Earn over 123,000 US Dollars (450m) as Supervisory Development Outreach & Communications (S/DOC) Specialist at USAID Uganda

Job Title:   Supervisory Development Outreach & Communications (S/DOC) Specialist  

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: USAID Uganda Office, Kampala, Uganda

Salary Range: $123,041- $159,950 equivalent to GS-15

Solicitation Number: SOL-72061724R00012

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years.  Ambassador William W. Popp currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda.  The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Peace Corps

Job Summary:  The S/DOC position is part of the Program Office at USAID/Uganda. The S/DOC reports directly to the USAID/Uganda Supervisory Program Officer. USAID Uganda is one of Africa Bureau’s largest missions, with a multi-year portfolio valued at $1.5 billion. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the Mission’s program budget stood at $458 million including emergency assistance. USAID Uganda implements a Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) with the goal of partnership with the Ugandan people to put Uganda on a path to achieve its Vision 2040. Uganda is a priority country for USAID across all global health initiatives, as well as Feed the Future and Power Africa. USAID implements programs to boost agricultural productivity, increase access to electricity, support financial inclusion, protect Uganda’s threatened biodiversity and wildlife, and bolster educational outcomes and democratic governance. USAID Uganda directs most of its programs through cooperative agreements and contracts to a wide range of international and local non- governmental organizations.

The United States Government (USG) has a complicated relationship with Uganda. As a major contributor to peacekeeping operations on the continent, Uganda is a key security partner. However, the country’s ability to play a positive regional role is eroding due to deteriorating democratic and civic space, worsening human rights violations, declining economic growth, and increasing debt fueled by corruption. The Government of Uganda exhibits an increasingly restrictive posture towards civil society and aversion to foreign influence, although it relies heavily on foreign assistance. Exceptional efforts to communicate USAID and USG objectives and impact are vital to USAID Uganda’s ability to be successful in achieving its foreign policy and development objectives in the region. The Mission seeks to improve the quality and availability of information about U.S. foreign assistance and its benefits in the region to a broader audience. Strong communications and outreach policies and strategies, and forward-leaning implementation is essential to USAID’s and the USG’s ability to build foreign relations in support of U.S. national interests.  For these purposes, USAID established the Senior Development Outreach and Communications (S/DOC) position, an off-shore U.S. Personal Services Contract position. This position will be located in the Program Office of USAID Uganda and reports directly to Program Office leadership. USAID Uganda’s Program Office (PRO) provides guidance, analysis, and leadership in the formulation and management of USAID Uganda’s overall development assistance program across all technical offices. The Program Office facilitates and supports other offices in strategy and project/activity design, development, and implementation; strategic partnerships and Agency initiatives; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); public communications; programmatic budgeting; and a wide range of reporting to USAID Washington. The office manages a $46 million MEL contract.

The Supervisory Development Outreach and Communications Officer (S/DOC) works closely with USAID Uganda’s technical offices and implementing partners to develop and implement the Mission’s overall communication strategy. The S/DOC serves as the Mission’s primary liaison with the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) to ensure coordination and collaboration on USAID public activities and projects. S/he will also serve as the USAID Uganda’s principal liaison with USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs in Washington.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:   The S/DOC Specialist (hereafter referred to as “S/DOC”) will service the needs of USAID Uganda, per the requirements below.

Strategic Communications (35%):

The S/DOC is the expert authority on all communication and outreach strategies, policies, tools, and approaches for the USAID Uganda portfolios. This expert authority extends to all technical and program staff (approximately 220 staff), thereby affecting a large number of technical staff and having a direct effect on the scope, manner and effectiveness with which USAID translates high level decisions, initiatives, programs and activities into clear and direct messaging.

The S/DOC develops and manages comprehensive Development Outreach and Communication Strategies. This sets communication policy for the USAID Uganda Mission, and is designed to promote USAID and all USG programs to both internal and external audiences. The primary responsibility is to ensure public awareness of programs and projects being funded by USAID and, where applicable, other USG Agencies. The S/DOC also helps to facilitate information access and sharing within the entire Mission; and, strengthening Mission reporting functions to USAID Washington, the Department of State, and the U.S. Congress. The Development Outreach and Communication strategies should innovatively translate the role, objectives, and achievements of USAID and USG assistance into clear messaging, and should define how this information will be used to highlight the impact of USAID and USG assistance in Uganda. The policies, communications strategies, and outreach plans will include developing and testing new hypotheses and theories for opening new channels of communication and sustainably improving the flow of information on development activities to local audiences.

The S/DOC manages all outsourced development outreach and communications-related services, as applicable or as needed. S/he supervises a team to utilize a broad range of innovative, effective and widely disseminated publicity tools to ensure target audience awareness of the scale and impact of USAID and U.S. generosity throughout Uganda, ensuring a targeted, coherent, and consistent message. As a senior official of USAID, the S/DOC also serves as the lead for all official communication needs of USAID Uganda visitors from the U.S. Embassies, USAID Washington, VIPs, etc. The S/DOC is USAID’s communications point of contact for such visits and events, responsible for managing all aspects of outreach and communication related to USAID programming. This can include working closely with the designated control officer to maintain site visit schedules, reviewing and clearing briefing materials, and coordinating meetings and briefings with implementing partners, constituents, other donors, and officials.

