GENERAL INFORMATION
- SOLICITATION NO.: Mission Notice 23-47
- ISSUANCE DATE: April 6, 2023
- CLOSING DATE/TIME: May 5, 2023, 04:30 p.m. (Nairobi Time)
- POINT OF CONTACT: Executive Office/Human Resources, Noel Sikasa, HR Specialist, email at nsikasa@usaid.gov
- POSITION TITLE: Resident Hire Communication Advisor
- MARKET VALUE: $84,546 to $109,908 annually equivalent to GS-13. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value. As a resident hire position, it does not include offshore benefits such as housing, post differential, relocation benefit and post allowance.
- PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two (2) year base period, with three one-year options subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance or better.
- PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya. Overseas U.S PSCs may be authorized to telework or remote work only from a location within Kenya, in accordance with the Mission policy. Telework or remote work from outside Kenya may only be authorized in certain situations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.
- ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens and/or U.S Resident Aliens[1] currently residing in Kenya. Citizenship, if dual, must be clearly stated. This is a resident-hire position and therefore all offerors must be residing in Kenya.
- SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: USAID/Washington-issued clearance level at the Facility/Computer Access Level
- PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The primary location of work will be on the U.S. Embassy/USAID compound in Nairobi, Kenya. No special demands are required to perform the work.
- STATEMENT OF DUTIES/POSITION DESCRIPTION
Background/Introduction
The employee will develop and help manage communications throughout the Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) Office’s technical areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In addition, the employee will promote USAID/Kenya and East Africa (KEA)’s health platform that cut across several technical offices within KEA and the interagency space, or across missions within the region. The employee will manage all communications to numerous internal and external stakeholders including bilateral USAID Missions, USAID/Washington, PEPFAR Coordination Office, and other U.S. Agencies or Departments. Using various resources and tracking programs to produce both internal and external communications, the employee will ensure messages are consistent with the overall USAID/KEA objectives to explain, promote, and raise awareness of HPN’s health activities. This will include developing communication materials, case studies, white papers, newsletter content, social media content, remarks, speeches, briefing checklists (BCLs), and other tools as necessary to raise awareness of the portfolio and highlight success stories to ensure that all stakeholders are well informed of HPN activities and to maximize opportunities for coordinated programming, sharing of best practices, and improved knowledge management. In addition, the employee will develop and provide training for HPN staff and its implementing partners to strengthen communication skills and practices and will support, as requested, a broad range of communication approaches including public events and social media.
USAID/KEA is a large, full-service Mission. Sectors targeted include: health, governance, agriculture, private sector development, environmental conservation, and education. The HPN Office programs are expansive, providing quality health care to millions of Kenyans nationwide through a mix of integrated and vertical services designed to strengthen local capacity. It offers life-saving treatment to over one million HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral drug therapy. The FY 2022 health budget is over $280 million. Kenya is one of the largest recipient or resources through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Basic Functions of the position
Outreach and Communications: 65%
- Update HPN’s strategic communication strategy and support messaging to highlight the progress of HPN-funded activities towards the achievement of their overall goals and USAID/KEA objectives. The communications strategy should also advance policy and strategic engagements under USAID’s Journey to Self-Reliance agenda.
- Coordinate with the USADI/KEA Development Outreach Coordinator (DOC) to leverage local, regional and international media relationships that will ensure HPN events/stories are covered on a timely basis with appropriate content and that USAID and Embassy Nairobi staff are well informed of HPN’s activities.
- Establish excellent working relationships and strategic engagement with a wide range of senior figures within the development and USG community related to communications, including communications officials in other USAID Missions, AID/Washington, the USAID/KEA DOC team, the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Kenya, PEPFAR Coordination Office, the Kenya and regional donor community, and HPN’s implementing partners throughout Kenya and the East Africa region.
- Support and advise HPN leadership to ensure uninterrupted proper internal and external messaging for all HPN’s activities. The employee will need to be a thoughtful, diplomatic, consensus-building, strategic, analytical, and a leader. The employee must be able to use excellent judgment and have the ability to deal with ambiguity at all levels.
- Support logistics for HPN and USAID/KEA health conferences, training events, press interviews, VIP visits, launches of project activities, or other events to ensure events run smoothly and meet USAID messaging goals.
- Write and/or edit briefing checklists (BCLs), speeches, talking points, blogs, success stories, press releases and other communications materials as needed by HPN, the USAID/KEA health platforms, USAID/KEA senior management, the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, or other VIPs as directed, in support of USAID-sponsored public events.
