The OTI Operations Advisor/Senior Operations Advisor – Worldwide is a tandem/intermittent Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS- 13/14 equivalent levels and located Worldwide. Offers for this position are due no later than August 14, 2020 at 1:00pm Eastern Time. 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 position of Operations Advisor/Senior Operations Advisor is intermittent and a senior-level position that requires an experienced professional, who can efficiently and effectively function in the fast-paced and changing work environment of OTI. The incumbent must be knowledgeable in administrative management and personnel functions, He or she must have the ability to identify key leaders in Washington, D.C. to establish and maintain professional working relationships, which is critical to the success of OTI’s program implementation. Excellent analytical skills and the ability to grasp and resolve problems quickly are essential. Administrative management functions include management analysis, HR in relation to USPSC’s, contracting, and procurement. A thorough comprehension and proven record of performance in these functions is an absolute necessity for the Operations Advisor/Senior Operations Advisor to meet the requirements of the position.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
At the GS-13 Operations Advisor level:
● Demonstrate the ability to master Agency and Federal Government policies and regulations, especially as they relate to OTI systems, standard operating procedures and policies;
● Serve as subject matter expert and technical advisor on acquisition and assistance policies to support staff, program management, and office operations;
● Provide support to program funded personal service contract positions by: establishing USPSC positions, assist in reviewing position descriptions and market value analyses, and develop justifications required by OAA and/or GC;
● Assist in the provision of any required training on new guidance/policy;
● Liaise with USAID offices supporting OTI, such as OAA, GC, HCTM, and OCRD to ensure operations or personnel actions are on track and completed in a timely fashion;
● Collaborate with OTI supervisors on staffing and workforce planning issues and recommend actions to ensure maximum effective use and placement of personnel across all hiring mechanisms, including but not limited to, U.S. direct hires, U.S. Personal Services Contractors, institutional contractors, and interns;
● Provide orientation, training, and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel and program and operations requests;
● Coordinate and/or implement informational offerings on best practices related to supervising, managing, leading and/or mentoring staff and any other human resources/capital and talent management topics;
● Analyze and apply complex policy to make recommendations for management consideration. Research, review, analyze, and interpret current and new acquisition and assistance statutes, regulations, policies, or procedures to ensure consistent adherence to USG and USAID requirements. Strengthen internal office award management policies, procedures, and systems, including capturing best practices and innovations.
● Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington, D.C. OTI headquarters, including within other USAID offices, bureaus or other United States government (USG) agencies not to exceed six months; and
● Provide support within OMD in a range of roles to fill critical management gaps, including operational support and office leadership roles, helping to fill management gaps to ensure that OTI programs continue to run smoothly.
At the GS-14 Senior Operations Advisor level:
● Demonstrate mastery of Agency and Federal Government policies and regulations, especially as they relate to OTI systems, standard operating procedures and policies;
● Serve as subject matter expert and technical advisor on acquisition and assistance policies to support staff, program management and office operations;
● Advise on personnel support services for program funded personal service contract positions such as establishing USPSC positions and assist in reviewing position descriptions and market value analyses and develop justifications required by OAA and/or GC;
● Serve as both subject matter expert and training facilitator for OMD teams as trainings are developed regarding new guidance/policy;
● Establish productive, collaborative relationships with USAID offices supporting OTI, such as OAA, GC, HCTM, and OCRD to ensure operations or personnel actions are on track and completed in a timely fashion;
● Collaborate with OTI supervisors on staffing and workforce planning issues and recommend actions to ensure maximum effective use and placement of personnel across all hiring mechanisms, including but not limited to, U.S. direct hires, U.S. Personal Services Contractors, institutional contractors, and interns;
● If required to serve in a supervisor position, provide managerial and supervisory support including: orientation, training and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolve complaints; and approve leave requests, timesheets, training, travel and program and operations requests;
● Develop and execute informational offerings on best practices related to supervising, managing, leading and/or mentoring staff and any other human resources/capital and talent management topics;
● Analyze workforce planning data and apply complex policy to make recommendations for management consideration. Research, review, analyze, and interpret current and new acquisition and assistance statutes, regulations, policies, or procedures to ensure consistent adherence to USG and USAID requirements. Strengthen internal personnel contract management policies, procedures, and systems including capturing best practices and innovations;
● Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington, D.C. OTI headquarters, including within other USAID offices, bureaus or other United States government (USG) agencies not to exceed six months; and
● Provide support within OMD in a range of roles to fill critical management gaps, including operational support and office leadership roles, helping to fill management gaps to ensure that OTI programs continue to run smoothly.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
At a minimum, the offeror must have:
At the GS-13 Operations Advisor level:
(1) A Master’s degree with five (5) years of work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s degree with seven (7) years of work experience;
AND
(2) A minimum of four (4) years of experience working in complex operations management or administrative management positions including human resources, contract and procurement, and other related functions;
AND
(3) Demonstrated supervisory experience, including training, guiding and mentoring staff.
At the GS-14 Senior Operations Advisor 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) A minimum of four (4) years of experience working in complex operations management or administrative management positions including human resources, contract and procurement, and other related functions;
(3) One (1) year of supervisory experience, including training, guiding and mentoring staff.
Please direct questions about this position or the offer process to the OTI Recruitment
Team at otijobs@usaid.gov.
In support of U.S. foreign policy, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives seizes emerging windows of opportunity in the political landscape to promote stability, peace and democracy by catalyzing local initiatives through adaptive and agile programming. We work in critical crises at critical times to make critical differences that help countries transition from conflict and turmoil toward peace and democracy. Our programs put comparatively small amounts of money on small targets, stressing speed, calculated risk-taking and innovation, to strengthen the resilience of our partners and beneficiaries, keeping transitional countries on a positive trajectory.
