Project Management Specialist (Climate Change)

The United States Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam is seeking an eligible and qualified applicant for the position of Project Management Specialist (Climate Change) in its U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

1. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO.:USAID-2021-14

2. OPENING DATE: July 21, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE: August 21, 2021, 17:00 Hanoi time

4. AREA OF CONSIDERATION:  All Interested candidates/All sources who are Cooperating Country National.

Cooperating country national (CCN) means an individual who is a cooperating country citizen, or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country.

5. POINT OF CONTACT:  

Quyen Hoang, Human Resources Specialist at [email protected]; Tel: +84-24-3850-5000 ; ext. 2763 ; and Loan Nguyen, Human Resources and Travel Assistant at [email protected]; Tel: +84-24-3850-5000; at ext. 2673. 

6. POSITION TITLE: Project Management Specialist (Climate Change), 30000817

7. MARKET VALUE/Salary (per annum): US$ 32,908.00 – US$ 49,380.00 (FSN-11)

Added by attractive allowances, cash and non-cash benefits and incentives according to U.S. Embassy Vietnam’s Local Compensation Plan.

8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE/Length of the contract/ WORK SCHEDULE:  Definite term - five years / Monday through Friday (40 hours per week).

USAID expects the services under this contract to be continuing in nature for the contractor to perform under a series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of fund.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:  USAID/Vietnam, 15^th floor, Tung Shing Building, No. 2 Ngo Quyen street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, Vietnam

9. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED:  Local Security Certification or Public Trust

10. BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE POSITION

The USAID Project Management Specialist (Climate Change) position is located in the Office of Environment and Energy (OEE), The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mission Vietnam, in Hanoi. The job holder is the Mission’s in-house Climate Change adaptation advisor who serves as a technical specialist within USAID/Vietnam, OEE.  In this capacity, s/he manages projects and activities, communications and representation in support of USAID and OEE on a variety of Climate Change adaptation topics. S/he will follow and support the overall direction of all climate change adaptation related activities aimed at addressing climate change impacts related to land and water management practices.  The job holder provides a full range of expert climate change adaptation advice and analytical and technical support to OEE. S/he supports program priorities that strengthen local resiliency to climate change, forest protection, and disaster response, and liaises with other Mission programs to identify synergies in programs.  S/he develops internal Mission documentation supporting project planning and implementation, such as Action Memoranda, Operational Plan, Performance Reports, and others.  S/he also monitors, manages, and ensures that deliverables are received from project contractors. 

11. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT

Applicants must address each required qualification listed below with specific information supporting each item. Failure to do so may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified.

Education: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, natural resource management, engineering, urban planning, or social sciences.

Prior Work Experience: Minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional-level experience in an area (s) related to strategy and policy development, program design and forestry management, climate change related field and natural resource management, which includes coordination experiences. Relevant work experiences must be with and/or in donor agencies, the development sector, the Government of Vietnam (GVN), or the private sector.?

Language Proficiency: Level IV (fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing in English and Vietnamese is required (this will be tested).

Job Knowledge: The job holder must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of the concepts, techniques, and practices in one or more of the following areas: climate change adaptation programs, climate change policies and data, forestry, disaster preparedness and prevention, ecological restoration, land use planning in Vietnam.  A thorough knowledge of sound local and international best practices in climate change adaptation development is required Must have a strong knowledge and understanding of the GVN’s climate change priorities and policies, appropriate government, private sector, and non-governmental stakeholders. General knowledge of Vietnamese economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics that affect climate change and development is required. Must have a knowledge of project development, design, management, performance monitoring, reporting and a good knowledge of host-country contacts (official and non-governmental) in the areas of climate change. Should have a demonstrated potential capacity to acquire knowledge of USG legislation relating to Development Assistance; USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and a thorough understanding of the objectives, methodology, and status of the USAID/Vietnam's development objectives.

