Climate and Natural Resource Management (CNRM) Advisor at USAID Ethiopia

1. GENERAL INFORMATION
2. SOLICITATION NO.: 72066324R00007
3. ISSUANCED ATE: 07/23, 2024
4. CLOSINGDATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: 08/06, 2024, no later than 5:00 p.m (EAT) (close of business).
5. POINT OF CONTACT: John Marten, A/Supervisory EXO and Fekadu Tamirate, Supervisory HR Specialist, e-mail at addisusaidjobs@usaid.gov.
6. POSITION TITLE: Climate and Natural Resource Management (CNRM) Advisor
7. MARKET VALUE: $ 88,520 to $115,079, equivalent to GS-13. The final compensation will 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.
8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: For two years with one-three-year options to extend. Extensions will be contingent on satisfactory performance, continued need for the services and availability of funds. No PSC contract may exceed a five-year period of performance. Estimated to start on 12/06/2024.

The base period will be 12/06/2024– 12/05/2026. Based on Agency need, the Contracting Officer may exercise additional one-year option period for a maximum of three years, as noted below:

         8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Work.

        9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Resident-Hire. Resident Hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor means a U.S. citizen or resident alien who, at the time of contract award, (i) resides in the cooperating country for reasons other than U.S. government or non-U.S. government employment, or under any contract or other arrangement, that provides repatriation to the U.S.; or (ii) is a spouse or dependent of a U.S. citizen or resident alien who resides, or will reside, in the cooperating country for the purpose of U.S. government or non U.S. government employment, or under any contract or other arrangement that provides repatriation to the U.S. A U.S. citizen for purposes of this definition also includes a person who at the time of contracting is a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States and have a valid work authorization for Ethiopia.

Applicant must:

• Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation titled SUBMITTING AN OFFER
• Be able to obtain facility access security clearance.
• Be able to obtain a medical clearance.
• Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices or locations as/when requested.

      10. CLEARANCES:  The final selected candidates must obtain both the ‘facility access’ security and medical clearances within a reasonable period. If such clearances are not obtained within a reasonable time or negative suitability issues are involved, any offer made may be rescinded.

      11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

1. General Statement of Purpose of the Contract:

The Climate and Natural Resource Management Advisor is part of the Economic Growth and Resilience (EGR) Office and as the Mission’s lead representative on climate issues and technical direction. Reporting to the Sustainable Environment Division Chief and the Economic Growth and Resilience Office Chief, they advise on policies advancing USG and Government of Ethiopia (GoE) objectives, particularly in enhancing technical applications of and enabling environments for climate and natural resource investments. Under the direct supervision of the Office Chief for EGR or his/her designate, the Climate and Natural Resource Management Advisor (CNRM Advisor) will support USAID/Ethiopia by providing advisory services, technical direction, management oversight, and coordination for USAID programs in Ethiopia related to CNRM sector reform, renewable energy availability and accessibility, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, climate investment, etc to sustain development progress through ongoing USG mechanisms, new USAID activity designs, and new USG interagency interventions/instruments. In this capacity, he/she will have an active role building the broader Mission staff’s ability to work within this technical ecosystem.

The CNRM Advisor serves as the Mission’s Climate Integration Lead, liaising with global counterparts in the agency to implement an ambitious climate positive agenda. The CNRM Advisor assists the EGR Office in providing overarching technical strategic guidance to the Mission and programmatic advice to the Mission Front Office. With the Partnerships Advisor’s input, the Office further leads and contributes to interagency climate-related coordination.

USAID supports and promotes development that leverages the collective power of the private sector and non-traditional, non-government entities as partners in development. USAID/Ethiopia’s development strategy looks to focus on private sector-led inclusive economic growth, resilience and nutrition.

      2. Statement of Duties to be Performed:

Working directly with the EGR Office Chief and Sustainable Environment Division Chief, as well as with other teams, offices, USG agencies, NGOs, the local and international private sector, the Government of Ethiopia, Donor agencies, multilateral development banks, and other international organizations, the Partnerships Advisor will:

Technical Leadership and Advisory Services (40%)

As an experienced and recognized professional in fields related to the impacts of climate change, the Climate and Natural Resource Management Advisor will be responsible for ensuring USG development assistance programming reflects best practices and state-of-the-art knowledge to support effective climate and natural resources projects and programs.

S/he will:

• Serve as the Mission’s Climate Integration Lead (CIL), serving as an advisor across offices to ensure climate-smart approaches in programming.
• As CIL, will work closely with the interagency and the Embassy Green Team to advance climate-smart applications to the embassy compound and workforce operations.
• Maintain strong and supportive relations with other USG agencies involved in CNRM activities and industry development policy such as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation; other donors and multilateral partners, and regional African institutions).
• Establish and maintain a working relationship with GoE officials at all levels, including within the Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Irrigation and lowlands; Ministry of Agriculture; Ethiopian Energy Authority; the Ethiopian Investment Holdings company; the National Meteorological Institute; the Ministry of Planning and Development; relevant Universities; among others.
• Represent USAID/Ethiopia in high-level coordination groups including relevant CNRM multi-donor working groups, plus key technical sub-committees supporting the CNRM sector.
• Create strategic partnerships among all stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, development, and other USG partners; GoE programs; World Bank; development and donor institutions to leverage complementary assistance and mobilize financing for climate adaptation- and mitigation-related development in Ethiopia.
• Identify barriers to CNRM project finance and development in Ethiopia, and advise the formulation of policies, regulations, and programs to support private sector trade and investment.
• Track emerging trends facing the CNRM sector and influence GoE decision making and investment around such trends, leveraging other donor resources and lessons learned from other countries as they implement climate change and natural resource management solutions.
• Identify opportunities to crowd in private sector participation and investment in Ethiopia to increase access to and availability of renewable power, develop landscape-scale conservation initiatives, and promote climate-smart agriculture, among others. For example, sharing information on upcoming PPPs, GoE tenders, and CNRM trade and investment opportunities with the USAID’s continent-wide technical coordination offices, donor groups, and private sector stakeholders.
• Assess CNRM capacity building deficiencies and the technical needs of the GoE and guide USAID implementing partners and other related international donors to address critical gaps.
• Prepare reports related to Climate Change and track and maintain documentation regarding the CRM compliance status of the Mission portfolio, communicating any problems to Development Objective (DO) Team Leaders, Mission Management, and the Regional Environmental Advisor (REA).
• Provide guidance and assistance as requested on procedures, rules, regulations, and other questions/issues within the USAID/Ethiopia in areas of climate change and NRM.  This work also includes, but is not limited to, reviews of action Memoranda, program statements, project implementation documents, annual assistance checklists, and other specific programming tasks and questions.
• Organize and provide training to mission staff and implementing partners in areas of climate change impact management, develop field guidelines.
• Facilitate or assist research and data collection, analyses, training and information dissemination on natural resource management, and climate change topics of regional concern.
• Serve as an advisor to activities to provide natural resource management and climate change input into the planning and implementation of projects and programs.
• Guide USAID/Ethiopia decision-making on CNRM programming strategies. Advise on the development and integration of USAID CNRM related strategies into all USG-supported programs across the USAID Mission.
• Prepare and disseminate information on CNRM issues, success stories, lessons learned, and worldwide best practices to Mission staff and implementing partners on a regular basis.

Program Management and Design (35%)

The CNRM Advisor will be responsible for managing the implementation of contracts and grants supporting the Ethiopian CNRM sector, and designing new activities as needed to achieve USAID/Ethiopia climate and natural resource objectives. S/he will:

• Serve as the Activity Manager or A/COR for key contracts and grants aimed at achieving planned CNRM results. Conduct day-to-day management of the CNRM portfolio, maintain relevant program and A/COR files, and provide input to annual work plans for implementing partners.
• Provide administration and oversight for climate and natural resource management activities in Ethiopia, including monitoring activities through site visits, frequent meetings with implementing partners, senior GoE and donor officials, and beneficiaries, and the review of progress reports.
• Ensure implementing partners are performing in accordance with expectations outlined in their work plans, contract/agreement, and host-government agreements.
• Resolve any implementation issues in an efficient and professional manner and make recommendations to leadership and other relevant contracting staff to increase activity impact and enhance sustainability.
• Track expenditures and accruals against obligations, and review and provide administrative approval of invoices for assigned activities.
• Ensure that program activities comply with USAID financial regulations and that implementing partners are in compliance with all relevant USAID regulations and procedures, including environmental compliance.
• Coordinate with other donors and partners in the CNRM sector in order to leverage resources to address identified gaps and ensure USAID’s capacity building and technical assistance complements GoE programs and other development partner efforts.
• Draft official USG documents required for reporting the status of activities, such as the Annual Operational Plans, Annual Performance Reports, Action Memos, Monthly Field Updates and procurement documents.
• Prepare technical and program documentation, such as briefing papers, fact sheets, letters, cables, and memos for information and action.  Programmatic documentation may include program descriptions, terms of reference, and statements of work for acquisition and assistance actions, amendments, modifications, incremental funding requests, GLAAS actions, and illustrative budgets.
• Participate in the design of strategies, concept papers and procurement documents and advise on CNRM related activities in support of USAID/Ethiopia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy.

Promote USG Interests (25%)

• Contribute to private sector engagement to understand barriers to investment and participating in CNRM sector conferences and forums, in Ethiopia and regionally, to promote foreign and local investment in the country.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to represent USAID/Ethiopia at meetings, workshops, and conferences organized by various organizations, including other donors and international organizations.
• Work closely with the EGR private sector team and other sections within the Embassy to create and expand public-private sector partnerships to achieve and sustain greater developmental impacts in the CNRM sector, while also providing opportunities for U.S. companies.
• Represent USAID to a number of different stakeholders including Ambassadors, Mission Directors, other senior USG Agency representatives, regional economic communities, national level counterparts, bilateral and multilateral donors, and private sector corporate executives.
• Respond flexibly and capably to a wide range of work-related requirements, including but not limited to congressional or other inquiries, maintaining and reporting on Power Africa indicators, supporting VIP visits, contributing to portfolio reviews, performance monitoring plans, accruals, and the Operational Plan, and responding to Washington policy and operational requests.

3. Supervisory Relationship: 

USAID/Ethiopia who will prepare his/her performance evaluation report. As required s/he will provide briefings for USAID Mission Management as well as Mission staff. S/he may receive guidance from EGR Office management as well as senior Mission management as the situation warrants. In collaboration with the incumbent, the immediate supervisor will: 1) establish annual work objectives and performance measures; 2) review work outputs and accomplishments to ensure compliance with Agency policies, and implementation of best practices; 3) provide regular feedback to incumbent throughout the Performance Evaluation Period; and 4) prepare the annual Evaluation Report as/when required. The incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of independence and should be able to establish priorities, adhere to and meet established deadlines, and perform responsibilities and duties with minimal guidance and little or no follow-up. The incumbent must be proactive as well as self-motivated.

4. Supervisory Controls:

The CNRM Advisor will have no supervisory responsibilities.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.