JOB VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. Mission Uganda
Announcement Number: Kampala-2020-011
Position Title: Political/Economic Small Grants Coordinator
Opening Period: 02/12/2020 – 02/26/2020
Series/Grade: FP-06
Salary: USD 42,149 (Actual FS salary determined by Washington D.C.)
For More Info: Human Resources Officer
Who May Apply: U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) – All Agencies
Security Clearance Required: Public Trust security clearance
Duration Appointment: FMA not to exceed 5 years
Marketing Statement: We encourage you to read and understand the Eight (8) Qualities of Overseas Employees before you apply (https://careers.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Eight-Qualities-of-Overseas-Employees.pdf )
Summary: The U.S. Mission in Uganda is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the position of Small Grants Coordinator.
The work schedule for this position is: Full Time, 40 hours per week
Start date: Candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time following receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end.
Supervisory Position: No
Duties:
Small Grants Coordination 65%
- The Coordinator is primarily responsible for supervising and administering the Political/Economic (P/E) section’s small grants portfolio, including the Ambassador’s
Special Self-Help Fund, the Democracy and Human Rights Fund, and potentially other Washington-based grants. The Coordinator serves as the Grants Officer
Representative (GOR) for all grants under the P/E section’s purview, and supports the P/E Grants Officer (GO) to design and manage the P/E section’s small grants programs.
- The Coordinator will oversee and administer the entire grant application process, including but not limited to: advertising the Notification of Funding Opportunity, tracking and documenting the receipt of all proposals, evaluating all applications submitted based on the established proposal evaluation criteria, organizing a Grants Evaluation
Committee (Committee) meeting, presenting (in writing and verbally) a summary of all the proposals to the Committee members, properly documenting the Committee meeting, and working proactively with short-listed applicants to ensure proposals are complete and of high quality.
- In close collaboration with the GO, the Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and administrating the entire project life cycle: Pre-award, award, project implementation, and grant closeout. Through in-person and online trainings, the Coordinator is required to obtain a detailed understanding of the USG’s grants management requirements, and become proficient with the Ariba online grants management website.
- Visit applicants and grantees throughout Uganda to assess applicants’ organizational capacity, and the effectiveness of grantees’ project implementation, compared to the approved project proposal. This involves substantial travel by road, including overnight trips as necessary. Coordinator will also serve as point person for COM project visits as necessary, including advance coordination with key district officials and grantees, coordination with other Mission sections/agencies, as necessary, and organizing all required logistics.
- Maintain regular communication with grantees and review all grantees’ required reports to ensure project implementation is on track to meet propose objectives within the project period. Build grantees’ capacity to implement the proposed monitoring and evaluation strategy as detailed in the project logical framework.
- Work with the Financial Management Section to ensure all required documentation for initiating financial disbursements is properly completed and submitted in a timely manner. Maintain clear financial controls over approved projects and programs to ensure that funds are used for the intended purposes.
- Draft reporting cables on P/E Section grants to highlight their impact on targeted communities, and in response to requests for information from Washington, with assistance from the GO.
Economic/Commercial Support 35%
- Support the Economic/Commercial Officer (EconOff) to promote bilateral trade, U.S. investment, and U.S. businesses in Uganda. With guidance from the EconOff, the Coordinator will be responsible for tracking and responding to requests for commercial assistance, identifying businesses eligible for priority attention and additional advocacy efforts, and maintaining contact with businesses if their plans to operate in Uganda progress.
- In collaboration with the EconOff and Economical/Commercial Assistant, the Coordinator will plan and implement logistics for Gold Key Service visits and trade missions, and other similar duties as assigned.
- Research: Assist in maintaining current records on economic and commercial statistics such as: GDP, inflation, exchange rates, bilateral trade numbers, investment numbers, and AGOA statistics.
Note: This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by incumbent. Incumbent will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the agency.
Qualifications and Evaluations
Education: Completion of two years college /university studies is required.
Download: detailed Position Description
Requirements:
EXPERIENCE: Two years’ work experience with a governmental or non-governmental organization in either program, administrative or grant management is required.
JOB KNOWLEDGE: Position requires professional and specialized knowledge of project management (including analysis, assessment, and advice to community organizations), contract drafting and interpretation, basic accounting and business skills, database and file system management and program coordination. Position requires detailed knowledge of U.S. policies and regulations governing grants.
Evaluations:
LANGUAGE: English Level 3 (Good working knowledge, speaking, reading, and writing) is required. This may be tested.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Ability to plan, arrange, manage and administer all programs according to U.S. government regulations. Must be able to work in a high-volume, high-productivity environment and to work well with others. Must be computer literate, preferably with experience in EXCEL and MS WORD. Must be able to draft concise and clear recommendations. A successful candidate must be a self-starter, able to plan and execute his/her duties with minimal supervision. The candidate must also be willing to travel frequently to remote parts of Uganda to monitor and evaluate projects and must be able to liaise effectively with projects implementers, beneficiaries, and local officials. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Security Clearance at the Public Trust level.
Qualifications: All applicants under consideration will be required to pass a security certification.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO): The U.S. Mission provides equal 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.
Other information:
HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS: Applicants in the following hiring preference categories are extended a hiring preference in the order listed below. Therefore, it is essential that these applicants accurately describe their status on the application. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not eligible for a hiring preference.
HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER:
(1) AEFM / USEFM who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*
(2) AEFM / USEFM
(3) FS on LWOP and CS with reemployment rights **
* IMPORTANT: Applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of their most recent DD-214 (“Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty”), equivalent documentation, or certification. A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. Acceptable documentation must be submitted in order for the preference to be given.
** This level of preference applies to all Foreign Service employees on LWOP and CS with re-employment rights back to their agency or bureau.
For more information (i.e., what is an EFM, USEFM, AEFM, MOH, etc?) and for additional employment considerations, please visit the following link: https://careers.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/VA-Definitions-and-Additional-Employment-Considerations.pdf
How to Apply: All candidates must be able to obtain and hold a Public Trust security clearance.
- All applications must be submitted online. Applicants shall be required to register under the careers page for U.S. Embassy Kampala following instructions on the link below.
https://ug.usembassy.gov/embassy/jobs/
- For further assistance call 0414-306001
- You will receive confirmation of registration and proceed to apply.
- On completion of this process, you will receive an auto response via your email.
Required Documents: Please provide the required documentation listed below with your application:
- DS-174
- Degree/ education transcripts
- DD-214 – Member Copy 4, Letter from Veterans’ Affairs, or other supporting documentation (if applicable)
- SF-50 (if applicable)
What to Expect Next: Applicants who are invited to take a language or skills test, or who are selected for an interview will be contacted via email.
For further information: the complete position description listing all of the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, etc. may be obtained by contacting the Human Resources office.
Thank you for your application and your interest in working at the U.S. Mission in Uganda.
