ISSUANCE DATE:  May 02, 2014

                                                                                                CLOSING DATE:    May 16, 2014

SUBJECT:  Solicitation No. SOL-517-14-000001

Personal Services Contract – USAID/Dominican Republic– USPSC/ TCNPSC Climate Change Office Chief (GS-13)

                    Salary range US$72,391.00 to US$94,108.00

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. citizens and/or Third Country Nationals to provide personal services as described in the attached solicitation.  The length of this position is estimated to be one (1) year.

Submittals shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified.

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to:

Ana Díaz or Soraya Morillo

USAID/Dominican Republic

Telephone Number:  809-731-7044/809-731-7042

E-mail address: [email protected]   and   [email protected]

Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosure which accompany their applications.  All applications and the required documents should be submitted to the following persons by May 16th,  at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time:

Soraya Morillo/Ana Díaz

USAID/Dominican Republic

Telephone Number: 809-731-7042/ 809-731-7044

E-mail: [email protected]

E-mail: [email protected]

Sincerely,

William Elderbaum

Regional Executive Officer

USAID Dominican Republic

STATEMENT OF WORK

Position Title: Climate Change Office Chief

Organizational Location: Climate Change Office (CCO), Dominican Republic Mission

Position Title of Supervisor: Deputy Mission Director

Estimated Length of Position: 1 year

Grade: GS-13 Salary Range: US$72,391.00 to US$94,108.00

Introduction USAID Dominican Republic is headquartered in Santo Domingo. It is responsible for the continued development and management of the U.S. Government's climate change adaptation program that is focused on increasing resilience of the most vulnerable Dominicans to the most severe impacts of climate change, such as flooding and water stability.

The Dominican Republic is one of the ten countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change, prone to a variety of natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and landslides, which can be catastrophic for such a small economy. As a small island nation, the Dominican Republic, especially its many coastal cities, is highly exposed to sea level rise, higher temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, and more frequent flooding. It is also dependent on climate-sensitive economic sectors, such as “sun and sand” tourism. In the absence of adequate climate information, urban planning, and adaptation tools, development patterns in tourism infrastructure and other public works still do not consider climate change and thus continue to exacerbate climate vulnerability.

The primary components of the CCO portfolio are urban adaptation, disaster risk management, agriculture, and a new Caribbean regional biodiversity project focused on protection of marine resources in the Caribbean.

USAID recently approved the FY 2014-2018 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for the Dominican Republic, which includes three development objectives, one of which pertains to increasing climate resilience of the Dominican people. The CCO is charged with implementing this development objective via the design, implementation, and management of an urban adaptation project. This project has two components: improve urban land use planning processes that integrate climate change information in selected municipalities and support the implementation of adaptation measures, particularly by the most vulnerable populations in the country. The CCO chief will lead the new climate change adaptation project through the procurement process into implementation. Because the project is new and adheres to USAID Forward principles of increasing local partner engagement, the incumbent will need to work closely with implementing partners and all stakeholders to ensure that the project goals will be met.

The USAID/DR climate change program is urban-focused and requires knowledge of urban planning in order to technically guide implementers, local government partners, and civil society in the creation of new planning processes. It also focuses on a subset of the many climate impacts that manifest in the Dominican Republic, namely urban and coastal flooding and water source protection. The CCO project will work on land use planning to address flooding and water management risk, as well as support implementation of adaptation measures in the target municipalities that reduce these risks. Therefore, expertise in climate change and preferably water resource management are also essential for this position. Lastly, the portfolio also includes agriculture projects that require technical oversight and management; therefore, familiarity with this sector and the interrelation with climate change adaptation would be useful.

USAID/DR’s climate change program and the new regional biodiversity project require coordination with USAID/Washington and regional colleagues. The climate change program promotes the goals of the Presidential Global Climate Change Initiative, which is managed by USAID/Washington. The regional biodiversity program requires coordination with USAID/Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, and Washington.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The CCO Chief has principal responsibility for leading strategic planning, project design and implementation, and impact monitoring of USAID's programs to achieve climate change adaptation and other environmental objectives. As the senior technical expert within the Mission on climate change issues, the CCO Chief takes the lead in liaising with senior level public and private sector partners, as well as representatives of multilateral institutions (World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, etc), partner country national and local government officials, and senior civil society representatives. S/he designs and implements strategies and mechanisms to reduce vulnerability to climate change in accordance with the USAID/DR FY 2014-2018 CDCS. The CCO Chief serves as the Development Objective Team Leader for the climate change adaptation objective and is a member of the Mission Senior Management Team. S/he establishes, maintains and manages sensitive, high-level relationships with and between national government entities, private sector leaders, non-governmental-organizations, other donor agencies and U.S. Mission personnel.

