Foreign Service Limited Position Opportunity: Education Development Officer (Foundational Skills Advisor) – FL-1710-03

Agency: U.S. Agency for International Development
Organization: Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation, Center for Education (DDI/EDU)
Location of Position: Washington, DC
Open Period: 11/16/2021 – 12/08/2021
Appointment Type: This is an excepted service, time-limited appointment that is not to exceed five years; may be considered for further extension for a maximum of nine years
Salary: (USD) $94,632 – $138,970 (annually)
Number of Vacancies: One

Description of Organization: The Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation (DDI) integrates technical expertise with values-driven, cross-cutting priorities, and modern approaches to the way USAID performs its work. It provides client-centered technical services to USAID’s Missions worldwide, supports programming to innovate, learn, and address emerging issues, and provides technical leadership within the Agency and externally to enhance development impact.

The Center for Education (DDI/EDU) leverages its expertise, partnerships, and global perspective to guide and influence the education sector, advancing U.S. Government development priorities.

Description of Position: The Foundational Skills Advisor will strategize, advise, and design programs on foundational literacy and numeracy skills in the context of USAID’s education work. The Advisor will work closely with staff across the Agency to address foundational skills-related opportunities and constraints to ensure that learners have access to and receive an equitable and quality education. The Advisor will develop interventions that promote foundational skills including literacy skills of phonological awareness, phonics, sight words, decoding, and inferential and narrative language; promote foundational numeracy skills including comprehending fundamental arithmetical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; review and implement policies and strategies to promote foundational literacy and numeracy skills; and conduct and direct qualitative and quantitative analyses, program design, and studies to understand foundational skills-related issues that impede or enable learning. The Advisor will bring expertise in a complementary area of the education continuum, such as gender or girls’ education, pre-primary, inclusive/disability education, books, and/or technology. The Advisor will engage Agency stakeholders, the interagency community, implementing partners, academia, and think-tanks to develop sound foundational skills practices that the Advisor will provide to USAID Missions in support of their education programming.

Qualifications:

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (FL-04) of this position. Examples of specialized experience include:
  • Advising organizations on foundational literacy and numeracy skills through technical assistance and developing materials, tools, and other resources.
  • Developing, refining, and using metrics related to foundational skills and learning outcomes. 
  • Participating in procurement design and award management, especially around foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
  • Drafting written materials for a wide variety of audiences, such as position papers, analyses, skill building, and training materials.
  • Serving as a point of contact on foundational skills, including monitoring and evaluating programming and conducting outreach with external stakeholders.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Interested candidates should submit:

• Cover letter expressing interest and clearly addressing the stated requirements for the position;
• Resume/CV and transcripts (as necessary for positions with a positive education requirement);
• Three references;
• Stated Security clearance level;
• Stated U.S. Citizenship (if citizenship is not stated, application will not be considered); and
• DD214 and other veteran status, if applicable.

Please submit your application package to [email protected]. Please use the subject line: “FSL APPLICATION PACKAGE: Education Development Officer (Foundational Skills Advisor) – FL-1710-03, DDI/EDU; Announcement Number: DDI_540/PD#40376.” Application submissions are required by 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/08/2021. Packages not submitted by the deadline with the specified subject line—or incomplete packages—will not receive consideration.

Note: All DDI employees are measured on how they foster a climate of respect in interactions with others, value differing perspectives, and treat others in a fair, equitable, and culturally sensitive manner. All employees are expected to adhere to equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies and value diversity and inclusion in performing everyday duties and responsibilities.

EEO Policy Statement
Reasonable Accommodation Policy

This notice may be used to fill additional vacancies, as the workforce needs of the Bureau may change.

Any questions concerning this notice may be directed to: