Background/Introduction
USAID/Somalia seeks to contract for a U.S. Personal Services Contractor (PSC) to lead the Mission’s stabilization team and advance USAID’s goal of preventing and countering violent extremism in Somalia. The Senior Stabilization Advisor will: (1) provide expert management and technical leadership of the planned $50 million Locally Legitimate Stabilization program and associated stabilization and access to justice programs (currently valued at a total of $77.5 million); (2) lead USAID interagency engagement on issues surrounding stabilization and broader efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism; (3) supervise a team of three that includes a GS-14 USPSC Senior Rule of Law Advisor and Program Management Specialists focused on Stabilization (FSN 10) and Rule of Law (FSN 11) respectively; and (4) ensure USAID/Somalia stabilization and rule of law programs achieve measurable impact in reducing the influence of Al-Shabaab in USAID’s focal zone.
USAID/Somalia’s approach to stabilization recognizes that stabilization programs must be a bridge to and catalyst for longer term development processes, be grounded in efforts to advance political inclusion, and connect with efforts to resolve grievances and conflict that can drive instability. To be successful, USAID’s programs must both look ahead to identify new stabilization opportunities created by clearance operations while simultaneously looking back to ensure that al-Shabaab’s influence is sufficiently eroded so that longer term development processes can take root. This approach requires USAID to engage with communities recently recovered from al-Shabaab and in communities that may have been recovered for several years but remain vulnerable to al-Shabaab and where opportunities exist to consolidate and expand stabilization gains. USAID must also consider how to address citizen grievances in these same communities as an absence of justice is often cited as one of the root causes of instability in Somalia and a key driver of violent extremism.
The Senior Stabilization Advisor reports to the DSG Director. Somalia is one of the most complex political and security environments in the world, and approximately half of USAID/Somalia’s nearly $60 million annual Development Assistance budget supports the Agency’s largest and most comprehensive Democracy, Rights, and Governance (DRG) portfolio in all of Africa. This portfolio includes programs that support elections, public sector capacity building, legislative development, local governance, access to justice, and stabilization and reconciliation. The DSG Office is a team of eight, composed of two USDHs, two USPSCs, and four FSNs.
The Senior Stabilization Advisor serves on the core team overseeing the Mission’s strategic vision and implementation of its Development Objective 1: “Targeted local institutions govern in a more legitimate manner, diminishing influence of violent extremist organizations.” This includes coordinating the stabilization activities within the broader DSG portfolio and with the Economic Growth and Education teams. S/he crafts the vision for Stabilization in the coming years, ensuring the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) guides stabilization and political inclusion efforts. S/he represents USAID to the inter-agency community and senior government and donor officials on issues related to stabilization. This includes ensuring USAID’s stabilization efforts are at the forefront of US Government (USG) policy in Somalia, liaising with complimentary donors and multiple Department of Defense elements at post and in United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM). S/he provides USAID/Somalia with strategic and technical leadership on the full range of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) programming, and is responsible for managing and mentoring staff in all aspects of the Office’s portfolio, including but not limited to planning, design, budgeting, procurement, program management, and M&E. Strong management and interpersonal skills, strong stabilization experience, and political astuteness are essential to the incumbent’s success in the position.
USAID/Somalia seeks to contract for a U.S. Personal Services Contractor (PSC) to lead the Mission’s stabilization team and advance USAID’s goal of preventing and countering violent extremism in Somalia. The Senior Stabilization Advisor will: (1) provide expert management and technical leadership of the planned $50 million Locally Legitimate Stabilization program and associated stabilization and access to justice programs (currently valued at a total of $77.5 million); (2) lead USAID interagency engagement on issues surrounding stabilization and broader efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism; (3) supervise a team of three that includes a GS-14 USPSC Senior Rule of Law Advisor and Program Management Specialists focused on Stabilization (FSN 10) and Rule of Law (FSN 11) respectively; and (4) ensure USAID/Somalia stabilization and rule of law programs achieve measurable impact in reducing the influence of Al-Shabaab in USAID’s focal zone.
