The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, is seeking applications from qualified applicants for a Senior Monitor and Evaluation Advisor position located in Maputo, Mozambique. The resultant contract shall be a Personal Services Contract (PSC). See PL 109-149, Section 215 (1), Reference 22U.S.C.2669(c). SOLICITATION NUMBER: 2007-N-09220 POSITION NUMBER: MZ-PSC-03 ISSUANCE DATE: February 6, 2007 CLOSING DATE/TIME: February 21, 2007 at 10:00AM Eastern Standard Time POSITION TITLE: Senior Monitor and Evaluation Advisor (M&E Advisor) MARKET VALUE: $49,550 to $85,350-- Final compensation will be based on individual salary history, work experience, and educational background. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One Base Year and Four Option Years PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Maputo, Mozambique SECURITY CLEARANCE: NACI AREA OF CONSIDERATION: United States Citizens and residents and third country nationals. Citizens and permanent residents of the host country are not eligible for this position. Duties and Responsibilities: The main duties of the position are to plan, initiate, conduct, evaluate, and coordinate complex HIV/AIDS applied epidemiologic research, surveillance, monitoring, evaluation, epidemiological response and program activities in Mozambique concerned with the reduction of HIV transmission and mitigation efforts. The Senior M&E Advisor serves as a senior epidemiologist/monitoring and evaluation (M&E) officer shaping M&E policies and objectives, and assisting in the design and implementation of epidemiologic studies, operational research, and program evaluation in Mozambique. The Senior M&E Advisor serves as a contributor to CDC/GAP Mozambique?s overall scientific and program activities, as well as playing a key consultative role for CDC/GAP employees, contractors, consultants and partners in the areas of HIV/AIDS program monitoring, evaluation and operational research. Also serves as one of the primary advisors to the office of the Director of the National HIV/AIDS/STI Program on matters of science and practice, including improving the scientific quality of programmatic activities and aiding in planning, capacity building and program development. 1. Provides expert technical assistance in the area of HIV/AIDS and Strategic Information: a. The Senior M&E Advisor will lead a National Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Program Evaluation including coordinating an interagency working group formed by the PEPFAR implementing bodies, corresponding with implementing partners and Mozambican Ministry of Health (MOH), and designing and implementing the evaluation. Specifically, the Senior M&E Advisor will serve as the lead technical expert in the area of epidemiological design and data analysis and coordinate staff recruitment for the project, protocol development and Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission procedures in country and in the United States. The Senior M&E Advisor will also oversee field work, data collection, data quality assurance procedures and data flow from study sites to data management center and provide assistance to MOH in managing, analyzing and interpreting data at local level. The Senior M&E Advisor will assist the MOH in preparing and disseminating white papers, presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles as well as writing national policy documents. b. The Senior M&E Advisor will serve as the CDC/GAP in-country project investigator to identify ongoing costs of ART at 11-12 hospitals in Mozambique in coordination with the MOH and NGO treatment partners to fully assess the cost of ART in Mozambique and to facilitate to resource planning and allocation for program scale-up. The Senior M&E Advisor will coordinate the projects in all phases, including protocol and instruments design, recruitment of staff, organization and leading of planning and monitoring meetings with MOH, key stakeholders and implementing partners, implementation of field work, liaison with Atlanta based CDC experts, data analyses and results dissemination. c. The Senior M&E Advisor will serve as the CDC/GAP in-country project investigator to inform the MOH and other stakeholders of the full use and cost of services outcome of ART at the level of individuals, focusing on inpatient and outpatient care of patients on ART as compared to patients not on ART. The Senior M&E Advisor will coordinate the projects in all phases, including protocol and instruments design, recruitment of staff, organization and leading of planning and monitoring meetings with Ministry of Health, key stakeholders and implementing partners, implementation of field work, liaison with Atlanta- based CDC experts, data analyses and results dissemination. d. The Senior M&E Advisor will coordinate a cost effectiveness study of adherence interventions to improve adherence to ART among different PEPFAR implementing partners. The Senior M&E Advisor will serve as lead technical expert to guarantee standardization of outcomes measures, appropriate protocol development including study design and data analyses, as well as ethical considerations to comply with local and US based IRB requirements. The Senior M&E Advisor will also promotes capacity building to local government staff by bringing external experts to assist in country activities related to this and similar projects. The Senior M&E Advisor person will also directly mentor local and implementing partners? staff in conducting such evaluations to aid the MOH on describing the incremental cost per adherent patient from partners? adherence support interventions compared to the national standard for adherence support. Results will inform Program?s resource allocation and program management to maximize patients? adherence. 