REO Project Management Specialist (Environment, Energy and Climate), FSN-11

Please follow the check lists and submission guidelines, posted on the official website: https://th.usembassy.gov/

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72048623R10011

2. ISSUANCE DATE: May 9, 2023

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: June 7, 2023/11:59PM Bangkok, Thailand ocal time

4. POINT OF CONTACT: Kevarin Phirakansakun/ Human Resources Assistant

5. POSITION TITLE: REO Project Management Specialist (Environment, Energy and Climate), FSN-11

6. MARKET VALUE: THB 1,340,075 – 2,345,127 per annum equivalent to FSN-11 in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/RDMA. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years initial contract. The services provided under this contract are expected to be of a continuing nature that will be executed by USAID through a series of sequential contracts, subject to continued need of the position and availability of funds.

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: The United States Agency for International Development/Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA), Bangkok, Thailand with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: This position is opened to Cooperating Country National (CCN). Thai citizen or other country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent Thai residence is eligible to apply. Please note that USAID is not able to sponsor offerors for a Thai residency permit.

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: The successful candidate shall be required to obtain a Security Certification for Employment from Regional Security Office.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES 

11.1. General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The USAID Project Management Specialist (Environment, Energy and Climate) serves as a member of the Regional Environment Office (REO), United States Agency for International Development/Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA). The position is responsible for coordinating program activities with USAID/RDMA and its client missions’ staff to ensure effective program implementation and compliance with USAID policies and procedures. The incumbent is also responsible for planning, developing, managing, monitoring, and reporting on environmental activities and programs, consistent with USAID/RDMA’s Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS), and other U.S. Government (USG) and USAID priorities, strategies, and policies. A primary focus area for this position is to strengthen environmental governance in the REO portfolio and promote USAID’s leadership on energy and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies across activities in Asia. S/he will also guide and/or supervise contractors and grantees to increase program impact, enhance sustainability, and ensure compliance with USAID policies. The incumbent also develops and maintains productive working relationships with key partners, including USAID Missions, U.S. Government agencies, national ministries, local governments, international development agencies, donors, non-government organizations (NGOs), and private sector firms.

11.2. Statement of Duties to be Performed

A. PROGRAM, PROJECT AND ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT: 60%

• Serves as a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), or Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) for assigned contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants, and fulfills all AOR/COR responsibilities as described in the delegation letter from the Agreements Officer or Contracting Officer including the responsibility for accuracy, completeness and timeliness of official AOR/COR files.
• Provides strategic direction to contractors and grantees to ensure their activities support RDMA’s development objectives and are consistent with the U.S. Government’s strategy and priorities.
•  Facilitates the development of work plans and monitoring, evaluation and learning plans by advising contractors and grantees on expected program performance indicators, targets, and results, and contributing to data collection and synthesis as well as ensuring that program implementation achieves planned results, and developmental impacts are well-documented and reported.
• Guides and monitors activities to ensure compliance with the terms of their contracts and agreements as well as with established USAID guidelines, policies and procedures, including USAID’s environmental compliance requirements. Resolves any implementation issues in an efficient and professional manner.
• Reviews and responds to regular performance reports from implementing partners to ensure that activity implementation and performance is on track and able to increase outcomes and impacts as well as enhance sustainability.
• Maintains up-to-date records of the financial contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants assigned to the incumbent and reports this information upon request to RDMA Management and USAID/Washington.
• Coordinates financial tracking and reporting including preparing accruals reports, in collaboration with other RDMA units and USAID/Washington.
• Drafts and reviews official USAID documents required for procurement, monitoring, evaluation and reporting actions.
•  Prepares and disseminates on a regular basis to RDMA Mission staff and program partners information on issues, accomplishments, and worldwide best practices in the focus program areas. Contributes program updates to the REO weekly reports, as well as USAID and U.S. State Department briefing reports.
• Coordinates activities with appropriate personnel at the RDMA, USAID/Washington, and bilateral USAID Missions and U.S. Embassies in the Asia region. Wherever possible, ensure USAID’s regional initiatives complement bilateral USAID Mission activities.
• Develops, maintains, and strengthens working relationships with key partners, including national ministries, local governments, international organizations and other donors, private sector, NGOs, universities, and the media to identify and implement efforts to increase synergy among the key stakeholders and leverage resources. Oversees the organization of meetings and workshops to facilitate regional cooperation and dialogue on priority issues related to focus program areas. Identifies appropriate participants and facilitators, develops agendas, plans and facilitates working group breakout sessions, documents proceedings and results, and follows up on recommended action steps.

