USAID/Madagascar: Agriculture Project Specialist, FSN-11

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72068724R10013

ISSUANCE DATE: July 20, 2024

CLOSING DATE: August 11, 2024

SUBJECT: Solicitation for a Cooperating Country National Personal Service Contractor (CCN PSC – Local Compensation Plan)

Agriculture Project Specialist, FSN-11

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Madagascar (USAID/Madagascar), is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation.

Offers must be in accordance with the Attachment of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records.

USAID will evaluate all offerors based on the stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.

This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offers.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the attached information.

Sincerely,

Orion Yeandel

Contracting Officer

*This vacancy is open to Malagasy citizens and non-Malagasy citizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence in Madagascar. Non-Malagasy citizens, if selected, will be compensated on the same schedule of salaries and benefits as are Malagasy citizens.

To apply, please download the full solicitation attached and follow the instructions.

The Agriculture Project Specialist (FSN-11) is located in the Integrated Development and Emergency assistance (IDEA) office and provides technical support for natural resources management and private sector engagement in the agriculture sector and leads the Mission and IDEA office on agricultural development and food security issues in regard to the Feed the Future Strategy. S/he engages with host government officials and other partners working with donor institutions, private sector actors, and NGO organizations to advance the Mission’s agricultural led economic growth utilizing a market systems approach that is conservation-friendly and environmentally-sound. S/he provides expert advice on agriculture market systems, conservation-enterprise and value chain development, and linkages between food security, sustainable agricultural development, and natural resource management interventions. The position includes leadership responsibilities, in terms of providing strategic vision for the office through the agricultural lens, enhancing team cohesion, and coordinating the work of other professional staff.

The overall responsibilities of the Agriculture Project Specialist are to provide technical expertise and professional guidance to USAID/Madagascar and the U.S. Mission as a whole in the broad area of environmentally sustainable agricultural development. In particular, s/he will bring in his/her knowledge of the national context, history, and policies in Madagascar to improve USAID/Madagascar’s strategies and interventions. Additionally, s/he is expected to have a network of the agriculture key actors in Madagascar, and to use them so that USAID/Madagascar has the best outcomes. The position requires a depth of technical expertise and program management skills that will allow him/her to provide leadership on these and other policy issues, meeting and collaborating on a regular basis with senior officials and partners working with USAID and Embassy Antananarivo, other donor organizations, USAID contractor and grantee organizations, professional organizations, Government of Madagascar (GOM), NGOs, international organizations, and the private sector. His/her management decisions require the ability to identify, assess, understand, and systematize complex issues as they relate to Madagascar’s broader economic, political, and cultural realities that can lead to important changes or adaptations in relevant national policies.

The Agriculture Project Specialist serves as the Mission’s technical specialist and resource person on sustainable agriculture market systems. S/he represents USAID in donor groups where s/he is responsible for ensuring the coordination of USG and other donor policies and investments and coordinates closely with the USAID/Southern Africa Regional Mission, USAID/Kenya and East Africa Regional Mission, and USAID/Washington.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

Offers will be initially screened by the Human Resources Office to determine whether they have met the minimum qualifications below. A list of qualified offers will be referred to the evaluation committee for further consideration and screening.

a. Education:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (or equivalent), in the areas of agriculture, agribusiness, natural resource management, or related field.

At least five years of work experience in the areas of agriculture, agribusiness, and/or natural resource management in an international development setting, with a minimum of two years of this experience working in task-oriented teams.

Language proficiency equivalent to level IV (fluent) in English, French and Malagasy are required.

d. Job Knowledge:

The Job holder must demonstrate an understanding of agriculture development as a means to improve poverty, nutrition, resilience, and biodiversity outcomes. It is also critical that the Job holder is able to easily engage donors, international partners, private sector, government, and other stakeholders involved in agriculture development. In addition, the Job holder must have a strong knowledge of Madagascar and an understanding of the development agenda of the country. Knowledge of communication approaches is required.

The Job holder will demonstrate strong problem-solving skills involving complex or conceptual problems, particularly in the areas of agriculture development and food systems. Similarly, strong analytical and critical thinking skills are needed. The Job holder must be a team player and be able to develop and maintain positive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders both within the Mission and outside with private sector, donor and GOM representatives. Job holder must be computer literate with advanced skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point packages and familiarity with social media (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc.).

The Job holder must have experience, technical skills, training and/or competencies in using market-based systems approaches to achieve agriculture development and humanitarian outcomes.Document CCN OFFER FORM - Jul 2023 (164.81 KB)Document Solicitation, Agriculture Project Specialist FSN-11_July 2024 (389.08 KB)