2. Assumes a senior leadership role in USG Strategic Information coordination and planning: a. The Senior M&E Advisor will serves as the lead epidemiologist from CDC/GAP Mozambique in the conception, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, data analyses and dissemination of studies of national scope as identified by the Mozambique Ministry of Health (MOH) Medical Care Department (DAM). The Senior M&E Advisor will also prioritize with the senior strategic information advisor appropriate program evaluation, operations research and epidemiologic studies according to in-country and USG programmatic and scientific needs. A large part of the responsibilities will be to provide technical oversight in implementing the USG vision for strategic information. b. The Senior M&E Advisor will serve as technical lead for activities at CDC/GAP Mozambique that complement the MOH projects. In addition, the Senior M&E Advisor will advise the MOH, in particular the Director and Deputy-Director of the National HIV/AIDS/STI Program, as well as the head and staff of the MOH ART Management Committee. c. The Senior M&E Advisor will provides direct advice and technical assistance to more than 20 USG partners receiving funding to support Strategic Information activities under PEPFAR. The Senior M&E Advisor will coordinate with USG partners to prioritize studies. The Senior M&E Advisor will write and review technical documents that outline priority areas and approaches to program evaluation and will conduct partner evaluations to assess progress and make recommendations on areas for strengthening organizational capacity in the area of strategic information. 3. Provides technical oversight and advice on cross cutting health studies a. The Senior M&E Advisor will serves as technical advisor regarding study design, implementation and M&E to in-country President?s Malaria Initiative (PMI) staff to carry out FY 2007 funded PHE on whether children taking daily cotrimoxazole for opportunistic infections prophylaxis who become febrile should be treated presumptively with an anti-malarial drug or should have a diagnostic test for malaria and further investigation for cause of fever if the results of that diagnostic test are negative. The Senior M&E Advisor will design, plan and initiates studies, surveys and investigations in the growing area of HIV/malaria co-morbidity. Initial funds for FY 2007 are expected to grow exponentially as Mozambique became a focus country for the PMI. It is expected that the Senior M&E Advisor will continue to provide increasing M&E support to PMI director and senior staff in-country and promotes integration between USG staff with PEPFAR and PMI. b. The Senior M&E Advisor will oversee and coordinate with other staff a performance measurement and quality improvement (QI) initiative at Mozambique MOH-facilities. The Senior M&E Advisor provides leadership and technical expertise in the implementation of this QI project, first in ART facilities, with the intent to expand to all tertiary care health facilities in Mozambique. The Senior M&E Advisor will coordinate activities with all implementing partners and staff from the MOH. Presents and discusses all technical aspects of project with the MOH. The Senior M&E Advisor will serves as lead technical expert and focal point from the USG and oversees quality coordinators responsible for supervision of all field work at 10 sites in 4 provinces in FY 06; and at an additional 16 sites to be included in the project in 2007. Minimum Qualifications: 1. Broad perspective and thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of statistics, epidemiologic and related methods for conducting scientific research, including expert facility with research design concepts and statistical sampling methods and procedures. 2. Advanced familiarity with epidemiologic aspects of HIV/AIDS. 3. Demonstrable professional knowledge of and practical experience with monitoring and evaluation, or a related field of data collection and dissemination (e.g., surveillance, population and behavioral surveys). 4. Familiarization with the overall goals and objectives of the CDC, the Global AIDS Program and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. 5. A working knowledge of Mozambique, its MOH and the NGO players, as well as an understanding of local culture, is desired. 6. Masters in Public Health 7. Post graduate training or certificates in specialized areas such as M&E, statistics or epidemiology is highly preferred. 8. Graduate-level training in managing and analyzing data as demonstrated by participating in previous epidemiologic studies. Desired Qualifications: 1. Minimum of five years of progressively responsible work experience in M&E, statistics or epidemiology is required. 2. Demonstrated experience in the design, planning, implementation, and especially monitoring & evaluation of HIV/AIDS or related public health programs is required. 3. Level 4 English, written and spoken, is required. 4. Must also be fluent (Level 4) in Portuguese. 5. Must have the ability to write professional level scientific and statistical papers for publication and presentation to professional groups or conferences. 6. Advanced proficiency is required in the Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Very good skills with statistical software (e.g., SAS, SPSS) are also required. Familiarity with ArcGIS and Access is desirable. 