Project Management and Implementation:

1. Technical Leadership: The CCO Chief will advise the USAID Mission Director, U.S. Embassy, USAID/Washington, implementing partners, and other donors on climate change and environment issues and will provide substantive technical leadership to achieve climate change and environmental results through activities in land use planning, climate change and disaster risk reduction, climate information, and environment including:

a. Provide technical analysis on specific issues relating to climate change adaptation, such as impacts on tourism, infrastructure, and other sectors/areas, and specific vulnerable populations, such as socio-economically disadvantaged persons, persons with disabilities, and youth, as requested;

b. Engage senior GODR officials, implementing partners, and other donors in high-level policy dialogue and discussions on issues related to climate change adaptation;

c. Establish and maintain relationships with appropriate USG agencies (Economic/Political Officers at the U.S. Embassy, colleagues at the US Department of State Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau, representatives of multilateral institutions, etc.);

d. Work closely with other donors and contribute to enhancing the coordination of donor activities in the climate change arena, seeking to ensure other donor resources complement USAID funding priorities and limitations to the maximum extent possible.

e. Prepare situation updates, overviews, and reports on climate change for the Mission Director, the U.S. Embassy and for USAID/Washington, as requested;

f. Brief USAID, State Department, and Congressional delegations on the state of climate change adaptation and vulnerability and USAID climate change programming in the Dominican Republic;

2. Program Management: The CCO Chief will ensure that CCO activities achieve desired results in an efficient and timely manner, consistent with USAID regulations and policies, including:

a. Provide overall technical guidance to the CCO team, implementing partners, and officials of the Government of the Dominican Republic, where appropriate, to design, implement and monitor strategy, program and activities;

b. Draft or coordinate the drafting, and ensure the quality of, documents related to the climate change development objective (e.g., Annual Reports, Congressional Presentation/Budget Justification, Program Reviews, Congressional and Technical Notifications);

c. Ensure the use of data collection and knowledge-based program management in regard to all aspects (implementation, technology, costing) of climate change adaptation and environmental strategies.

d. Provide leadership for performance management and monitoring activities that report reliable measures/indicators of portfolio impact;

e. Establish reporting systems to ensure that USAID CCO projects and results are publicized effectively internally in the USG, and externally in the Dominican Republic;

f. Develop and keep up-to-date relevant briefing materials and public relations documents related to USAID's climate change, agriculture, and environment activities in the Dominican Republic;

g. Incorporate cross-cutting Mission themes (e.g. inclusive development, poverty reduction, civil society, policy reform, local governance, and strategic partnerships) into strategy development for climate change, environment, and agriculture to ensure themes are reflected in programming.

Level of Authority

The CCO Chief reports to the Deputy Mission Director and leads the CCO, which is comprised of 5 persons, including the Chief. The following positions report directly to the CCO Chief:

2 Project Management Specialists, FSN-12

1 Project Management Assistant, FSN-08

1 Secretary, FSN-06

The incumbent is authorized broad latitude to deal with senior government officials, representatives of international institutions, donor representatives, senior U.S. Embassy counterparts, members of the Dominican Government's National Assembly, local government officials, as well as senior leaders in the non-governmental arena. Supervision is minimal and the CCO Chief works independently to meet broad objectives.

Work Environment and Travel

Work is primarily performed in an office setting within USG offices in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Temporary duty travel to the United States or elsewhere may be required as part of the duties of this position. The incumbent is expected to travel within the Dominican Republic as required to meet the responsibilities of the position inclusive of travel for CCO project field visits and travel to and participation in meetings or appropriate workshops, including regional climate change and environment officers meetings. It is also expected that the incumbent be willing and able to work outside of the regular 40-hour work week when necessary.