Additionally and relatedly, the S/DOC:

• Counsels and advises the USAID Uganda Mission Director and frequently directs USAID staff on all communication and outreach efforts;
• Leads the Mission’s development, outreach and communications team, ensuring overall quality and coherence of the team’s communications and outreach products and initiatives covering the entire USAID Uganda area of responsibility;
• Guides all USAID staff and contractors in developing appropriate public information programs, oversees all USAID branding, provides guidance to USAID staff and partners in their direct contacts with the media, and ensures a targeted, coherent, and consistent message from all USAID staff and partners;
• Substantially increases the effective and creative use of multimedia to enhance the message of development throughout Uganda through written and visual means; and
• Oversees all internal communications functions, including quality assurance of annual required and ad-hoc reports and communications with internal USAID and USG stakeholders.

Development Outreach and Media Activities (35%):

To ensure appropriate, consistent and accurate messaging and communication of USG and USAID program objectives and achievements in support of U.S. foreign policy, the S/DOC organizes, coordinates and implements press events for USAID activities in conjunction with the PDS, USAID Mission Director and Deputy Director, technical teams, implementing partners, regional and/or local governments, and private sector counterparts. S/he directs DOC and Technical Staff in the preparation and maintenance of information packages on the USAID and USG programs in Ugandawith standard basic packages for differing purposes (media, the public, educational institutions, the Government of Uganda, and district and local level governments, etc.), for briefings and for distribution to the public and the media; and, for USAID Washington, the US Embassy, etc. The S/DOC monitors local and international press coverage for awareness of, and attitudes toward USAID and USG writ large, and provides continuous feedback to inform USAID staff on ongoing activities and future programming.

For media events, the S/DOC and his or her team are responsible for:

• Drafting of speeches, talking points, and background briefings for media engagements, including the development of materials and preparation of speakers for radio, video and television sessions;
• Compilation and dissemination of press packets, handling of protocol issues, site selection, staging, and on-site coordination of all media issues;
• Identification and scheduling of speakers and liaising with U.S. and local government officials as needed;
• Writing and/or editing of USAID programmatic and strategic fact sheets and briefing materials for public consumption;
• Writing and/or editing of Briefing Checklists (BCLs), scene setters, briefing materials and memoranda for the Ambassador, the USAID Mission Director or his/her designees when their participation in events is warranted; and
• Coordination of updates to USAID websites.

The S/DOC oversees the drafting of press releases on program successes, project inaugurations, and significant developments, and provides drafts to the PDS for dissemination, as appropriate; follows up with media to encourage and support coverage of public events; works with staff from throughout the Mission to develop and maintain public relations materials, to the extent possible in both the English and the country’s official language, including fact sheets, brochures, newsletters, presentations, websites, and other visual displays on USAID programs and their objectives; distributes reports on field trips and assessments conducted by USAID staff; and, participates in field trips as necessary.

Coordination of Communication Strategies and Activities (30%):

As the expert authority on outreach and communication, the S/DOC may be called upon to provide high-level, sophisticated support and guidance to the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda and the USAID Mission Director for Uganda. With continual changes in geo-political climate, multi-sector programmatic needs, shifting political bilateral and multilateral relations between the U.S. and other government entities, and several Presidential Initiatives, the S/DOC’s duties include extensive analysis of complex issues. The S/DOC must continuously access and interpret often-nuanced information as it is made available or accessible. He or she must use expert judgment to create or adjust policy statements and messages for use by various levels of the U.S. Mission in Uganda.

The S/DOC coordinates with the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) in Kampala; directs USAID staff on such coordination efforts; develops and oversees implementation of communication strategies, branding and marking plans of all partners to achieve maximum exposure and understanding of USAID and USG humanitarian and development assistance efforts and initiatives; and designs and implements the development communications and outreach strategy to increase understanding of, and support for, USAID’s programs to external target audiences. S/he serves as USAID’s point of contact for all press relations, both international and local media and works closely with the PDS on press relations while maintaining contacts with high-level Western and local journalists from all media outlets. S/he exercises independent judgment and leadership to coordinate with the PDS, U.S. military, other USG agencies (e.g. Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture), other donors, and USAID implementing partners to maximize exposure and accurate understanding of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance efforts and initiatives in Uganda.

The S/DOC represents USAID and the U.S. Mission at a senior level in all matters pertaining to Development Outreach and Communication activities with the Ugandan Governments, other donors and development partners, domestic and international media, regional African organizations, and other groups and institutions; and, as appropriate, helps to build their capacity to manage public affairs and outreach activities. The S/DOC is a creative agent for dissemination of important information through government intermediaries.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Education

A Master’s degree is required, preferably in the field of journalism, communications, international relations, international development, public administration, development/area studies, social studies, public relations or a related area.

