USAID Program Management Specialist, Budget & Operations at 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 of:

Job Title: USAID Program Management Specialist, Budget & Operations

Announcement Number: Abuja-2021-066
Location: Abuja
Hiring Agency: Embassy Abuja
Vacancy Time Zone: GMT+1
Series / Grade: LE - 4005 11
Appointment Type: Permanent
Work Schedule: Full-time - 40 hours per week
Promotion Potential: LE- 11
Supervisory Position:  No
Relocation Expenses Reimbursed: No
Travel Required: Not Required
Telework Eligible: No

Summary

• The USAID PMS - Budget and Operations serves as a subject matter expert on the full range of USAID/Nigeria Health Population and Nutrition Office management, budget and operations as well as human resources activities.
• The Specialist provides senior-level guidance to HPN Office and other Mission colleagues and liaises closely with the President’s Malaria Initiative team in USAID/Washington on PMI-funded activities and the Global Health team on GH-funded activities. 

Duties
Budget Responsibilities (80%)
Budget Planning and Direction:

• Serves as subject matter expert in leading the Health Office Team in the preparation of annual and multi-year office budgets and ensures program budget planning and development is aligned with Mission and PMI strategy and cross-cutting priorities.
• Provides extensive advisory services to a wide array of stakeholders including project managers, USAID/W PMI, and GH teams, and implementing partners to ensure annual multi-million-dollar USAID budgets are aligned with USAID priorities in the host country.
• Analyzes budget guidance from a variety of sources and guides the HPN Office and Mission leadership to ensure adherence.
• Provides the appropriate fiscal data to be used for new and existing projects.
• Advises the HPN Office on budgeting issues and pertinent regulations that apply to the use of USAID funds by source, type, and duration.
• Makes recommendations to the Teams regarding appropriate contractual and financial actions.
• Compiles budget information, project obligation materials, and budget scenarios in conjunction with the Office of Financial Management (OFM).
• Coordinates closely with USAID/W PMI team on PMI-funded activities and GH team on GH-funded activities to ensure HPN Office budget planning and direction aligns with PMI and GH goals and guidance.

Budget Implementation, Monitoring and Analysis:

• Ensures health program budgets adhere to agency requirements (adequate documentation, forward funding compliance, adherence to earmarks, initiatives, directives, and budget guidelines).
• Works in close collaboration with the Program Office and Office of Financial Management (OFM) to develop, monitor and manage the HPN Office Program Objective Agreement within the Development Objective Agreement under the Mission Country Development Cooperation Strategy.
• Updates uncommitted balances regularly and provides technical and programmatic recommendations to HPN Office management on the use of un-sub-committed balances for new or ongoing activities.
• Analyzes existing financial data, including pipelines, disbursements, accruals, and forecasted expenditures to inform the budget implementation, monitoring and analysis process
• Prepares field support budget requests, in coordination with the Technical Teams.
• Develops and/or edits obligation documents, action memos, waivers, and other documents needed for budget decisions.
• Ensures timely closeout of HPN grants and contracts, working with Agreement and Contracting Officer’s Representatives to conduct required financial analyses, resolve audit findings, and dispose of non-expendable property.

Reporting:

• Provides guidance and coordinates HPN Office contributions on financial data to a variety of plans and reports, including the Malaria Operational Plan, the Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justification, Mission Resource Request, and Performance Plan and Report.
• Organizes and coordinates financial components of the Health Portfolio Reviews and assists in preparing the necessary documents and presentations for Mission Portfolio Reviews. Helps track and follow-up action items from the portfolio reviews.
• Identifies existing and potential program implementation and management problems as evident from tracking efforts and works with respective program managers to resolve problems/take corrective action.
• Serves as a key liaison with the Mission’s Program Office responding, on behalf of the HPN Office, to regular and ad hoc reporting and programmatic requests.
• Works with direct reports to determine training needs, helps identify appropriate training opportunities, and ensures fair participation in training.

Human Resources and Operations Administration (20%):

• Serves as key liaison with the HR staff of the Executive Office and the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) to track HR actions for funding staff contracts, travel and training and recruiting new staff, ensuring availability of funds.
• Manages costs for program funded CCNs and USPSCs, preparing budgets, requisitions, and accruals. Analyzes projected and actual funds obligations for PSC contracts and their support costs.
• Maintains the HPN training tracker, receiving staff training requests from Team Leads, and determines training priorities in consultation with the Office Director or her/his designate. Finalizes training submissions with the HPN representative on the Mission Training Committee, and with that representative, ensures Training Committee decisions are communicated to HPN Team Leads and their staff.
• Manages the HPN travel tracker, receiving travel requests from Team Leads, and determines travel priorities in consultation with the relevant Deputy Office Director(s). Finalizes agreed travel priorities for submission to USAID’s Regional Security Office (RSO) representative for submission to the Embassy RSO. Ensures RSO travel decisions are entered in the Mission calendar and communicated to HPN management, Team Leads, and their staff.

Qualifications and Evaluations
Requirements:

• Physical Demands: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Education Requirements:

• Minimum of University degree Financial Management, Business Administration, Accounting, Management, Economics, or related field is required. In addition, one of the following professional certifications is required: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) or Certified National Accountant (CNA).

Evaluations:

• Knowledge: 15 points
• Skills and abilities: 10 points
• Communication and Language skills: 5 points
• Interview Performance: 70 points
• Total Possible Points: 100 points

Qualifications
Prior Work Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible work in financial management, budgeting, accounting, and/or audit and compliance is required.  At least two years must be related to preparing and/or monitoring development project budgets and expenditures. Must have experience working with the implementing partners, host country government, and/or another international donor organization.

Job Knowledge:

• A thorough knowledge of professional accounting principles, theories, practices, procedures, and regulations, including the principles and accepted practices of federal governmental and/or business financial accounting, budgeting, and reporting is required. Knowledge of theoretical and practical aspects of program/project management, performance management frameworks and tools in the delivery of development objectives. Working knowledge of federal agency regulations, USG policies and procedures, especially as related to budget and financial management is required.

Skills and Abilities:

• Expert-level skills in financial management and budgeting are required. Excellent computer proficiency, including skills with Microsoft Excel, spreadsheet development and management, pivot tables, data visualization, web-based databases, and electronic filing. Skilled attention to details and ability to ensure accuracy of documents, analyses, and reports. Good interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Must have strong conceptual and analytical skills to be able to quickly grasp and translate new concepts into operational plans which are reflected in the budget. This position requires an outstanding ability to exercise flexibility and prioritization skills to react and respond to evolving planning and implementation contexts. Ability to exercise sound judgement, take initiative, and offer leadership is required.

Language Proficiency:

• Level IV fluency in English, and in the appropriate host-country business language, both written and spoken, is required.  Language competence may be tested.

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,”.
• Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at Link
• Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at Link
• 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 Link 

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
NGN 15,890,203 Annually.

Other Benefits:

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

Allowancies (as applicable):

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

Application Closing Date
18th June, 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
• NYSC Certificate
• 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.