Qualifications and Evaluation Factors

In order to be considered for this position a candidate must meet the required minimum qualifications listed below. The following factors will be the basis for the evaluation of applications meeting the required minimum qualifications. All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. Applicants are encouraged to write a brief appendix to demonstrate how prior experience and/or training addresses the minimum qualifications and evaluation factors listed below. USAID reserves the right to contact previous employers for relevant information concerning the applicant’s performance and may consider such information in its evaluation. The highest ranking applicants may be selected for an interview, but an interview is not always necessary.

Required Minimum Qualifications and Experience

This position requires a highly qualified and experienced individual with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to foster team work, the capacity for strategic thinking, and an understanding of the technical and policy requirements to achieve USAID climate change goals in the Dominican Republic. The incumbent must be familiar with and be able to work well in an overseas environment and with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental counterparts. Additionally, the incumbent must be either a U.S. Citizen (offshore or resident) or a Third Country National, and be able to obtain US Government medical and secret security clearances. The CCO Chief must have the following qualifications:

A. Education (15 points): Must possess an advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate) in a relevant professional discipline, such as Environmental Science/Studies, Urban Planning, Public Policy, International Development or related subject, is required

B. Technical Experience (35 points):

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional level experience at the international program management level and experience working internationally in the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental programs, preferably with a focus on climate change adaptation and/or urban planning.

 Comprehensive knowledge and work experience in technical, scientific, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects of climate change, especially as it relates to climate change impacts and adaptation in developing nations, particularly urban areas.

 Knowledge and experience in human and institutional capacity building programs for improving the delivery of climate-related services, such as climate data and information, to developing country populations.

 Proven ability to evaluate program performance, analyze issues, design workable solutions and improve program impact as it relates to climate change issues.

 Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with USAID procedures and policies including procurement, financial and programmatic management, performance monitoring and evaluation of impact.

C. Language, Writing and Communication Skills (25 points):

 Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.

 Proven ability to clearly and concisely, in writing and orally, convey technical concepts, technical information and policy positions regarding climate change.

 Demonstrated fluency in English and Spanish (Level IV written and spoken), with outstanding public speaking, negotiating, writing, and communication skills.

 Demonstrated ability to present complex material, including data, clearly, concisely, and persuasively in presentations, technical reports, and other media, at times within short timeframes.

 Ability to draft speeches for high-ranking officials, as well as press releases and success stories.

D. Teamwork and Management skills (20 points):

 Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and to proactively build consensus.

 Ability to interact effectively and persuasively with a broad range of internal and external partners, especially high-ranking officials of the host country government, national NGOs and international organizations.

 Ability to function productively as a member of a multidisciplinary team and demonstrate experience and skills in managing human and financial resources.

 Demonstrated strong management and analytical skills to develop and implement effective climate change programs.

 Demonstrated strong financial management and administrative skills to track the performance of implementing partners.

E. Computer Literacy (5 points):

 Proficiency with computer word processing, e-mail, worldwide web applications, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and spreadsheet programs, and related logistics software for management, forecasting, etc.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter. Qualified individuals are required to submit:

- A complete U.S. Government Optional Form 612 with hand-written signature (downloadable forms are available on the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms.

This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the application.

List of Required Forms for PSCs

Forms outlined below can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms/

1.            Optional Form 612

2.            Medical History and Examination Form (DS-1843) **

3.            Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (SF-86) ** or

4.            Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85)**

5.            Finger Print Card (FD-258)**

** Forms 2 through 5 shall be completed ONLY upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job.

Benefits and Allowances:

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:

BENEFITS:

Employer’s FICA Contribution

Contribution toward Health and Life Insurance

Pay Comparability Adjustment

Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

Eligibility for Worker’s Compensation

Annual and Sick Leave

ALLOWANCES (if Applicable): *

(A)         Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120)

(B)         Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)

(C)         Post Allowance (Section 220)

(D)         Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230)

(E)         Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

(F)         Education Allowance (Section 270)

(G)         Education Travel (Section 280)

(H)         Post Differential (Chapter 500)

(I)          Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600) and

(J)          Danger Pay (Section 650)

* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas)

FEDERAL TAXES:  USPSCs are required to pay Federal Income Taxes, FICA and Medicare.

ALL QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, COLOR, SEX, CREED, NATIONAL ORIGIN, LAWFUL POLITICAL AFFILIATION, NON-DISQUALIFYING HANDICAP, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND AFFILIATION WITH AN EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION OR OTHER NON-MERIT FACTOR.