7. M.D., Ph.D., or D.Sc. Benefits/Allowances: Overseas allowances and differentials similar to those available to U.S. Government employees assigned abroad may be payable under this PSC, subject to eligibility. Actual benefits may vary from one candidate to the next and/or from one country of assignment to the next. A summary of the overseas allowances and differentials available to U.S. Government employees assigned abroad may be found at the following Internet URL: http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/4311.htm. Specific benefit, allowance, and differential information will be provided in the "Offer of PSC Employment" letter sent to the successful applicant. Additionally, country specific information useful for U.S. Government employees assigned abroad may be obtained from Department of State Post Reports available at the following Internet URL: http://foia.state.gov/MMS/postrpt/pr_view_start.asp and Travel Warnings concerning certain countries, in many of which CDC conducts its international program activities, may be obtained at the following Internet URL: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html. Federal Taxes: Personal Service Contractors who are either United States citizens or Permanent Resident Aliens (i.e., ?green card? holders) of the United States are not exempt from payment of Federal Income and, in some cases State, income taxes on salaries earned abroad while working for the U.S. Government. How to Apply: A complete application shall consist of a completed Optional Form 612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment) or resume or curriculum vitae that provides the same information required in a OF 612, as well as references, current (or highest recent) salary documentation, and Benefit Eligibility Form. Optional Form 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment: The Optional Form (OF) 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment, can be located at: http://www.opm.gov/Forms/html/of.asp. References: Each applicant shall submit three Professional references other than family members. Two references shall be from a current and previous supervisor. The following information is required: Name, Address, telephone Number, Title, and Email Address. Current (or Highest Recent) Salary Documentation: Each applicant shall submit supporting documentation that reflects their current or highest recent salary. Examples of such supporting documentation are the most recent earning statement, an official letter from current employer signed by the applicant?s current supervisor or Human Resources Representative, or the applicant?s most recent U.S. Federal tax return. Each applicant shall also include a letter indicating the minimum salary in U.S. dollars the applicant would accept for the position. Benefit Eligibility Form: Each applicant shall submit the attached Benefit Eligibility Form with the application. Submission of Application: A complete application package (OF 612 or equivalent, references, salary documentation, and Benefits Eligibility Form) must be received at the following location no later than the closing date and time identified above: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Procurement and Grants Office Mailstop K75, Branch 7 Attn: John Ebanks, Contract Specialist Solicitation 2006-N-08416 2920 Brandywine Road Atlanta, GA 30341-5539 Complete application packages may be emailed to the attention of John Ebanks at [email protected]. Facsimile copies will not be accepted. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be accepted. Refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.208 regarding submission of late proposals: (http://www.acqnet.gov/far/current/html/Subpart% 2015_2.html#wp1125227). All applications must be legible and submitted in the English language. The solicitation number identified above must be included on all documents submitted with the application package, as well as any other correspondence regarding this solicitation. Selection Factors: The applicant that represents the best value to the Government will be considered for award of Senior M&E Advisoral Service Contract (PSC). To determine best value, the following factors will be considered: 1. The extent an applicant meets the minimum and desired qualifications based on information obtained through the application package and interviews. Note that interviews may or may not be conducted; therefore, the application package should clearly identify how well the applicant meets the minimum and desired qualifications of this position. Interviews, if conducted, may be either in-person or via telephone. 2. Information collected from reference checks. References will only be verified for those applicants determined to have a reasonable chance of being selected for award. 3. Results of a cost assessment. The cost assessment will determine the total cost (salary plus benefits and allowances) of the applicant for the complete term of the contract (base period plus any option years). Basis for Award In determining best value, paramount consideration shall be given to technical merit (applicant qualifications and reference checks) rather than to cost. In cases where applicants are determined to be essentially equal, then cost may become the determining factor. BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY FOR PSC CANDIDATE REQUIREMENT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR DOCUMENTATION: A. City and State (or Country, if not in U.S.), of Current Residence B. If Already Present in Country of Service, Reason for Current Presence There. N/A/ or reason for current presence in country, e.g., brought there by previous employer [provide name of employer, your status and job title, and whether housing and repatriation was included in employment package]; dependent of someone brought there by employer [provide name of employer and whether housing and repatriation is included in employment package], etc. C. Attach Copy of Front Page of Most Recent Passport, Showing Citizenship, Name, and Date and Place of Birth. See attached. D. Family Members Accompanying You to Location of Contract Performance: Spouse: Children Under Age 18 at Time of Arrival ? How Many?: Please list name and date of birth of each E. Annual Education Travel for Children Up to Age 23 at Time of Your Arrival at Location of Contract Performance Who Are Attending a Recognized Post-Secondary Educational Institution on a Full-Time Basis Children Before 23rd Birthday at Time of Arrival Attending a Recognized Post-Secondary Educational Institution on a Full-Time Basis ? How Many?: Please list name and date of birth and city and state (or country, if not in U.S.) of location of educational institution for each:

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