Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Prevention) - USAID India (Apply by: 28 May 2014)

USAID/India is accepting applications for the following Foreign Service National (FSN) Personal Services Contract position: 

Advertisement No. : USAID/14-07

Position Title : Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Prevention)

Number of Positions : One 

Office : Health Office (HO)

Grade : FSN-12

Location : The position is based at New Delhi.

Working Hours : 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in public health or a related area (such as health promotion, social sciences, international health, or development) is required. Additional education in health promotion and behavior change, international health, development, management, or social sciences from a recognized institution also highly desired. 

Experience:

Eight to ten years’ of progressively responsible (increasing responsibility for human, financial, or material resources) professional-level experience; and experience working successfully in a team environment is required. Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, policy formulation, providing technical leadership, facilitating private-sector partnerships, and program management in a complex and highly sensitive environment is desired.

Duties:

The senior HIV/AIDS Prevention Project Management Specialist has overarching strategic, technical, project management, and program/administrative responsibilities. The incumbent serves as a key liaison with the Government of India (GOI), the private sector, and other development partners, and functions with a high degree of technical independence with respect to programs, issues, and responsibilities related to the HIV/AIDS component of the infectious Disease Prevention and Control (IDPC) portfolio of the Health Office. The incumbent will report to the IDPC Team Leader, a U.S. Direct Hire, who is responsible for all HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other infectious disease programs in the portfolio, but may also receive supervision from the FSN Senior IDPC Project Management Specialist.

Broadly, the incumbent’s responsibilities will include:

I. Strategic, Technical, and Thought Leadership 

• Provide analyses, expert advice, updates on developments, and recommendations to senior Mission management and staff regarding the formulation of Mission strategy for assistance in HIV/AIDS prevention and on the management and implementation of related activities in the Mission’s portfolio; identify short- and long-range achievable, sustainable strategies and participate, as required, in the development of Mission strategic plans, monitoring strategies, results analyses, resource requests, and other strategic planning and reporting documentation.

• Stay abreast of latest technologies and innovations that can be applied to prevent new HIV/AIDS infections, particularly innovations using experimental designs that will produce significant breakthroughs in the prevention-to-care continuum, including private-sector models leading to impact in containing the HIV epidemic in India; follow best or promising practices from other countries that may be applicable to India or practices successful in India that could benefit other countries.

• Stay abreast of strategies, programs, and interventions planned and implemented by Indian authorities and partners, private-sector entities, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), other international organizations, other U.S. Government (USG) agencies, and development partners to capitalize on opportunities to influence policies and practices, partner for greater synergy, and optimize undertakings and their potential for results.

• Provide expert technical advice and strategic direction for HIV/AIDS prevention on behalf of USAID/India in policy dialogue and planning undertaken in collaboration with Indian authorities and partners, private-sector entities, international organizations, other USG agencies, and development partners; use negotiating and influencing skills as a trusted thought leader to champion appropriate approaches and interventions to bring sustainable change; applying market-based partnerships, methods, processes, guidelines, or best practices to achieve and build on success; represent USAID/India with active participation at meetings, seminars, and conferences on HIV/AIDS. 

• Actively engage with the private sector, seeking opportunities for market-based partnerships and solutions, as well as local or global development alliances to achieve the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goals and greater potential for sustainability; serve as a private sector champion, as directed, and coordinate with other private sector champions, as appropriate; link as necessary with the Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact in Washington and the Mission Center for Innovation and Partnership for advice and understanding of best practices and lessons learned.

• Establish and maintain relationships with senior and mid-level officials at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), as well as private-sector leaders and representatives, primarily to design, implement, and monitor programs that support efforts to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and achieve President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) goals. The incumbent will work with GOI and private-sector officials to interpret and explain USG policies and practices, and to help them to understand the importance and value added of USG involvement and approaches. This often involves sensitive and difficult discussions and negotiations, requiring credibility, resourcefulness, and the highest level of diplomacy, tact, and communication skills. 

• Lead coordination efforts between USAID’s HIV/AIDS prevention interventions and implementing partners and other USG health, HIV/AIDS, TB, and health systems strengthening partners, as well as with concerned parties within Indian and development partner institutions, to mainstream prevention efforts; represent USAID and proactively participate in coordination of activities and issues with GOI, the private sector, other donor agencies, appropriate local public-sector and non-governmental entities, the GFATM, and others; represent USAID with multi-lateral donor coordination organizations and in defining the donor technical, policy, and program agenda with the GOI. 

