1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 306-09-101/OSSD
2. ISSUING DATE: June 29, 2009
3. CLOSING DATE: July 28, 2009, 16:30hrs Kabul time
4. POSITION TITLE: Higher Education Advisor
5. Number of Positions: One
6. MARKETING VALUE: GS-14 ($83,445 – $108,483)
7. ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION OF POSITION: USAID/AFGHANISTAN
8. DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Education Team Leader, Office of Social Sector Development, USAID/Afghanistan and receives technical direction from the Ministry of Higher Education
9. SUPERVISORY CONTROL: Minimal. The incumbent is expected to act independently with little direction.
10. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year (12 months) with an option for renewal
11. SECURITY ACCESS: U.S Citizens: Secret Level Third Country Nationals: Employment
12. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. OR Third Country Nationals (TCN) CITIZENS
POSITION DESCRIPTION: USAID HIGHER EDUCATION ADVISOR
A. BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION:
Afghanistan’s educational system has been devastated by over two decades of war. An estimated 80% of all school buildings have been severely damaged or destroyed, including primary and secondary schools, teacher training colleges, vocational training institutes, and universities. Many trained teachers and university professors either fled the country or took other jobs.
While considerable progress has been made in the past seven years, access to education, particularly for girls and women remains constrained by cultural and security concerns and the quality of basic and higher education in Afghanistan is generally low. Physical infrastructure is in poor condition or still lacking in much of the country.
Conditions in Primary and Secondary Education:
- Only half of all children ages seven through thirteen are currently enrolled in school, with girls representing only 35% of enrollments. Less than half of children entering grade one complete the primary cycle. For girls, only one in four completes the primary cycle.
- Eighty percent of school facilities have been damaged or destroyed and the MOE projects the need for an additional 3,413 schools to be constructed or rehabilitated over the next several years.
- Children do not enroll in school in part because of lack of access to schools. But, building schools alone is not enough as other factors affect enrollments including: economic constraints; family obligations; cultural practices; and poor-quality teaching.
- The MOE estimates a shortage of 44,000 teachers.
- An estimated 1.7 million over aged young people, many out of school, need to be reached with non-formal community-based or accelerated learning programs.
- Teaching quality is low and less than half of teachers are secondary school graduates. Teachers use rote learning methods and lack knowledge of the subjects they are teaching.
- Afghanistan’s literacy rate, particularly among women, is one of the worst in the world. In the rural areas where some 75% of the people live, 90% of women and 63% of men cannot read or write.
Conditions in Higher Education:
- Only 6% of the faculties have a PhD (or equivalent) degree. At Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic Institute the situation is better (10% and 33%, respectively); at all other institutions, the situation is very poor (2%).
- Only 12% of the faculty is female.
- There are currently very few private institutes of higher education.
- Many of the buildings in the universities are in very dilapidated condition. Some provincial institutions have virtually no physical infrastructure.
- There is almost no functioning scientific equipment.
- Libraries are poorly stocked, and many of the resources are in English or Russian, neither of which can be read by a majority of students.
The USAID/Afghanistan Education Portfolio. All Mission programs support and are consistent with the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). Basic education programs are coordinated with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and include training of MOE teachers, community-based education in areas where MOE schools are not available, and literacy and productive skills training for adults and older youth. USAID also supports MOE printing of textbooks and limited construction of school and teacher training facilities. The Higher Education program is coordinated with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and includes pre-service training for secondary school teachers, faculty skills strengthening, internet centers for faculty and students, construction of provincial faculties of education and refurbishment of the university dorm for men in Kabul.
The United States is the largest donor to Afghanistan. With a current annual operating budget of over $1.6 billion, the USAID/Afghanistan program is the second largest USAID program in the world. OSSD is one of ten offices under the USAID/Afghanistan Mission. OSSD is responsible for the health and education portfolios valued at over $600 million and consisting of 8 health and 14 education programs.
B. BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION:
The incumbent will have the following duties and responsibilities:
The Higher Education Advisor will provide expert technical support to USAID/Afghanistan’s Education Team and to the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). The Higher Education Advisor will work closely with the Education Team Leader and key counterparts in the MOHE to manage the Mission's higher education portfolio and to advise MOHE counterparts. The Higher Education Advisor will represent USAID in a variety of different official settings, including to senior levels of the Ministries of Education and Higher Education. S/he must demonstrate strong diplomatic and communication skills, and have previous experience working for bilateral organizations or international development programs.
C. Duties and Responsibilities
The incumbent will have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Project Development and Management—30%
The Higher Education Advisor will play a major role in the oversight of USAID’s higher education projects managed by the Office of Social Sector Development. This will entail working as part of a team that ensures that activities are achieving their intended results and are appropriately coordinating with the Ministry of Higher Education, other USAID-funded higher education interventions managed outside of OSSD, and other stakeholders. To this end, the incumbent will:
- Provide technical, programmatic and budgetary advice to USAID/Afghanistan, the Ministry of Higher Education and implementing partners in all aspects of USAID assistance to higher education with a specific focus on system quality, governance, and financing. This position is also required to assist the Ministry of Higher Education ensure that all USAID/Afghanistan reporting requirements are met.
- Determine current managerial, technical and leadership capacity to respond to priorities identified in the new MOHE Strategic Plan. Analyze geographic, cultural and ethnic challenges to the formation and implementation of management approaches that will improve Afghan universities systems and strengthen financing of the higher education sub-sector. Monitor current donor and institutional activities in higher education and identify potential partners for program implementation, including private sector entities.
- Participate in higher education assessments. Coordinate information and build consensus from various organizations involved in the preparation and approval of various documents. Advise the Education Team Leader, and/or the Deputy Director of the Office of Social Sector Development, as well as MOHE leadership, on the implication of assessment conclusions, and on approved strategies for the design and implementation of ongoing and future higher education activities.
- S/he will ensure that USAID/Afghanistan's higher education activities are complementary to efforts of other donors and the priorities of the Afghan government. The Higher Education Advisor may be called upon to provide oversight to contractors and grantees by serving as Contracting/Agreement Officer Technical Representative(C/AOTR) for selected implementing partners. S/he will closely track the Ministry's priorities for related technical areas, engage in dialogue on these priorities with Ministries and other donors, and ensure that USAID programming contributes to the Afghan government's immediate and long-term objectives for the higher education sub-sector. The Higher Education Advisor will conduct regular site visits and progress reviews with implementing partners. S/he will verify and report on program impact.
2. Technical Resource—70%
The Higher Education Advisor will work in concert with other mission teams to advise USAID and MOHE on development assistance activities in the area of university strengthening, workforce development, and higher education policy. Specifically, the incumbent will:
- Serve as a technical resource and make recommendations regarding technical and policy directives related to improved access to and quality of higher education in Afghanistan. This may include faculty development; university administration and leadership; financing; management information systems; accreditation; private education; and governance through active participation in coordination mechanisms with other donors, US Government, including the US military and Afghan Government agencies working in higher education.
- Assist the Mission and MOHE in the identification of critical issues related to higher education. S/he will be responsible for development plans and programs as required for technical assistance, capital assistance, and other activities in the area of higher education, specifically improving access and quality.
- Support the MOHE in developing short, medium and long-term financing plans for higher education. These plans will require the collection of cost-effectiveness and efficiency data for higher education institutions, public and private. It will also involve liaising with donors, and the MOHE Planning Department to determine the financing needs and available resources.
- Support the MOHE in its relationship to relevant government offices and the Ministry of Finance for the efficient operation of the public university system. The Advisor shall work with the MOHE and its partners to ensure that resource allocation is equitably determined based on regional needs and that MOHE develops systems to ensure that effective oversight is provided.