- Develop external communication materials, case studies, white papers, regional newsletter content, social media content, and other tools as necessary to raise awareness of HPN and USAID/KEA health activities and success stories, and ensure that stakeholders, including bilateral missions in the region, are well informed of HPN activities.
- Advise and make recommendations to USAID staff, the USAID Mission Director, technical offices, implementing partners, and others to communicate about the work and achievements of the health office. Ensure that all activities well-coordinated with other donor activities through regular updates given to USAID stakeholders and external development partners, including Annual Reports, Portfolio Reviews, Congressional Budget Justifications, briefings, newsletters and talking points.
- Assist HPN staff to periodically review implementing partner communication strategies and practices, and provide guidance on USAID branding and marking requirements as required by each award.
General Management: 35%
- Maintain a current database with all relevant communications contacts that are involved in the implementation of HPN and USAID/KEA’s health related activities (i.e., spokespersons and programmatic focal points from implementing partners, USAID/KEA, Missions in East Africa, AID/Washington, Embassy Nairobi agencies, other donors, etc.).
- Proofread and edit HPN materials to provide quality control.
- Maintain an HPN repository of publications, fact sheets and briefers and work with the DOC to ensure periodic publications are completed and submitted on time.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
The incumbent must meet the following requirements in education and professional experience:
1. Education: A Master’s degree in a relevant professional discipline such as media, journalism, communications, international relations, marketing and/or public health degree.
2. Professional Experience: The candidate is required to have a minimum of seven years of experience directly involved in media, outreach and communications in development partner and/or donor contexts. The candidate must have excellent interpersonal and networking skills and the ability to liaise authoritatively with representatives from the development sector, local media, local government, USG, and other relevant actors. Clear understanding and demonstrated skills in outreach and coordination of organizational messaging is required.
The candidate must have demonstrated experience in leading consultations and facilitation of various teams with diverse backgrounds and development perspectives; applying broad USG (or similar development organizations) principles, policies and strategies; leading effective USG interagency, partner country, and donor coordination; and working with USG leadership at the working- and senior-levels. Prior experience with USAID outreach and communication protocols is preferred.
3. Additional Desired Skills:
- Working knowledge of USG policies, priorities and strategies;
- Demonstrated familiarity and expertise with a diverse range of communications software.
- Ability to lead meetings and presentations with internal and external stakeholders.
EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS
The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. FAR provisions of this solicitation are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.
Applicants who clearly meet the skills and qualifications requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factor responses submitted with the applicant’s application.
Applicants are required to address each of the following Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. The evaluation factors will be used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified applicants in comparison to other applicants. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.
Applicants should cite specific, illustrative examples for each Evaluation Factor. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any words above the limit will neither be read nor scored.
Factor #1: Demonstrated experience designing and managing strategic communication programs related to health and development, preferably in Kenya/East Africa.
Factor #2: Demonstrated experience preparing outreach materials for a wide range of outlets and audiences including print, video, and social media.
Factor #3: Demonstrated experience coordinating with U.S. Government agencies, international organizations, national or local governments, and/or other high-profile entities supporting health programming.
The most qualified candidates may be interviewed, required to provide a writing sample, and demonstrate an ability to operate commonly used office applications. USAID will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. In addition, applications (written materials and interviews) will be evaluated based on content as well as on the applicant's writing, presentation, and communication skills. In the event that a candidate has fully demonstrated his/her qualifications and there are no other competitive applicants, USAID reserves the right to forego the interview process. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection.
Applicants selected for an interview will be asked to submit three examples of previously developed visual and/or written materials in order to demonstrate experience editing and developing a range of visual and/or written materials for external and internal communications, including websites.
Evaluation Scoring:
Factor #1 – 25 points
Factor #2 – 25 points
Factor #3 – 10 points
Examples of Materials – 10 points
Interview Performance – 30 points
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned)
Total Possible Points: 100
[1] U.S. resident alien means a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.
How to apply
Interested applicants are required to submit the following:
1) Offerform AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with individuals,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms or by searching AID 309-2 on your web browser.
2) An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) or resume (no more than five pages), cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position, responses to evaluation and selection criteria #1-3, copies of all relevant certificates and include three (3) referees, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts.
Applications must be submitted electronically via email to nairobipscjobs@usaid.gov by the closing date and time indicated above.
Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.
Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors - The Offeror will be required to show proof that the Offeror is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before the first date of onboarding, or submit an approved reasonable accommodation to the CO. If the contractor does not meet this requirement the contract may be terminated.