USAID/Eswatini implements a comprehensive portfolio of activities under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well related activities that address emergent public health threats, such as COVID-19.

 

The USAID Senior Medical Advisor serves a critical program management and technical advisory role on the Eswatini USG Health/HIV team. This includes advising USAID and PEPFAR interagency teams on all aspects of the clinical HIV and TB program, with a particular focus on biomedical HIV prevention, including Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC), Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and cervical cancer prevention and management. The job holder will provide support, mentorship, and guidance to team members and technical leads on biomedical and clinical interventions to achieve these results and reach priority populations. The Senior Medical Advisor’s program management scope covers USAID-supported comprehensive clinical services in Eswatini’s Hhohho and Shiselweni regions, as well as mobile clinical services across the four regions that provide a range of services, including: provider-initiated counseling and testing (PITC), maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), pediatric and adult HIV care and treatment, TB/HIV care services, family planning, sexual and reproductive health (including cervical cancer screening), and post violence care. While HIV programming is the primary focus of the position, the incumbent will support related disease and pandemic response programming, such as COVID-19 clinical case management and vaccine deployment depending on USG priorities and funding availability.

 

Working closely with USAID’s Senior Clinical Advisor, the job holder will serve as the primary USAID/Eswatini’s biomedical prevention focal point with senior level host government officials, OGAC, USAID HQ, USAID/RHO other donors, and civil society for clinical programming especially related to biomedical prevention and other aspects of comprehensive HIV clinical care. In addition to important specific program advisory functions, the Senior Medical Advisor will work closely with the USAID senior management team and technical leads to advise on strategic direction of the portfolio in alignment with USAID, PEPFAR, and the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini (GKOE) vision of achieving and sustaining HIV epidemic control and addressing urgent public health concerns. The incumbent will serve as a Contracting Officer’s Representative or Agreement Officer’s Representative (C/AOR) and/or Activity Manager. The jobholder will provide regular technical area analyses and reporting, and represent USAID during internal and external technical meetings, technical working groups and task forces. 

The position is located in Eswatini. The job holder reports to the Senior Clinical Advisor. While the job holder has no direct supervisory responsibility, they will provide technical leadership and direction.

 

●   Remaining informed and up to date on the most recent relevant research, technical and management issues affecting the design, implementation and evaluation of HIV biomedical prevention, clinical, mobile services, and related disease and pandemic response issues, including keeping senior and technical counterparts current on USAID and OGAC policies and procedures. 

●  Providing technical assistance for the design, implementation and evaluation of HIV biomedical prevention, clinical, and related disease and pandemic response programming to senior and technical level GKOE counterparts, USG staff, implementing partners and other stakeholders in Eswatini.

●  Representing USAID/Eswatini as appropriate by participating in and providing technical assistance to HIV biomedical prevention and clinical, and related disease and pandemic response technical working groups at national, regional and international Technical Working Groups (TWG), task teams, workshops, meetings and campaigns. 

●   Providing strategic advice to Global Fund for AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) processes related to HIV biomedical prevention and clinical activities.  

●  Providing technical expertise to other PEPFAR agencies, technical counterparts in Ministry of Health, multilateral agencies and to other national and international stakeholders to advance USAID, USG and PEPFAR strategic objectives related to key HIV biomedical prevention, clinical services, and related disease and pandemic response programming activities.

●   Identifying and documenting technically sound, cost-effective, and practical approaches to HIV biomedical prevention and clinical programming consistent with GKOE, OGAC and USAID policies and priorities. 

●   Effectively communicate and demonstrate technical leadership in interagency PEPFAR technical working groups to ensure USAID strategic priorities are represented, including participation in routine interagency technical discussions, drafting and/or presenting relevant sections of the quarterly PEPFAR Oversight & Accountability Response Team (POART) performance reviews, and assisting in the preparation of the annual PEPFAR Country Operational Plan. 

●  Supporting ongoing technical assistance to USAID local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and that services are transparent, equitable, of high quality and responsive to client needs; that partners practice sound management and robust accounting; and those local partners are prepared to assume and sustain leadership.

●  Collecting, managing, analyzing, synthesizing, and promoting the exchange of data and information related to HIV, PEPFAR, and USAID activities focused on program monitoring, evaluation, and improvement of performance in HIV biomedical prevention, clinical, mobile services, and related disease and pandemic response portfolios.

●   Providing advice in developing program design and reporting documents, such as annual biomedical prevention and clinical portfolios within the COP process and preparing annual reports and other necessary documents.

●  Supporting ongoing technical assistance to USAID local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and that services are transparent, equitable, of high quality and responsive to client needs; that partners practice sound management and robust accounting; and those local partners are prepared to assume and sustain leadership.

● Supporting efforts to ensure that state-of-the-art gender and stigma reduction programming are effectively incorporated across biomedical prevention, clinical, and mobile services, including mechanisms to ensure robust linkages between the community and HIV care and prevention services.

●  Working closely with other staff in the USAID/Eswatini team and across the PEPFAR interagency to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral integration and leverage resources across the different program components.

●   Soliciting and utilizing the input of technical advisors, USG staff and consultants, both local and international as needed. 

●   Organizing site visits and preparing briefing materials for delegations from S/GAC, USAID, State Department and other agencies.

●  Ensuring that technical documentation of biomedical prevention and comprehensive HIV clinical care are prepared with input from other USG Team members and implementing partners; and is submitted in a timely fashion for review and clearance.

●  Responding flexibly and capably to a wide range of work-related requirements including responding to requests to prepare reports and responses to a wide range of requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/RHO, USAID/W, U.S. Embassy, Congress and S/GAC.

 

●     Reviewing all program documentation and ensuring that they meet both USG requirements and audit inspection standards.

●     Conducting implementing partner financial monitoring and ensuring that funding advances are requested, provided, expended and liquidated in accordance with financial plans and relevant USG procedures; reviewing pipelines with grantees at least quarterly.

●     Provide support in budget formulation for biomedical prevention and clinical portfolios, including preparing detailed analyses and developing estimates of annual funding needs for one or more future budget years of funding.

●     Work closely with the budget specialist including liaising with RHO and OHA budget focal persons as appropriate.

●     Provide support in monitoring obligations, commitments, expenditures, and results against targets.

●     Assist in ensuring that the budget system is used effectively as an evaluating tool in measuring program performance and effectiveness.

 

 

a.    Supervision Received: The Senior Medical Advisor works reports to the Senior Clinical Advisor, USAID/Eswatini. Most assignments are self-generated and occur in the normal course of work and the job holder exercises independence in most phases of his/her job responsibilities but determines those situations that must be coordinated with the supervisor or other team members.  Most work occurs as a result of normal office operations, but special projects may be assigned at any time. The Job Holder is held responsible for the accuracy of their work. Completed work is accepted as technically correct and the overall work is reviewed in terms of results achieved.

 

b.    Supervision Exercised: The Senior Medical Advisor will not have supervisory responsibilities.  However, he/she functions in a lead capacity over staff on a regular basis but is not a direct supervisor. May assign, schedule, and monitor the work of staff.

c.    Available Guidelines: PEPFAR Guidance and Directives, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); AID Acquisitions Regulations (AIDAR); AID Automated Directives System (ADS Series); Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs); Office of Procurement Acquisition Memorandum (OPAMS); U.S. Department of State Standardized Regulations; Federal Travel Regulations; Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Circulars and Controller General Decisions, USAID Mission Orders, Project Papers, Mission Strategy, and other documents available, USAID policies and procedures, Technical Documents and Policy Papers.

 

d.    Exercise of Judgment: The job holder will exercise a high degree of independent judgment and initiative to plan, prioritize and conduct the activities entailed in fulfilling major duties and responsibilities. The job holder will be expected to analyze and address problems by applying relevant guidance (for management/administrative issues) and evidence-based strategies (for technical issues) to advance the USAID/Eswatini’s objectives. In the event that no formal guidance exists, the job holder will use her/his own personal, well-informed judgment, making independent decisions that can be defended as necessary and seeking input when appropriate.

e.    Authority to Make Commitments: None. This position holds no authority to make financial commitments. When fully designated as COR/AOR s/he will have full authority and responsibility as delegated by ADS, other Mission, and USAID guidelines. The job holder takes action and establishes priorities based on available guidelines and professional judgment. Due to the job holder’s expertise and professional standing in his/her field, substantial weight will be given to his/her recommendations while commitments are made by those with the authority to do so. The job holder may negotiate ad referendum for the immediate supervisor.

f.     Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The job holder occupies a high profile and important position in the USAID/Eswatini and PEPFAR teams. S/he represents USAID in engagements with high levels of a variety of host government officials at national and sub-national levels, donors, private and non-governmental organizations. S/he provides policy recommendations as well as strategic and programmatic advice to senior USAID and USG officials, other donors, and implementing partners. S/he must also have an extensive range of contacts with the HIV/AIDS, health and social development sectors including senior government technical and managerial staff, including Ministerial, Permanent Secretary, etc., Heads of Agencies, development partners, senior officials from the civil society and the private sector. The purpose of the contacts is related to project implementation and to obtain and interpret information relevant to program activities, to develop and/or clarify strategy or activity designs and to identify problems requiring resolution among USAID, technical assistance and training providers, counterparts, and other donors.

g.    Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: One year.

 

 

 

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. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

 

The following factors, and points for each, will be the basis for the evaluation of applications meeting the required minimum qualifications. All applications will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted with the application. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation.

1.  Work Experience (40 points) 

2.  Abilities and Skills (40 points) 

3.  Past performance/ Reference checks (20 points)

The successful candidate will be selected based upon the following:

 

 

USAID/SA’s Human Resources Section will perform the preliminary review (Step 1 above) to eliminate those applications that do not meet the minimum educational and written English language requirements before forwarding the rest to the Technical Office or Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) for further review and assessment.