- Assist the MOHE to develop public-private partnerships, especially those linked to industry, to ensure linkages to the needs of the business sector.
D. EVALUATION CRITERIA/SELECTION CRITERIA:
Candidates will be evaluated and ranked based on the following selection criteria:
- Education: (15 points) Master's degree in areas related to higher education administration and management is required; a Ph.D. is preferred. A focus on higher education and workforce development in an international setting is highly desirable.
- Prior Work Experience: (30 points) Minimum six years of progressively responsible experience in program/project management with a proven track record of programmatic accomplishment is required. Experience managing programs/projects in higher education, and workforce development is highly desirable. Previous experience representing international development agencies and/or programs to host-country ministries is required. Demonstrated technical leadership, program management, strategic planning, policy experience and problem solving skills on complex bilateral/multilateral programs are required. Work experience in conflict and post-conflict settings is desirable.
- Language Proficiency: (10 points) Excellent English language communications skills with fluency in English and a proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely, both orally and in writing. Proven ability to communicate effectively in cross-cultural settings. Additional consideration will be given to applicants with Dari or Pashto language skills.
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (30 points) Knowledge of procedures and systems for strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and activity design is required. Knowledge of US Government policies and procedures is desirable.
- Knowledge of political and social features of South Asian countries (these include Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives) and their educational systems in particular is a strong plus. - Knowledge of education programming principles in conflict settings is highly desirable. Demonstrated activity and people management skills are essential. Communication and interpersonal skills are critical to on-the-job effectiveness. Ability to interact effectively with a broad range of USAID or other donor implementing partners and clients, international organizations, and host country government officials or NGO counterparts is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of sector-wide approaches including multi-donor sector investment programs is required. The incumbent is expected to bring state-of-the-art knowledge and international best practices in the areas of education policy, programming, and evaluation. Knowledge of higher education development in emergency, conflict and post-conflict contexts will be preferred.
- Team and Interpersonal Sills: (15 points) Demonstrated ability to work in a technical advisory capacity, with excellent management and technical skills, is required. Excellent organizational skills are required to plan, supervise and evaluate complex activities. Demonstrated ability to establish realistic team and program workloads, benchmarks, and short- and long-term objectives is desirable. Supervision skills preferred. Skill in conceptualizing programs. policies, plans and developing strategies for their management and implementation. Excellent diplomatic, interpersonal and communication skills required. with demonstrated ability to engage with senior Ministry-level officials and representatives from the donor community. Must be able to work effectively in a team environment and communicate highly technical education information to both education and non-education audiences. Excellent written communication and analytical skills are required. Skills in computer software programs such as Word and PowerPoint are required. The applicant must have a high degree of flexibility. and be able to operate successfully within rapidly changing political, program, and security environments.
Maximum Points Available: 100.
E. Term of Performance
The term of the contract will be for one year with the option for an extension based upon performance and need. Selection of the preferred candidate and contract award will be made as soon as possible, subject to an interviews and medical and security clearances. Within 4 weeks after written notice from the Contracting Officer that all clearances have been received or, unless another date is specified by the Contracting Officer in writing, the incumbent shall proceed to Kabul to perform the above services which may be extended upon mutual agreement and subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. This position has been classified at a U.S. Government GS 14. The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated depending on qualifications and previous salary history.
In addition, the Mission has 35% Post Differential allowance and 30% Danger Pay. FICA and federal income tax will be withheld by USAID for U.S. PSCs only. During this one year period you will be entitled to two Rest and Recuperation trips (R&R) and two Regional Rest Breaks. While you will have to use your Annual Leave or Compensatory off for R&R, you will be entitled to 5 days Administrative Leave plus two days of travel time for each Regional Rest Break. Currently, there are 2 destinations for Regional Rest Break – they are: Dubai and New Delhi.
Afghanistan is a no-dependent post.
