OTI Country Representative/Senior Country Representative – Iraq (GS-14/15) Deadline Extended

The OTI Country Representative/Senior Country Representative is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-14/15 equivalent level and located in Iraq. Offers for this position are due no later than November 13, 2020 at 1:00pm Eastern Time (Deadline Extended). For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.

INTRODUCTION: The Country Representative is a member of the CPS/OTI Middle East Regional Team, reports to the OTI Regional Team Lead for the Middle East (ME) or designee, and is based in Iraq. The Country Representative’s principal responsibility will be development, oversight and management of CPS/OTI’s Iraq country program. The incumbent will be called upon to represent OTI’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials. The OTI Iraq program supports the larger objectives of the U.S. Government with a focus on
supporting conflict-affected minorities. In close coordination with State Department representatives and other USG actors, OTI’s rapid and targeted program addresses emerging issues and empowers local partners to leverage timely and locally driven activities that enhance engagement between government and citizens and promote norms of tolerance, coexistence, and dialogue.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

At the GS-14 Country Representative level:
Note: Duties and responsibilities are listed in order of importance for this position.

● Manage a high-profile program in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and provide programmatic, operational, and strategic guidance to OTI’s implementing partners (contractors and/or grantees) ensuring that activities are contributing to OTI’s program objectives and are within the partner’s scope;

● Conceptualize and design program strategies and objectives in close coordination with OTI staff, USAID personnel, U.S. Embassy, and local civil society officials, based on political analysis and U.S. Government policy. Refine strategic objectives and advocate on behalf of new programmatic approaches in-country, linked to neighboring country programs;

● Communicate and coordinate OTI’s in-country activities between OTI and its implementing partners, USAID, the U.S. Embassy and other donor organizations;

● Supervise, lead, build, and motivate a team comprised of USPSCs and numerous implementing partner staff in multiple locations in the country of performance. Design and review staffing plans to meet overall program objectives as well as recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate the performance of in-country OTI staff. Maintain staff morale in a difficult security and work environment;

● Monitor local and regional political developments and regularly brief OTI and partner staff on their potential programmatic impact;

● Analyze and report on current political developments and security concerns required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

● Travel extensively to low security areas of focus to monitor and assess political conditions, meet with potential grantees, and develop activity ideas;

● Provide recommendations to the Washington-based Contracting Officer Representative
(COR) and/or the Regional Team Leader on implementing partner performance, the appropriateness of the partner’s scope to OTI’s country objectives, partner’s budgets, and modifications thereto;

● Provide USAID concurrence on all implementing partner activities, including final approval of grantees for grants under contract, in accordance with the USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS);

● Ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient management of funds, programming, as well as monitoring and evaluation;

● Ensure that OTI’s programs and activities are monitored and evaluated and that lessons learned are applied to ongoing or future activities;

● Ensure appropriate resource allocation among OTI field offices and implementing partners;

● Prepare and maintain OTI program budgets for field operations;

● Serve as OTI’s primary liaison with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, Host-Country Government Officials, UN Organizations, Indigenous and International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other pertinent organizations. Develop and maintain collaborative relationships to ensure close coordination at the field level, identify the widest range of potential partners and opportunities, and achieve maximum
synergy with other programs;

● Prepare operational plans in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, including logistics and property use guidelines, closeout and hand-over, security procedures, and contingency and evacuation plans;

● Ensure that all OTI and partner field staff adhere to in-country security guidelines set by the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer and other organizations such as the United Nations or host government; and,

● Articulate program strategy, as well as communicate and coordinate OTI’s in-country activities between OTI and its implementing partners, USAID, and other donor organizations; prepare and disseminate programmatic, financial and periodic reports to the USAID Mission, OTI/Washington and other organizations as appropriate.
At the GS-15 Senior Country Representative level:

**

Note: Duties and responsibilities are listed in order of importance for this position.

● Manage a high-profile program in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and provide
programmatic, operational, and strategic guidance to OTI’s implementing partners
(contractors and/or grantees) ensuring that activities are contributing to OTI’s program
objectives and are within the partner’s scope;

● Assume the lead role in helping the Iraq Team and USG interagency partners understand
the Iraq context and develop a USG assistance strategy for Iraq;

● Conceptualize and design program strategies and objectives in close coordination with OTI
staff, USAID personnel, U.S. Embassy, and local civil society officials, based on a mastery
of political analysis and U.S. Government policy. Refine strategic objectives and advocate
on behalf of new programmatic approaches in-country, linked to neighboring country
programs;

● Communicate and coordinate OTI’s in-country activities between OTI and its
implementing partners, USAID, the U.S. Embassy and other donor organizations;

● Expertly supervise, lead, build, and motivate a team comprised of multiple USPSCs, and
numerous implementing partner staff, in multiple locations in the country of performance.
Design and review staffing plans to meet overall program objectives as well as recruit,
train, supervise, and evaluate the performance of in-country OTI staff. Maintain staff
morale in a difficult security and work environment;

● Monitor local and regional political developments and regularly brief OTI and partner staff
on high level analyses and their potential programmatic impact;

● Analyze, synthesize, and report on current political developments and security concerns
required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

● Travel to low security areas of focus to monitor and assess political conditions, meet with
potential grantees, and develop activity ideas;

● Provide high level and nuanced recommendations to the Washington-based Contracting
Officer Representative (COR) and/or the Regional Team Leader on implementing partner
performance, the appropriateness of the partner’s scope to OTI’s country objectives,
partner’s budgets, and modifications thereto;

● Provide USAID concurrence on all implementing partner activities, including final
approval of grantees for grants under contract in accordance with the USAID’s Automated
Directives System(ADS);

● Ensure the use of OTI systems and procedures to maintain effective and efficient
management of funds, programming, as well as monitoring and evaluation;

● Ensure that OTI’s programs and activities are monitored and evaluated and that lessons
learned are applied to ongoing or future activities;

● Ensure appropriate resource allocation among OTI field offices and implementing partners;
● Prepare and maintain OTI program budgets for field operations;

● Assume the lead role in analyzing and reporting on current political developments and
security concerns required to achieve OTI’s program objectives;

● Serve as OTI’s primary liaison with USAID Mission personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, Host-
Country Government Officials, UN Organizations, Indigenous and International Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other pertinent organizations. Develop and
maintain collaborative relationships to ensure close coordination at the field level, identify
the widest range of potential partners and opportunities, and achieve maximum synergy
with other programs;

● Prepare operational plans in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, including logistics and
property use guidelines, closeout and hand-over, security procedures, and contingency and
evacuation plans;

Ensure that all OTI and partner field staff adhere to in-country security guidelines set by
the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer and other organizations such as the United
Nations or host government; and,

● Articulate program strategy, as well as communicate and coordinate OTI’s in-country
activities between OTI and its implementing partners, USAID, and other donor
organizations; prepare and disseminate programmatic, financial and periodic reports to the
USAID Mission, OTI/Washington and other organizations as appropriate.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
**
At the GS-14 Country Representative level:**

(1) A Master’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience;
OR

A Bachelor’s Degree with nine (9) years of work experience;
AND

(2) Minimum of six (6) years of recent project management experience with a USG foreign
affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization, in
community development, stabilization programming, economic development,
mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law,
human rights activities, and/or political analysis;
(3) Two (2) years of overseas field experience working in one or more developing countries;

(4) Three (3) years of supervisory experience (including mentoring, guiding, and/or training
staff).

At the GS-15 Senior Country Representative level:
(1) A Master’s Degree with ten (10) years of work experience;

OR

A Bachelor’s Degree with twelve (12) years of work experience;
AND

(2) Minimum of eight (8) years of recent project management experience with a USG foreign
affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization, in
political transition, complex crises, community development, stabilization programming,
economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and
governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis;
(3) Minimum of five (5) years of overseas field experience working in one or more developing countries;

(4) Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience (including mentoring, guiding, and/or training staff).

Please direct questions about this position or the offer process to the OTI Recruitment Team at [email protected].