Skills and Abilities: The job holder must have strong conceptual and analytical skills to be able to quickly grasp and translate new concepts into operational plans and results. Outstanding ability to exercise flexibility to accept and react to evolving planning and implementation contexts. Initiative and leadership in reviewing the progress of programs and projects under his/her responsibility, including performance reports, pipeline management, program implementation reviews, as well as fulfilling other USAID and USG reporting requirements is required. Demonstration of timely decision-making ability and extensive judgment in planning and carrying out tasks, using diplomacy and tact. Must be able to foster effective working relationships with USG, national and international working partners at all levels, local organizations, energy developers, private sector partners, and other program partners. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with diverse teams and stakeholders including wide range of development partners, including multilateral and bilateral donors as well as the private sector in a professional setting is required. Must have an ability to use Google Applications, MS office application and learn Agency specific software related to the work. Self-motivation and strong work ethics are required. Must be able to travel locally and internationally.

12.    EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA:

A Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) will be set up to manage the whole evaluation and selection processes. Applications will be initially screened for eligibility in accordance with the required qualifications mentioned above including education, prior work experiences and language. Eligible candidates will be given an English test. Those candidates who meet the English requirement (Level IV) will be invited for the subject matter expertise test (SME test) and the top performers from the SME test will be called for an interview. The SME test and the interview will be structured around the selection criteria above. Professional reference checks will be conducted once the pool is narrowed down to the top candidate(s).

In summary, the steps in the Candidates rating system are as follows:

• Meet minimum education/experience requirements: Pass/fail
• Language requirements: Pass/ Fail
• Subject Matter Expertise (SME) test: Top scoring candidates from SME test will be invited for interview
• Professional Reference Checks: Pass/Fail

At the final selection round, the TEC may consider the performance from all selection round as a whole package to ensure the best matching profile (relevant education, relevant experience in similar positions in natural resources management, climate change, forest management, urban planning, strategy and policy development, program design and management, experiences with and/or in the GVN, donor agencies, development sector,  international organizations, private sector…)

13. HOW TO APPLY:

All candidates must be able to obtain and hold a Local security or Public trust clearance.

1. Offerors/ Candidates are required to complete and submit a Universal Application for Employment (DS-174) which is available on the Website of the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam below, Curriculum Vitae and scanned copies of degrees to support the position’s educational requirement.

            https://vn.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019-07-Updated-DS174.pdf

2. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section 3 and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section 5.
3. To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Applicants must prominently reference the Job Announcement number in the submission.

NOTE: 

Due to the high volume of applications received, we will only contact applicants who are qualified and will be invited for further testing and/or interview. Thank you for your understanding.

14. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a CCNPSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances in accordance with United States Mission Vietnam ‘s Local Compensation Plan and regulations:

1. BENEFITS:

• One-month basic salary Tet Bonus
• Contribution to mandatory insurances pursuant to GVN’s law/ regulations including social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance.
• Coverage of additional health insurance 90% for incumbent and each eligible family member
• Annual and sick leave according to local labor law
• Mission cash award (semi-annual/ annual) and On-the-Spot award for high performers
• Training opportunities abroad, in-country, on-the-job and online sources (USAID University and Foreign Services Institute).

2. ALLOWANCES (as applicable):

• Unique Condition Work allowance: 7% of Annual basic salary (upon annual review for the whole Mission).
• Miscellaneous Benefits Allowance: US$1,000 per annum for FSN-09 and below and US$3,000 per annum for FSN-10 and above.

15.    ADDITIONAL SELECTION AND APPLICATION CRITERIA:

• The Contracting Officer will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, funds availability and residency status in determining successful candidacy.
• Current employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply.
• Current employees identified as under Merit-Based Compensation’s Performance Improvement Plan on their most recent Performance Evaluation Report are not eligible to apply.
• All candidates for employment with the US Mission must pass a background/security investigation and a medical certification.  Any employment offer with the US Mission is contingent upon a candidate’s ability to secure the necessary certifications.
• All applicants must be a naturalized citizen of the host country or must have the required work permit or documentation that permits the applicant to work legally in the country in order to be eligible for consideration.
• Please clearly indicate in your application, the title of the position you are applying for.  Any application that does not specify the position applied for will NOT be considered.
• Applications received after the closing date and time of the announcement will NOT be considered.
• The application must contain all information necessary to demonstrate that the candidate possesses the education, experience, skills and language abilities required for this position.
• Applicants who fail to meet minimum requirements for the position will be disqualified. 

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people regardless of to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital or parental status, veteran status, membership in an employee organization, political affiliation, involvement in protected EEO activity, or other non-merit factor. The Mission also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.

The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation.  Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.