F. General information regarding living and working conditions in Afghanistan
Life in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan has somewhat improved since the establishment of the government, and great strides have been made to regularize the availability of services, utilities, and supplies of common consumer items. Living conditions, however, are still difficult but this is an historical opportunity to work closely with a dedicated team to assist the Afghans to bring about peace and stability to their war-torn country. Afghanistan is an unaccompanied post. All staff will be housed on the heavily guarded and fortified Embassy compound, at a military compound, or at a PRT with day-to-day work in GIRoA ministries, especially the Ministry of Mines.
G. Medical and Security Clearance
The selected applicant must be able to obtain (US Citizens should obtain USG Secret Level and Third Country Nationals should obtain employment authorization) security clearance. US Citizens should obtain Department of State Class I Medical Clearance and Third Country Nationals should obtain Medical Clearance and certify it by USG certified doctor.
H. Benefits:
As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the benefits and allowances listed in this section. [NOTE: A contractor meeting the definition of a U.S. Resident Hire PSC, shall be subject to U.S. Federal Income Tax, but shall not be eligible for any fringe benefits (except contributions for FICA, health insurance, and life insurance), including differentials and allowances.]
BENEFITS:
FICA Contribution
Contribution toward Health & life insurance
Pay Comparability Adjustment
Eligibility for Worker's Compensation
Annual & Sick Leave
Access to Embassy medical facilities, commissary and pouch mail service as per post policy
ALLOWANCES (If Applicable):
(1) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120)
(2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)
(3) Post Allowance (Section 220)
(4) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230)
(5) Post Differential (Chapter 500)
(6) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600) and
(7) Danger Pay (Section 650)
(8) Education Allowance (Section 270)
(9) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)
(10)Education Travel (Section 280)
* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).
FEDERAL TAXES:
PSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income taxes under the foreign earned income exclusion.
I. CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs/AAPDs) PERTAINING TO PSCs
AAPD 06-11 Home Leave and Revised General Provision 5, Leave and Holidays
AAPD 06-10 PSC Medical expense payment responsibility
AAPD 06-07 AIDAR, Appendix D: Contract budget, salary determination and salary increase
AAPD 06-01 Medical evacuation insurance
CIB 01-10 Revision of medical clearance process – PSC with U.S. Citizens
CIB 01-07 Clarification of the extension/renewal policy regarding PSCs
CIB 01-05 Clarification of the Rest and Recuperation (R&R) policy regarding Third Country Nationals (TCNs)
CIB 00-08 Revision of Competitive Process – PSCs with U.S. Citizens
CIB 00-03 FICA & Medicare Tax Rates for Personal Services Contracts
CIB 99-22 PSC Policy
CIB 98-23 Guidance regarding Classified Contract Security and Contractor Personnel Security Requirements
CIB 98-16 Annual Salary Increase for USPSCs
CIB 98-14 Change in Required Application Form for USPSCs
CIB 98-11 Determining a Market Value for Personal Services Contractors Hired under Appendix D.
CIB 97-17 PSC’s with U.S. Citizens or U.S. resident aliens
CIB 97-16 Class Justification for use of Other Than Full and Open Competition for Personal Services Contracts with U.S. Citizens Contracted with Locally, with CCNs and TCNs Subject to the Local Compensation Plan, and for Overseas Contracts of $250,000 or less
CIB 96-23 Unauthorized Provision in Personal Services Contracts
CIB 94-09 Sunday Pay for U.S. Personal Services Contractors
CIB 93-17 Financial Disclosure requirements under a Personal Services Contract
CIB 89-29 Use of Government Bill of Lading for Transportation of Personal Service Contractor (PSC) Household Effects, Unaccompanied Baggage and Privately Owned Vehicles
Various Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs) and Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPDs) pertain to Personal Services Contracts can be found at:
http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/cib/subject.html#psc
Additionally, AIDAR Appendixes D or J also applies to PSCs can be found at:
http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf
