Project Management Assistant - USAID/306/16/35/OAG - USAID - United States

The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Afghanistan is seeking applications from qualified Afghan Nationals to provide personal services as a Project Management Assistant (PMA) under a personal services contract described in this solicitation.

BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION:
The incumbent will be assigned to the USAID/Afghanistan-Office of Agriculture (OAG). OAG has four teams: the Markets and Trade team, Human and Institutional Capacity Enhancement (HICE) Team, Programs and Policies Unit (PPU), and Production and Productivity (PP) Team. The Project Management Assistant position is located in the PP Team, but also supports other OAG teams. The OAG portfolio seeks to promote a vibrant and prosperous agriculture sector. It focuses on increasing agricultural productivity and agricultural incomes, enhancing food security, and providing viable economic alternatives to opium poppy cultivation.

The incumbent serves as the Project Management Assistant (PMA), and in that capacity, assists and supports mainly the Contracting Officer’s Representative (CORs) of the Regional Agricultural Development Programs (RADPs), but as needed also is assigned to support Contracting Officer’s Representative (CORs) and Agreement Officer’s Representatives (AORs) of other projects. The incumbent is expected to liaise with, support, and brief the PP team (and as required, other teams) concerning the project/activity management, financial management, and internal and external communications of projects. The incumbent works closely with the OAG PPU for budget, monitoring and evaluation, and gender mainstreaming matters. The incumbent also liaise with the relevant technical staff of the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) and the Office of Financial Management (OFM) on contracting and financial management issues concerning projects. The incumbent reports to the OAG Deputy Office Director, who is the concurrent Production and Productivity (PP) Team Leader overseeing the RADPs.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direct supervision of the OAG Deputy Office Director, the incumbent is responsible for a variety of project management duties in support of project implementation, which includes performance management and reporting, financial and contract management, and other relevant duties. The PMA will be equipped /trained to backstop official CORs/AORs in their absence or preoccupation. The incumbent also is involved in strategy, project design and, when necessary, in program/policy coordination with other United States Government (U.S.G.) agencies and donors involved in the agriculture sector. This position requires project management and analytical skills, as well as good judgment, and an ability to work with minimal supervision. The incumbent must ensure that project activities are designed, managed, and implemented to achieve the Agency’s goals and objectives for Afghanistan, within U.S.G and USAID mandate(s) and financial resource constraints.