SOLICITATION

Senior Energy Advisor

USAID/Monrovia, Liberia

  1. SOLICITATION NUMBER:SOL-669-14-000006
  1. ISSUANCE DATE:May 19, 2014
  1. CLOSING DATEJune 12, 2014
  1. POSITION TITLE:Senior Energy Advisor
  1. MARKET VALUEGS-15 ($100,624- $130,810 per annum).

The final compensationwill be negotiated within the listed market value based on the successful candidate’s salary history, work experience and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

  1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:PSC Contract will be for two years with a possible three year extension. PSC Contracts generally cannot exceed a five year period of performance.
  1. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Monrovia, Liberia
  1. DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Office Director, Economic Growth
  1. SECURITY ACCESS:The final selected candidate must obtain an Employment

Authorization (Facilities Access Clearance) and medical clearance within a reasonable period of time (USAID will provide details regarding these clearances to the selected candidate). If such clearances are not obtained within a reasonable time or negative suitability issues are involved, any offer made may be rescinded.

  1. AREA OF CONSIDERATION:U.S. Citizens and Third Country Nationals.

  1. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

USAID/Liberia is planning a new set of energy sector support activities under the United States Government’s (USG) Power Africa Initiative (PAI). Power Africa is a USG five-year initiative supporting economic growth and development by increasing the supply of, and access to, reliable, affordable, and, when possible, lower carbon power in Sub-Saharan Africa and to ensure responsible, transparent, and effective management of energy resources in that region. Power Africa will initially focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria – a group that includes countries with among the lowest access by households to electricity and countries with an immediate need for effective energy resource management due to recent oil and gas discoveries.

Under PAI, the Government of Liberia (GoL) and the USG have agreed on a plan to address the constraint to economic growth caused by the underperforming Liberia power sector. This strategy covers a range of activities in the Liberia power sector, including

  1. Improving energy sector governance by finalizing and adopting an Energy Law, and creating an independent Energy Regulatory Board that will be empowered to establish an energy policy and an efficient regulatory framework, needed to define the market rules, and attract private investment, including a clear and transparent regime for Renewal Energy Feed-in-Tariffs (REFITS);
  2. Organizing new and effective energy institutions by creating an effective Energy Secretariat, designed to function as the Power Africa “Delivery Unit”, and empowered to develop national energy strategic plans, coordinate the efforts of public and private sector Power Africa partners, effectively manage the large scale reconstruction and expansion of Liberia’s power system, and support high priority transactions especially in the area of creation of mini off-grid systems; and
  3. Reorganizing the operation of the energy market by creating commercially viable energy companies in generation, transmission and distribution, and enabling a favorable business environment for private investments to expand the provision of reliable and affordable electricity services, and enhance the participation of Liberia in international energy trade exchanges through the West Africa Regional Power Market.

As a member of the Power Africa interagency team in Monrovia, the Liberia Energy Advisor will perform a senior leadership role in managing the implementation of the USAID/Liberia Power Africa Initiative and in providing technical assistance and policy support to the GoL counterparts, including the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME), the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), and the Rural Renewable Energy Agency (RREA). The Energy Advisor must be highly motivated and experienced in managing energy programs, especially power sector reform, within a complex political environment involving multiple stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have strong technical understanding of the sector, strong leadership and communications skills, and understanding of and preferably experience with USAID processes and procedures. The Energy Advisor is expected to be the principal liaison with the GoL and sector partners and provide guidance and advice to USAID, the Department of State, and other USG stakeholders such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) as part of coordinating the USG’s interagency efforts and assistance to Liberia.

  1. BASIC FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION

The Energy Advisor will report to the Economic Growth Office Director at USAID/Liberia on administrative and management issues; and as a senior-level advisor and technical expert, he/she will exercise significant independent judgment on matters of policy and technical direction and will make decisions to ensure successful program implementation. Moreover, he/she may be required to provide policy analysis and options on energy issues as requested by senior Mission management and other US Government officials through Mission management. The Energy Advisor will also represent USAID, as requested and appropriate, at meetings with senior Liberian officials and technical counterparts, donors, non-governmental organizations, and implementing partners.

The Energy Advisor must be able to rapidly assimilate, analyze and respond to rapidly changing circumstances and help guide Power Africa process to achieve optimal results. He/she must be proactive and innovative in bringing state-of-the-art technical practices to Liberia’s country specific development in the energy context. Cross-cultural communications, cultural sensitivities, and outstanding communication and interpersonal skills are essential for success.

