USAID Acquisition and Assistance Assistant - Closeout at the U.S. Embassy

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria comprises of the Embassy in Abuja, FCT, and the Consulate General in Lagos. U.S. Consulate General Lagos is the Mission’s representative to the Nigerian people in the southern region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: USAID Acquisition and Assistance Assistant - Closeout

Announcement Number: Abuja-2021-127
Location: Abuja
Series/Grade: LE - 4005 9
Promotion Potential: LE-9
Hiring Agency: Embassy Abuja
Work Schedule: Full-time - 40 hours per week

Overview

• Hiring Path: Open to the public
• Who May Apply/Clarification From the Agency:
  • This vacancy is open to Internal Nigerian Candidates Only.
• Security Clearance Required: Public Trust - Background Investigation
• Appointment Type: Permanent
• Appointment Type Details: Five (5) years renewable, estimated to start on or after December 2021.

Summary

• This position provides support to the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) for planning and implementation of development assistance, primarily through direct acquisition and assistance (A&A) awards.
• The job holder manages the OAA’s award closeout process for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements awarded by USAID/Nigeria. 
• S/he is the Subject Matter Professional for A&A related systems used by the OAA team and administers a small portfolio of awards.
• Supervisory Position: No
• Relocation Expenses Reimbursed: No
• Travel Required:
  • Occasional Travel
  • Possible travel.

Duties
Award Close out - 40%:

• The Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Assistant job holder initiates and manages the closeout process in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.804, 2 CFR 200.343, 2 CFR 200.345, USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 30 at “Guidance on Closeout Procedures For A&A Awards”, and USAID/Nigeria’s Office of Acquisition & Assistance (OAA) standard operating procedures.  

Active Award Duties:

• The A&A Assistant reviews proposed closeout plans for expiring awards and provides feedback and/or guidance to the responsible Contracting/Agreement Officer (CO/AO). The A&A Assistant provides guidance to the assigned COR/AOR concerning the closeout rules and regulations.  

Expired Award Duties:

• The A&A Assistant prepares correspondence related to expired awards and reviews award files to confirm the contractor/recipient complied with award terms and conditions and ensures resolution of all administrative actions.  The A&A Assistant will independently negotiate an amount of funding to de-obligate with contractors and recipients; after securing a written agreement, coordinate with the requiring and financial management offices to decommit funds in the procurement system of record (currently GLASS); draft the modification and associated documentation for the CO/AO’s review and signature.  
• The A&A Assistant establishes and maintains a record system to manage and track the administrative closeout process for contracts, task orders, grants, cooperative agreements, fixed amount awards, and Public International Organization (PIO) agreements.  
• S/he provides advice and guidance on USAID-funded property and other logistics issues that require interpretation and adaptation of guidance for expired contracts and assistance instruments. Identifies issues, gathers, and analyzes information, and, with appropriate oversight, develops advice and guidance to resolve substantive problems affecting administrative closeout of instruments. 

Award Administration - 20%:

• The A&A Assistant administers A&A awards issued by OAA and technically monitored by support offices (i.e.  Program, Financial Management) by ensuring that funding is available when required; and, under the guidance of the CO/AO works with COR/AORs to monitor the achievement of the overall goals of the activity. The A&A Assistant researches and resolves issues that may arise during award performance, including changes, work stoppages, disputes, implementation problems, defaults, cost overruns, unacceptable performance, and payment problems. S/he evaluates and responds to requests for approval from contractors/recipients and drafts letters for CO/AO signature. 
• The A&A Assistant monitors OAA’s managed awards, including institutional support contract(s) for ad hoc and/or static A&A services. S/he will support contract(s) and review and accept deliverables, provide technical direction, write contractor performance reports annually, provide feedback on contractor performance, monitor financial performance, and perform accruals on a quarterly basis. 

Procurement-related Systems - 20%:

• The job holder serves as the GLASS (or successor system) subject matter professional, and system point of contact for the mission.  
• The A&A Assistant is the CPARS (contractor performance assessment reporting system) focal point. S/he monitors the status of Contractor Performance Reports (CPRs) and follows up with COs and CORs, as necessary. S/he reviews CPARS to find past performance reports to support source selection processes as requested by the CO or A&A Specialist.  
• The A&A Assistant serves as the mission’s point of contact (POC) for the Agency A&A Plan. S/he will review the plan monthly and compare it with OAA’s mission procurement plan to ensure the plans are in alignment. S/he coordinates and follows up with OAA and requires office staff to respond to business forecast questions posted quarterly from USAID/Washington.  