 

The TEC will review each of the forwarded applications against the established evaluation criteria to develop a shortlist of applicants to be tested and possibly interviewed. Applicants will be contacted for testing (Step 2) and/or possibly interviews. Based on the results of the tests an applicant may be dropped from the interview list.

 

Following the interview (Step 3), during which the applicant will be evaluated against the established criteria, the TEC will make a preliminary determination of candidates to be considered for employment and forward that list to HR. The TEC Chairperson will conduct and document reference checks (Step 4) and advise the TEC members of the results of these checks. Please note that references may be solicited from current as well as former supervisors in addition to the references you provide in your application package. References will only be solicited for those interviewed applicants who are being considered for ranking. 

 

Based on this final input, the TEC will make its final decision on candidate ranking, prepare a selection memo for the review and approval of the Contracting Officer, after which an offer of employment will be made to the successful candidate. Unsuccessful candidates who were interviewed will be contacted and advised of their non-selection. As positive medical and security clearances are a condition of employment, the selected candidate will undergo stringent investigation prior to employment with USAID/SA.

 

All interested and eligible candidates should visit http://usaid.ci.hr to apply. Applicants with P-net accounts can log-in from the above website to apply and first-time users will be required to register on the site before they can apply.

• Kindly note that when you apply via cellphone you are not able to complete the required questionnaire. And if you do not complete the required questionnaire for the position, you will automatically be eliminated from further review.

• For an application to be considered complete, please include a high-quality cover letter, explaining why you are qualified for the position and a CV of no more than 4 pages. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in your application being considered “non-responsive” and eliminated from further consideration.

• Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I.

• To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission.

• The U.S. Mission in South Africa provides opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also strives to ensure equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations.

• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applicants who do not follow the application instructions may be dropped from further consideration.

·       Lavinia Denation, Telephone: (012) 452-2054

·       Heather Franklin, Telephone: (012) 452-2028

·       Seja Matlakala, Telephone: (012) 452-2358

·       Thabang Mothupi, Telephone: (012) 452-2198

·       Engeline Sebego, Telephone: (012) 452-2188

·       Odessa Sifora, Telephone: (012) 452-2112

·       Carol Masemola, Telephone: (012) 452-2058

. Kim Sias, Telephone: (012) 452-2206

. Alicia Veldman, Telephone: (012) 452-2088

This position is open to Eswatini citizens and Eswatini permanent resident permit holders. USAID Southern Africa management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, need for continuity, and residency status in determining successful applications. Current USG employees on probationary status (i.e., within their first year of employment) are not eligible to apply.

The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation. Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies

for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.

Three (3) references, who are not family members or relatives, with working telephone and e-mail contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about your past performance and abilities. USAID reserves the right to contact your previous employers for relevant information concerning your performance and may consider such information in its evaluation of the application.

This position will be compensated in accordance with the U.S. Mission for Eswatini’s Local Compensation Plan (LCP). The successful candidate’s salary level will be based on prior job-related experience and salary history.

Once the Contracting Officer informs the successful Offeror about being selected for a contract award, the CO will provide the successful Offeror instructions about how to complete and submit the forms.

The plan includes basic salary, miscellaneous allowance, pension fund and medical aid subsidy.

Every CCNPSC staff member in the Mission regardless of agency affiliation is required as a condition of employment, to pay their taxes to the South African Government.

USAID regulations and policies governing CCNPSC awards are available at these sources:

 

1.     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

2.     Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms will be used for this contract.

3.     Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds- cibs .

4.     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 Regulations .

a. Education: Education: A medical degree is required – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, MBBCh, MBChB, MBBS - or equivalent. The specialist expertise knowledge required for the position can only be gained through the theoretical and practical education received through a medical degree.

b. Prior Work Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of work experience in the health field is required. Demonstrated experience in providing technical oversight and implementation of clinical HIV programs in Eswatini is required. Progressively responsible experience in public health management or leadership of health in Eswatini required. Experience working with the Ministry of Health, USG agencies, or USG implementing partners in Eswatini is required. PEPFAR experience required. 

c. Post Entry Training: Appropriate on-the-job training in USAID regulations, and on USAID and Department of State administrative and computer systems will be provided. 

e.  Job Knowledge: The job holder must have in-depth, professional-level knowledge of techniques and approaches to  preventing new HIV infections and caring for and treating people living with HIV. S/he must have a deep understanding of current and emerging developments in the national and global HIV/AIDS landscape. The job holder must possess a thorough knowledge of the latest HIV science and/or research related to both community- and facility-based ART retention, adherence and viral load suppression interventions and strategies, as well as knowledge related to broader health systems issues.

●       High level of analytical skills and an ability to synthesize data and complex information and present it in a concise manner

●       Exemplary written and verbal communication skills (in English)

●       Strong computer skills