  1. SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF WORK
  1. Leading and managing the cooperation with GoL to support implementation of the Power Africa Initiative activities, monitoring and evaluating implementation progress and budgets, performing site visits, addressing issues/problems as they arise, and providing feedback and progress reports to interagency team and senior USAID staff.
  2. Providing professional advice to the GoL on energy sector reform, including appropriate models for private sector participation, approaches to improving utility management and operations, and development of an enabling legal and regulatory framework.
  3. Assisting GoL in the development of Liberian regulatory institutions, as needed, and help enable them to effectively carry out their mandate.
  4. Supporting an ongoing dialogue between GoL authorities, USG stakeholders, donors and partners to reach consensus on energy related activities and transactions; developing, tracking and monitoring milestones; and doing the necessary preparation of reports pertinent to performance monitoring and evaluation.
  5. Working closely with the interagency team members in the course of advancing the five-year work plan under Project Appraisal Document for the enabling environment of private sector transactions.
  6. Managing related outreach efforts with USAID’s Development Outreach Coordinator and the State Department’s Public Affairs Officer that may include public events, press releases, and close coordination with other USG partners.
  7. Serving as COR/AOR for grants and contracts and assist with the implementation of the overall Power Africa portfolio;
  8. Monitoring and evaluating new and on-going programs; prepare performance reports, briefing papers, concept papers, and other periodic documentation for the Mission, USAID/Washington, the State Department, and the US Congress;
  9. Submitting drafts and technical documentation (i.e., RFAs, RFPs, SOWs) needed to develop energy projects and activities, obligate funds, and award grants and contracts; and,
  10. Serving as a member on various Technical Evaluation Committees (TECs), including those for proposal review and the hiring of personnel.
  1. POSITION ELEMENTS

A.Supervisory Controls: The Energy Advisor will receive supervision, policy direction, and guidance from the USAID/Liberia Economic Growth Office Director. Performance is evaluated annually based on accomplishments. While this position reports to the Economic Growth Office Director, it is a position that works with considerable administrative discretion and the successful candidate must be sufficiently experienced to understand the needs of the Mission.

B.Supervision Exercised: The Energy Advisor will not have any direct staff supervision role.

C.Exercise of Judgment: He/she must also be capable of using judgment and technical expertise and ingenuity in order to continually assess, interpret, apply and integrate energy as a priority within other sectorial plans and priorities (e.g., health, agriculture, HIV/AIDS and water and sanitation). He/she must have the technical mastery of energy programming, policy and research issues to be able to serve as the lead senior energy representative for USAID Liberia in high-level stakeholder policy and technical meetings.

D.Available Guidelines:General guidance can be found in the Country Development Coordination Strategy, Mission program reporting documents, the PAI plan and implementation letter and other USAID/Liberia documents.Given the PAI country-specific approach to Liberia, clear guidelines for performing the work of the Energy Advocate position do not exist. The incumbent in this position will be required to be extremely resourceful, technically strong and use their own judgment and ingenuity in a significant way in order to continually assess, interpret, apply and integrate energy and Power Africa approach as a priority into other sectorial plans and priorities, including health, agriculture, economic growth, HIV/AIDS and water and sanitation.

E.Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: The position requires considerable influencing skills to negotiate and persuade, but also justify, defend, negotiate, and settle matters among decision makers.The incumbent have contacts with individuals and groups from the Government of Liberia, development partners and private sector in unstructured settings. He/she would represent USAID in meetings with senior national level government officials as well as senior-level regional and district officials and senior level executives from private sector companies working in the energy sector.

F. Authority to Make Commitments: The Energy Advisor will exercise the authority given to all USAID activity managers and CORs/AORs within their delegated authority, and may make administrative arrangements consistent with ADS guidance and Mission policy. He /she will take action and define priorities based on available guidelines and professional judgment. Guidance is sought when needed, and the supervisor informed of activity and project status. The incumbent may negotiate ad referendum for the supervisor, but is not authorized to commit new US Government funds.