Pre-award Phase Acquisition Support - 10%:

• The A&A Assistant is responsible for managing the planning, selection, and negotiation process for general procurement and Simplified Acquisition Purchases (SAP) as the negotiator.  
• The job holder participates on pre-award survey teams for US and non-US organizations to review the apparent successful applicant’s procurement systems. 

OAA Administrative Support and File Management Duties - 10%:

• Transmits instructions on behalf of the Supervisory Contracting Officer to staff members, follows-up with staff members to ensure that commitments are met, and keeps the S/CO informed of current plans and activities. Serves as the Timekeeper for the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) staff, processes bi-weekly Time and Attendance (T&A) in WebTA system. 

Qualifications and Evaluations
Requirements:
Physical Demands:

• The work requested does not involve undue physical demands. 

Education Requirements:

• A minimum of College / University Studies in Business Administration, Office Management, Procurement or related fields is required.

Evaluations:

• Knowledge: 10 points 
• Skills and Abilities: 10 points
• Communication and Language skills: 10 points
• Interview Performance: 70 points

Information:

• Applications that do not meet the required minimum qualifications will not be scored.
• Candidates meeting the required qualifications for the position will be evaluated based on information presented in the application.
• USAID reserves the right to conduct interviews with the top ranked short-listed candidates. If the interview is conducted, the interview will be one of the determining factors in the final selection.
• Reference checks will be made only for the successful candidate. If a candidate does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the application letter.
• USAID Is An Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified candidates will be considered regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, national origin, lawful political affiliation, non-disqualifying handicap, marital status, sexual orientation, affiliation with an employee organization, or other non-merit factor. Management may consider the following when determining successful candidacy: nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.

Qualifications
Prior Work Experience:

• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in a contract or grant management environment is required.

Job Knowledge:

• Thorough knowledge of Federal and United States Government (USG) acquisition/assistance regulations and policies is required. General knowledge of USG programming policies and procedures and of agency programs and objectives is required. Knowledge of market research techniques and local market conditions is required. Knowledge of administrative closeout procedures is required.

Skills and Abilities:

• Research and analytical skills and the ability to process and organize large amounts of detailed information; sound judgment and decision-making abilities is required.
• The ability to research, interpret and apply governing contracting regulations, procedures and policies to individual acquisition and assistance awards is required.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a dynamic team, and independently on a wide variety of tasks with minimal supervision is required.
• The ability to deal effectively with colleagues and contractor/recipient staff in a cross-cultural working environment, and with the local community is required. The ability to negotiate with potential contractors and recipients; Excellent information technology skills; Ability to write clear, comprehensive documents that capture relevant, pertinent information to support A&A related recommendations and decisions; Project management skills; Tact and business acumen are required.

Language Proficiency:

• Level IV (fluent) English Language and level IV (fluent) of one Nigerian Local Language, speaking/reading/writing, is required.

Benefits and Other Info
Benefits:
Agency Benefits:

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

Benefits:

• Health Insurance
• Annual Salary Increase (if applicable)
• Annual and Sick leave
• Annual Bonus

Allowances (as applicable):

• Transportation Allowance
• Meal Allowance
• Miscellaneous Allowance
• Housing Allowance

Other Information:

• USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf
• Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms
• Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs
• Ethical Conduct.  By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635.  See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations 
• PSC Ombudsman: The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information: https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman. The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via: PSCOmbudsman@usaid.gov.

Taxes:

• The Mission emphasize to its employees of the fact that they are obliged to observe Nigerian Laws, including those concerning income and related tax obligations.  
• Payment of such taxes is a matter between the individual employee and the Nigerian Government. In the absence of a specific international agreement, the U.S. Government will not withhold local taxes from an employee’s salary.

Salary

•  NGN10,908,677 Annually.

Application Closing Date
15th December, 2021.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Information

• Eligible applicants are required to complete this on-line application process and submit any applicable required documents by 11:59 p.m. GMT on the closing date of this announcement.
• Please note that all required documents must be received by the closing date online, and that we will determine your eligibility and qualifications based solely on the material received by the closing date. 

Required Documents

• Current Resume
• Cover Letter
• Relevant Certificates
• University Transcript
• University Degree Certificate
• List of References

Next Steps:

• After the closing date for receipt of applications, all applications will initially be screened for conformity with minimum requirements and a shortlist of applicants developed. Applications from candidates which do not meet the required selection criteria will not be considered.
• A committee will be convened to review the shortlisted applications and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria as stated above.  
• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. No response will be sent to unsuccessful applicants.