• Ensure that HIV/AIDS prevention activities are integrated, when appropriate, into broader USAID-supported development activities (especially education, agriculture, clean energy, and environment) and coordinate these activities with the MOHFW, other government bodies, other stakeholders, and private-sector organizations to avoid duplication of effort and/or programming gaps. 

• Determine the additional analyses, assessments, or reviews required primarily for sound HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and activities, and to build a learning agenda that is a broad ranging, integrated approach to collaborating, learning, and adapting in order to improve or adjust programs in the portfolio; design and oversee the implementation of such analyses or assessments; and participate in, coordinate, or manage USAID inputs into assessments conducted in conjunction with other USG Agencies (e.g. CDC), international organizations, other donors, or other stakeholders.

II. HIV/AIDS Portfolio Management 

• Manage the HIV/AIDS prevention portfolio on a day-to-day basis, including management and oversight of all HIV/AIDS prevention projects funded by USAID/India, identifying and resolving program issues, assuring that all activities are carried out in a technically sound and cost-effective manner, and assuring that activities are carried out in accordance with all applicable Mission and Agency program priorities, directives, and regulations. The portfolio the incumbent oversees annually is approximately $15.4 million. 

• Implement HIV/AIDS prevention strategy by planning and designing new HIV/AIDS prevention projects and activities, and participate in the design of new activities led by members of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control team to meet Mission and Agency foreign assistance and PEPFAR goals.

• Serve as the manager (either Agreement or Contracting Officer’s Representative -AOR/COR) of specific activities in the HIV/AIDS prevention portfolio, and oversee the management of any other HIV/AIDS prevention activities managed by other Health Office or Mission staff. 

• Ensure the timely review and approval of HIV/AIDS prevention partner implementation plans, annual work plans, and budgets; monitor activities to ensure compliance with approved work plans and budgets. 

• Ensure monitoring and reporting systems are in place to assess progress in HIV/AIDS prevention assistance toward achieving Mission and PEPFAR goals; provide technical input in the development of Performance Monitoring Plans for both specific projects and activities and for the portfolio as a whole; develop a monitoring/evaluation/learning (MEL) agenda for HIV/AIDS prevention with a rigorous monitoring system that gauges progress and provides for course correction or other adjustments; routinely review the capacity building needs of the implementing partners, especially local entities, and develop plans to address any deficits. 

• Oversee the review and documentation of HIV/AIDS prevention implementing partner performance through regular site visits, routine reports, assessments/evaluations, and participation in technical working groups and other forums to monitor activities and verify asset use; ensure that issues are identified in a timely manner and that recommended follow-up actions are carried out; identify successes, best practices, innovations, and lessons learned for sharing on a national and global level.

• Manage and oversee the HIV/AIDS prevention program budget and finances in coordination with Health and Financial Management office leadership; ensure that program/activity expenditures, accruals, and pipelines are monitored and that corrective action is taken when needed; ensure appropriate and timely funding actions. 

• Participate, as needed, in preparing for and responding to audits of HIV/AIDS and TB/HIV assistance.

• Ensure that HIV/AIDS prevention program and activity management files (both electronic and hard-copy, as per policy) are up to date, in order, and complete. 

III. Program, Administrative, and Representational Duties 

• Provide information for a coordinated response by HIV/AIDS staff to Program Office, PEPFAR Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), or Office of HIV/AIDS/Washington requests for information or participation, such as participation in strategic planning exercises, or providing portfolio information. 

• Lead the preparation of new procurements for HIV/AID prevention, including program descriptions, illustrative budgets, waivers, and exceptions to competition as required.

• Serve on Technical Evaluation Committees for procurements or personnel recruitment, chairing those related to HIV/AIDS prevention.

• Provide ad hoc functional leadership when assigned to processes or special projects, or as point person for important visitors from the U.S., including Congressional Delegations, high-level officials from the OGAC, other important USG officials or officials from the GFATM.

• Carry out such other tasks related to Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, the broader Health Office, or Mission work groups assigned to innovation, public-private partnerships, etc., as might be assigned from time-to-time by Mission or Health Office management.

• Handle all assigned work either independently or, as required, as part of teams, according to established Mission policies, practices, and programmatic guidance, as in effect and in accordance with all applicable USAID regulations and guidance as provided in the USAID ADS and elsewhere. 

