PEPFAR Country Coordinator – Windhoek, Namibia

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a PEPFAR Country Coordinator to serve as the Embassy-based expert on matters concerning the PEPFAR program Department of State’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD) in Windhoek, Namibia. Learn more about the Department of State, visit https://careers.state.gov.

There is more to joining the Foreign Service than just salary. Refer to the Benefits section for more information on compensation.

At the time of application, applicants must hold a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant professional discipline such as Public Policy, Public Health, Business Administration, or other related subjects.

Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign Education

Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services (NACES or AICE) in order to be given credit towards qualification.

• The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts.
• Foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service will not be accepted and the candidacy will be terminated.

For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Foreign Education section, and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.

OPM: www.opm.gov

U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov

Please refer to the Required Documents Section on how to submit the required educational documentation for this position.

PEPFAR Country Coordinators lead the USG PEPFAR interagency team in the designated country. Responsibilities include:

• Advancing the PEPFAR team’s progress towards sustainable control of the HIV epidemic and, ultimately, achieving an AIDS-free generation. 
• Ensuring that the PEPFAR program fits within the strategies and regulations of the partner country government and aligns with international policies and recommendations.
• Ensuring accountability, transparency, and impact for the USG resources directed to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in country. 
• Communicating USG policy and technical direction to implementing agency leadership.
• Coordinating and facilitating the interagency approach to PEPFAR within the USG.
• Coordinating and facilitating with PEPFAR implementing agencies on the restructuring, reorienting, and recasting of immediate and long-range goals, objectives, plans, and schedules to meet substantial changes in policy, legislation, program authority, and/or funding, and facilitate discussion with the interagency team regarding determinations of projects to be initiated, ended, or refocused.
• Developing annual country operational plans (COPs).
• Overseeing changes in interagency organizational structure.
• Leading the interagency process in-country in long range planning in connection with prospective changes in USG funding, policies, and programs.
• Providing expert guidance and advice to Direct Hire (DH) officers and to Locally Employed (LE) staff who perform reporting and analytical work and provide administrative support.
• Establishing appropriate controls to ensure the integrity—financial, technical, and operational—of all HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs implemented pursuant to PEPFAR.
• Deciding, in coordination with the U.S. embassy leadership and PEPFAR implementing agencies, how best to direct the funds allocated to the country for successful program impact, fully understanding the current levels of expenditure and pipeline, develop budgets, and ensure continued flow of funds necessary to implement the program.
• Ensuring the use of data collection and knowledge-based program management in regard to all aspects (implementation, technology, costing) of treatment, prevention, and care strategies.
• Providing leadership and guidance to other USG interagency leaders in-country who implement and monitor the PEPFAR program portfolio.
• Analyzing the unique operational context of the PEPFAR program in the designated country and coordinating the interagency process to establish a vision and strategy for responding to this context within the guidelines of the GHSD policy and U.S. diplomatic priorities.

Applicants must have a minimum of ten years of senior-level experience managing HIV/AIDS, health, or other development programs. Of the ten years, at least eight years must be managing and implementing HIV/AIDS programs or working with large, complex international or domestic programs.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. An applicant’s education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.

This position requires a highly qualified and experienced individual with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to foster teamwork, the capacity for strategic thinking, and an understanding of the technical and policy requirements to achieve the PEPFAR goals in the country. The incumbent must be familiar with and be able to work well in an overseas environment and with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental counterparts. The PEPFAR Coordinator must have the following qualifications and demonstrated abilities:

• Ability to work with partner government to strengthen capacities to lead the response to the epidemic and other health demands.
• Ability to track large amounts of data and manage complex interagency planning, reporting, and performance processes.
• Ability to empower PEPFAR team members to apply available resources and expertise to addressing the local epidemic.
• Ability to integrate and coordinate HIV/AIDS programs with broader global health and development programs to maximize impact on health systems.
• Ability to mediate interagency conflicts and facilitate decisions on complex technical, programmatic, strategic, and financial issues.
• Capacity to promote sustainable country programs.
• Capacity to expand prevention, care, and treatment in both concentrated and generalized epidemics.
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• Strong managerial skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong capacity to multi-task, including managing, prioritizing, and fulfilling competing demands in real time.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness.
• Availability and willingness to work outside the regular 40-hour workweek when required/necessary.
• Willingness to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested.

Level IV English ability (fluent) is required. Successful applicants must also consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity, and succinctness).

Candidates must be eligible for diplomatic privileges and immunities in the country of assignment.