Prior Work Experience

A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in public relations, preferably in an international setting, is required (work performed internationally would ideally be in an international organization, corporation, donor, foreign government, or NGO). Experience managing a team of communicators is required. Overseas experience in a less developed/developing country for longer time periods is desirable, preferably in conjunction with development and/or economic assistance activities. Proven experience in innovatively disseminating information to a variety of target audiences is required, as is demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing effective public relations/communications campaigns directed at both closely targeted audiences and the general public.

Experience in disseminating information on USAID programs/projects/activities is desirable.

Technical Knowledge

The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to develop and establish communication policies and strategies, and to craft information messages in various media formats (press releases, websites, stories, etc.), and targeting a variety of audiences.

Skills and Abilities

The candidates must have demonstrated outstanding coordination, management and organizational skills within multicultural work environments; the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and to work effectively under pressure; and, have demonstrated initiative and creativity. Candidates will be expected to show past experience in performing and managing teams successfully at high levels, with minimal supervision and direction. Experience with international aid projects is desirable. The candidate will be expected to demonstrate a strong sense of initiative in media campaigns, special programs, press conferences, etc.

At a minimum, the successful candidate will have demonstrated skills and success in:

• developing innovative, multi-pronged communication and outreach policies and strategies;
• media campaigns, special programs, press conferences;
• analyzing complex programmatic information;
• understanding USG national interests and diplomatic priorities in order to craft information messages in various media formats, targeting a variety of audiences to meet numerous objectives simultaneously;
• outstanding coordination and organizational skills within multicultural work environments;
• the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and to work effectively under pressure;
• considerable initiative and creativity in past work environments; and
• initiative and proactive engagement with colleagues to complete assigned tasks in accordance with agreed upon timetables.

Language, communication, proficiency:

The successful candidate must be a native English speaker, with the highest level of written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills, and ability to work effectively as a member of a closely knit multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural team. The S/DOC must demonstrate the ability to make cogent arguments clearly and succinctly in written and oral presentations. S/he must also be proficient in computer skills, sophisticated media and multimedia tools (including online platforms and social media) and the ability to work in all appropriate Microsoft Office Suite applications and Google Suite, use desktop publishing software and one or more website development applications. The candidate will be expected to have superb computer skills and the ability to work in all Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite applications. In addition, the incumbent must be comfortable using desktop publishing software, one or more website development applications, and Adobe Photoshop.

Applicants must provide at least two writing samples with their application. The samples should be 350 to 1,500 words. They can be excerpts from larger articles or papers, and do not have to concern development or be written specifically for this solicitation. The samples should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to clearly, lucidly and succinctly communicate complex ideas to the public. The samples must be written exclusively by the applicant. Co-written articles are not accepted. Final applicant(s) may be asked to take a written test.

How to Apply:

Eligible offerors are required to complete and submit:

A signed (hand or electronic signature) offer form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals,” available at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

Cover letter clearly indicating the position for which you are applying.

Curriculum vitae/resume specifically which MUST include:

(i)        Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year) and hours worked per week for each position;

–Dates (month/year) and locations for all international field experience must also be detailed;

–Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), location, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.

(ii)       Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.

(iii)     Names and contact information (phone and email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s).

(iv)      Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job- related honors, awards, or accomplishments.

Supplemental [separate] document specifically addressing each QRF as outlined in the solicitation.

United States (U.S.) citizens and Resident Alien (currently resident in Uganda) must attach a copy of a valid work permit.

Offers should be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). No other file types will be accepted. All documents should be scanned into one (1) document (one (1) ATTACHMENT) which should not exceed 10MB.

Documents should be arranged and scanned in this order:

(i)        Signed (hand or electronic signature) offer form AID 309-2

(ii)       Cover Letter

(iii)     Completed Curriculum vitae/resume

(iv)      Supplemental documents

(v)       Valid work permit if applicable

Submitted offers and documents become the property of USAID and will not be returned.

Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted by email to EXO and HR Specialist at: kampalausaidjobsusaid.gov Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

No other form of submission will be permitted (e.g., courier, fax, or hand delivery). The US Government will not be responsible for incomplete/corrupted or missing information in electronic submissions and these applications may not be accepted. USAID will only confirm receipt and print out the electronic submission. USAID will not ensure quality or completeness of electronic files attached to the e-mails. The Offeror assumes all risk related to an electronic submission. Late offers or delayed electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

For this position, the subject line of the email must read:

SOL NUMBER TITLE OF POSITION, LAST, FIRST CANDIDATE NAME EX. SOL-72061724R00012 Supervisory Development Outreach & Communications (S/DOC) Specialist, Smith Jose

Deadline: 29th October 2024

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