B.  STRATEGY FORMULATION AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: 20%

• Assesses priority environmental problems and issues relating to clean energy, climate change, and related environmental areas, including human and institutional capacity needs and the enabling policy conditions. Analyzes and promotes policy options aimed at strengthening regional institutions, including civil society, capability in critical areas, including the sound governance of natural resources.
• Identifies key opportunities and challenges in the environment, energy and climate sectors at the regional and national levels in Asia. Advises Mission staff on proposed actions to respond to these challenges and opportunities.
• Formulates RDMA’s strategies in the focus program areas, including goals, objectives and activities required to accomplish results in the RDMA Development Objectives.
• Operationalizes strategies by developing new initiatives and innovative program activities, and leads efforts to reach consensus on an implementation approach. Ensures new initiatives are consistent with the strategic objectives of RDMA.
• Prepares studies, concept papers, statements of work, USAID project and activity design documents as well as bilateral and multilateral agreements related to the design of environmental programs. Ensures that there is no conflict or duplication between planned USAID assistance and that of other donors.

C. ADVISORY SERVICES: 20%

•  Provides technical support services to USAID bilateral missions as requested.
•  Conducts research, identifies trends, key issues and opportunities in the areas of environmental governance and climate as well as providing technical advice to address these issues.
•  Represents the RDMA at meetings, workshops, and conferences organized by various organizations, including the interagency, other donors and international organizations. Prepares and delivers presentations on relevant environmental topics and on USAID’s programs at national, regional, and international workshops and conferences.
•  Advises RDMA Project Design Teams, RDMA Senior Management (as needed) as well as other bilateral missions in the region on environmental issues, particularly on natural resource management, environmental governance and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
•  Provides briefings to visitors to RDMA and prepares materials for the press on relevant environmental topics and on USAID’s programs.  

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the "Foreign Service National" Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

11.3. Supervisory Relationship
The incumbent reports directly to the Sustainable Energy and Safeguards Team Lead or his/her designee.

11.4. Supervisory Controls
Full supervision of other USAID staff is not contemplated.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 
The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

1. Education: Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, energy sciences, earth sciences, climate change, natural resource management, public policy, or related field is required.

2. Experience: At least five (5) years of experience in program or project management in addressing environmental issues is required.

3. Language: Level IV – Fluent in Thai and English with a valid TOEIC score of 855 is required.
 

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS
The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

Application Rating System
The application rating system factors are used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors. offerors must demonstrate the rating factors outlined below within their application and/or resume, as they are evaluated strictly by the information provided. The rating factors are as follows:

1. Experience (30 points): 

Additional points will be given for relevant experience above the minimum requirement which may include relevant experience in USAID, other U.S. Government agencies, other development agencies and/or international organizations.

2. Knowledge (40 points):

• Demonstrates knowledge of environment, energy and climate issues in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia. 
• Demonstrates knowledge of viable approaches for identifying critical environmental governance challenges in the areas of transparency, participation, access to justice and accountability; and opportunities for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Asia. This required knowledge includes analyzing regulatory policy, climate finance, and related development policy. 
• Demonstrates an understanding of proven approaches for promoting greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation strategies and measures through more transparent, participatory, and accountable practices and policies at national and local levels of government.
• Demonstrates an understanding of opportunities for introducing more sustainable technologies and practices into natural resource management and environmental programs as viable approaches for addressing climate change threats. 
• Demonstrates an understanding of the interrelationships between civil society, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders, as well as economic, social, health, environment and gender issues and effective approaches in ensuring the sustainability of development efforts. 
• Demonstrates solid knowledge of the countries in Asia in which USAID operates, along with the region and social-political landscapes respective to the region as well as knowledge of the critical environmental threats facing Asia and individual countries.

3. Skills and Abilities (30 points):

• Demonstrates project management capability which includes design, implementation and monitoring of environment programs in a development context as well as collaboration with diverse stakeholders and partners. 
• Demonstrates excellent communication skills (both verbal and written), strong presentation skills, and the ability to persuade and mobilize stakeholders to support efforts to improve the use of appropriate technologies, institutions, and policies.
• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, and the ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with a broad range of development partners and program stakeholders. 
• Demonstrates excellent computer skills to use office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, e-mail and Google applications. 
• Demonstrates an ability to prepare professional quality reports and presentations. 
• Demonstrate an ability to acquire knowledge of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation.

Total Application Rating: 100
Recruitment Test: 100
Interview Performance: 100
Total Possible Points: 300
 

SELECTION PROCESS: 

To be considered for candidacy, offerors must address each criterion in their application as to how they meet the minimum qualifications required for the position mentioned in Section II, Item 1-2. If the application submitted fails to demonstrate eligibility, the application will be marked unqualified. It is the responsibility of the offeror to provide all pertinent information.

Applications will be initially screened and scored in accordance with evaluation factors and points mentioned in Section III, item 1-3. Offerors in a competitive range will be given a recruitment test. Offerors with passing marks from the recruitment test and a valid TOEIC score mentioned in Section II, item 3, will be invited for an interview. The recruitment test and the interview will be structured around the evaluation factors mentioned above. The successful offeror will be selected based on a review of his/her qualifications, work experience, knowledge, skills and abilities; a written test; an interview; and the results of reference checks. References may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by an offeror.

Only offerors within a competitive range will be contacted. No response will be sent to unsuccessful offerors.

IV. TO APPLY
Please follow the check lists and submission guidelines, posted on the official website:  carefully and submit complete application package before the deadline.

  Failure to follow the instructions will invalidate your application.

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