  1. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
  • Education: An advanced degree – at least at the Master’s level – in energy or a related field such as Economics, Engineering, Public Administration, or Business Management is required.
  • Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in the power sector with a focus on such issues as public policy, sector reform, private sector investment (Independent Power Producers; Public-Private Partnerships in generation, transmission, and distribution; and Privatization), utility management and performance improvement (e.g. Aggregate Loss Reduction; Technological Transformation; and Change Management), infrastructure rehabilitation and expansion, renewable energy technologies, analysis of electricity rates, and off-grid electrification as well as a demonstrable understanding of the current status of the energy sector in Liberia. Experience in working in countries with similar conditions to Liberia is desirable.
  • Skills & Abilities: A solid understanding of policies, strategies, technology, and social components related to energy sector reform, utility management, rehabilitation and expansion of electricity infrastructure, and off-grid electrification. Experience in the restructuring, recapitalization, and privatization of state-owned utilities would be an asset. Strong analytical and communication skills and problem-solving ability are a requirement. Demonstrated project management skills to effectively lead and manage multi-disciplinary teams in the design and execution of programs and projects. Experience with USG policies and operational programs preferred, but not required. Proven ability to engage effectively and diplomatically in multi-cultural and politically complex environments to build effective working relations with senior country officials, USG partners, donors, international financial institutions and other sector counterparts is required, as is the ability and willingness to travel within Liberia, produce quality work under pressure and meeting deadlines.
  • Language: Level IV English ability (fluency) is required. The incumbent must possess excellent English writing and editing skills, as well as an excellent ability to process information from a wide variety of sources into a cohesive, polished document is required.
  1. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Candidates will be evaluated and ranked based on the following selection criteria:

  1. Education:

Must possess an advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate) related to energy or a related field. (10%)

  1. Technical Experience:

(1)Mastery of the program principles, concepts, best practices, and approaches related to energy in the context of development programs is required. The Liberia Energy Advisor must be able to apply new developments to problems, and to design, administer, and/or conduct comprehensive activities, and to identify and propose solutions to problems which are characterized by their breadth and importance. He/she must also be capable of using judgment and technical expertise and ingenuity in order to continually assess, interpret, apply and integrate energy as a priority within other sectorial plans and priorities (e.g., health, agriculture, HIV/AIDS and water and sanitation). He/she must have the technical mastery of energy programming, policy and research issues to be able to serve as the lead senior energy representative for USAID Liberia in high-level stakeholder policy and technical meetings involving government officials, development partners and the private sector. (30%)

(2)Demonstrated mastery in one of the following areas is mandatory: (a) serving as a lead technical and programmatic expert and advisor on energy; (b) working independently to plan, design and carry out programs, analysis, policy work and research related to energy; (c) providing expert analysis and advice on complex energy programming issues; (d) managing special cross-cutting initiatives or task-force groups to accomplish programmatic goals and (e) applying the most current global research and expertise with respect to energy policy, programming and research, and spearheading efforts across sectors involving multiple stakeholders working in different programmatic areas. (10%)

(3)Demonstrated experience working with international donors and other programs in developing countries that support energy related programs, (10%)

  1. Communications/Interpersonal Skills:

(1)Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural setting required. Demonstrated positive and productive teaming abilities are absolutely critical; must be able to get along with others and help elevate and empower those around. Experience working with teams of professionals required. Able to motivate team members and work toward positive overall performance, work as a member of an technical or office management team, and work on his/her own (30%)

(2)Strong computer, verbal and writing skills required. Must be fluent in English and have: (a) proven ability to communicate quickly, succinctly, and tactfully in both speech and writing; (b) ability to facilitate meetings and make oral presentations logically and persuasively to senior USG and GoL officials and partners in a multi-cultural context; (c) ability to produce concise, clear reports, and use word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs. (10%)

  1. TERM OF PERFORMANCE

The base term of the contract will be for two years, which may be extended upon mutual agreement and subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. This position has been classified as equivalent to a GS-15 position in the USG Civil Service. The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated depending on qualifications and previous salary history. In addition to the basic salary, differentials and other benefits in effect at the time and which are applicable and subject to change on a similar basis as for direct-hire USG employees, will be added.

  1. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPDs) contain information or changes pertaining to USAID policy, regulation and procedures concerning acquisition and assistance including Personal Service Contracts. Please refer to the USAID website to locate relevant AAPDs. As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits.

1. ALLOWANCES: as applicable.*

Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120).

Living quarters allowance (Section 130) or government furnished housing.

Post Allowance (Section 220).

Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230).

Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260).

Education allowance (Section 270).

Educational Travel (Section 280).

Post differential (Chapter 500).

Payments during Evacuation/authorized Departure (Section 600), and

2. BENEFITS:

Employee's FICA Contribution

Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

Pay Comparability Adjustment

Annual Increase

Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

Annual & Sick Leave

Access to Embassy medical facilities, and pouch mail service

Note: If a US citizen, the Contractor’s salary will be subject to employee’s FICA and Medicare contribution.

FEDERAL TAXES: USPSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income Taxes.

3. Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs) Pertaining to PSCs.

97- 16Class Justification for Use of Other Than Full & Open Completion 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

97-11(Corrected) 1997 FICA & Medicare Tax Rates for Personal Services Contracts

97-6Contractual Coverage for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Services

97-3New USAID Contractor Employee Physical Examination

96-23Unauthorized Provision in Personal Services Contract