• Make independent judgments that can be defended as necessary, planning and carrying out independently the specific activities entailed in fulfilling major duties and responsibilities. 

• Resolve problems that arise by determining the approaches to be taken and methodologies to be used; developing, coordinating, and clearing proposed solutions with all necessary parties; and then taking appropriate actions necessary to resolve the problem.

The incumbent will perform other duties and tasks as assigned or required.

Language:

Fluency (Level IV) in English and Hindi is required. Bilingual fluency in speaking, reading and writing is required. 

Knowledge:

• In-depth expert knowledge about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the stages of HIV and periods of peak infectiousness, and how the disease is transmitted (including sexual transmission, injecting drug transmission, blood transfusion, or exposure of health workers to the blood of HIV positive individuals); understanding of specific HIV/AIDS prevention and preventive interventions (including treatment as prevention, male circumcision, post-exposure prophylaxis, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, etc.), as well as key concepts of health promotion, behavior change, and medical sociology and health seeking behavior; understanding of the general public health system in India, including policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to development and administration of national/international public health and development programs; in-depth knowledge of both the clinical and epidemiological aspects of HIV/AIDS in order to optimize investments in HIV/AIDS prevention is required. Specifically, when there is insufficient funding to do everything required to reduce the spread of HIV in a country like India, it is critical the incumbent be able to make difficult decisions on the priorities for spending that will yield the greatest health return on the investment.

• Knowledge of team management techniques to plan, organize, and direct multidisciplinary teams and activities is desired. 

• Knowledge of private-sector approaches and innovation frameworks, as well as promising and best practices related to prevention of HIV/AIDS in the public and private sector is desired.

Ability and Skills:

The required Abilities and Skills include:

• Strong oral and written communications skills to communicate complex technical and programmatic concepts clearly, and develop and maintain effective, sustainable working relationships for the achievement of results with diverse national and international working partners in a cross-cultural setting (e.g., to resolve program implementation issues), particularly using skills of diplomacy, ingenuity, and tact with MOHFW officials, private-sector executives, and other key individuals at the highest levels.
• Excellent prioritization skills and personal initiative in the management of multiple tasks within tight time deadlines.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills and their application to the interpretation of program monitoring and evaluation data.
• Intermediate user level of word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and databases.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work in a team structure, create a participatory environment, with an ability conduct effective meetings and achieve consensus.
• Considerable flexibility, resourcefulness, and credibility to engender trust and influence other collaborative organizations or private-sector entities to adopt appropriate health and development strategies for their program activities. 
• Ability to readily analyze, understand, and discuss new program design, management, implementation, and MEL approaches.
• Ability to access people and information related to work objectives.

Ability to synthesize and highlight programmatic successes, both in writing and orally, for briefing papers, visiting dignitaries, and GOI and private-sector officials is desired. 

Opening Date for Applications : May 7, 2014

Closing Date for Receipt of applications: May 28, 2014 at 1700 hours

To Apply: 

1. Interested applicants must apply on Universal Application for Employment (UAE) as a Locally Employed Staff (DS-174) (attached). Please note: Must answer all the questions in DS-174 application form.

You may also click the link below to access the above form: 

http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/ds174_0.pdf

Applications not submitted in the specified form will not be accepted.

2. Submit print copies of applications to:

Human Resources
United States Agency for International Development
U.S. Embassy
Shantipath, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi – 110 021

Or

Electronic Submission to: indiaper@usaid.gov

3. Applicants must specify the advertisement number and position title in Column 1 of the Employment Form. Applications without reference to a specific advertisement number will not be accepted.

Notes:

Probationary Period: FSN employees currently serving their probationary period or with less than one year of USG service are not eligible to apply. Employees desiring a change after the initial probation period will be required to be in their present position for not less than 120 days.

Compensation: The selected individual will be compensated in accordance with the Local Compensation Plan for Foreign Service National (FSN) employees. 

Applicants living outside New Delhi / NCR should note that if selected for the position, no resettlement travel or housing is associated with the position. It would be the candidate’s responsibility to travel to New Delhi in a timely manner for the pre-employment clearances.


Age Requirement: Consistent with local law, customs, and practices, the separation/ retirement age for Foreign Service National (FSN) employees is 60 years.

Equal Employment Opportunity: It is the policy of the United States Government to ensure equal employment to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, caste, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation. 

Due to a high volume of anticipated applications, only short-listed candidates will be notified.