Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Prevention and Community Response)

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

1. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO.:USAID-2021-011

2. OPENING DATE: July 16, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE: August 16, 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 (HIV/AIDS Prevention and Community Response), VN-026

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 (further details are in the Section 15).

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 (HIV/AIDS Prevention and Community Response) position is located in the Office of Health, The United Agency for International Development (USAID), Hanoi, Vietnam. The incumbent provides technical assistance and leadership on HIV Prevention issues. The duties and responsibilities include full assistance in consultative, advisory, monitoring, management, data collection and analysis, and evaluative aspects within the HIV/AIDS Prevention technical area.

The incumbent will serve as a Contract/Agreement Officer’s Representative (C/AOR) for assigned activities implemented by USAID/President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. S/he will facilitate coordination and communication among various stakeholders including U.S. Government (USG) agencies, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) at all levels and key partners involved.

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 public health, medicine, nursing, biology, or social sciences is required.

Prior Work Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of public health and development is required. At least three (3) years of this experience should be in oversight, design and implementation of prevention programs with Government, Non-Government Organization (NGO), international organization, or donor is required.

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

Job Knowledge: The incumbent must have:

• Knowledge and background in HIV program management with a focus on Continuous Quality Improvement including a comprehensive knowledge of the concepts, principles, techniques and practices of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support programs and the strategies most effective for implementing these interventions.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Vietnamese Public Medical and Social Health Systems and the appropriate government, non-government entities, community-based organizations and private sector.
• Understanding of the transmission and pathogenesis of the diseases; how to detect newly infected cases and provide treatment; and how to promote community control and individual prevention of HIV.
• Understanding of education on sexual health and human rights as well as policy and advocacy issues.

Skills and Abilities: The incumbent must have:

• Ability to independently analyze, understand and discuss new program design, management and implementation approaches is required. This includes the development of evaluation designs, use of reliable and valid instruments, and methods for data collection, analysis and reports.
• Ability to lead project teams and workgroups and to develop effective working relationships with national and international working partners.
• Considerable innovation will be required to influence other collaborative organizations engaged in substance abuse and HIV/AIDS care & treatment programs to adopt appropriate strategies for their program activities.
• Strong skills with interpretation of program monitoring and evaluation of data.
• Excellent project management and organization skills, good time management with minimal guidance and little or no follow-up.
• Excellent interpersonal skills (leadership, teamwork, communications skills).
• Ability to exercise considerable ingenuity and tact in applying guidelines to unique and different settings, as the work is highly complex.
• Ability to use effectively MS Office (including spreadsheets and database) and Google applications and demonstrated the capability to acquire agency specific software required for the position.
• Must be proactive and self-directed, self-motivation and strong work ethics.

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 position, in program management, in the field of public health and development, prevention program, in and/or working with donor agencies/ international organizations, , …)

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 Section 5must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section 3 and submitted to the Point of Contact in .
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 the 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.