-date obligation status of Lesotho OYB; analyzing portfolio requirements and recommending program area/element/activity funding levels for management and activity managers in Lesotho; preparing periodic reports to management and activity managers on the status of obligations; and,
e) Monitoring open commitments and unliquidated obligation balances and working with RHAP, RFMO, ROAA, and EXO to take the necessary action.
f) Update the Lesotho Budget database with new OYB allocations for Lesotho, and for all Special PEPFAR Initiatives.
2) Procurement planning and program implementation. This includes:
a) Updating the USAID Lesotho procurement plan weekly and preparing for a meeting with the Agreement Officer and Acquisition Specialists to discuss planned and ongoing procurement actions.
b) Liaising with RHAP and Program Office on upcoming Field Support actions.
c) Quarterly updates of the Mission’s Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) plan with new and incremental funding actions.3) Trains and mentors other USAID Lesotho staff in budget process, reporting and fund allocations, and provides
briefings/presentations to Lesotho team as required.4) Performs other duties as may be required by the USAID Program Director to facilitate the management and
implementation of the Mission’s program budget, and responds to requests for budget information and ad hoc
budget reports.Program Budget Planning: 30%
(1) Coordination and preparation of the annual Country Operational Plan (COP) for Lesotho, and drafting the
Operating Year Budgets. This includes:Undertaking detailed financial analyses of the program portfolio (pipeline analysis, expenditure review, mortgages) and making recommendations to the USAID PEPFAR Directors in Lesotho and their staff, on appropriate allocation of the Operational Year Budget;
Coordination and management of OYB planning meetings with all technical teams to ensure that appropriate follow-up actions are taken;
Coordinating the annual PEPFAR staffing plan as required for the COP;
Managing the annual Financial Allocation Strategy Tool, a key action for each year’s COP in Lesotho.
(2) Serves as an expanded team member for all activity managers bringing expertise in developing program budgets
and budget reporting.Completion of Routine, Periodic Actions: 10%
Leads Lesotho completion of quarterly accruals, 1311 reports.
Together with Activity Managers and AORs/ CORs completes the OHA Budget Pipeline Analysis tool for incremental funding actions for Lesotho mechanisms.
Assists in the compilation of Operational Plans, Portfolio Reviews and Performance Program Reports.
Applicability:This position is open all Lesotho citizens and Lesotho permanent residence permit holders. USAID Lesotho management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, need for continuity, and residency status in determining successful applications. Current USG employees on probationary status (i.e., within their first year of employment) are not eligible to apply.
The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation. Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies
for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.
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.
COMPENSATION:
The USAID Project Management Specialist – Budget will be compensated in accordance with the U.S. Mission for Lesotho’s Local Compensation Plan (LCP). The successful candidate’s salary level will be based on prior job-related experience and salary history.
Applying
All interested and eligible candidates should visit USAID.pnet.co.za to apply for this position. Applicants with P-net accounts can log-in from the above website to apply and first time users will be required to register on the site before they can apply.
For an application to be considered complete, please include a high quality cover letter, explaining why you are qualified for the position and a CV of no more than 4 pages. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in your application being considered “non-responsive” and eliminated from further consideration.
Closing date: 09 May 2019
Apply here!