Stabilization and Donor Coordination Technical Advisor (USAID)

Remote, based in Amman, Jordan

DESCRIPTION

The USAID/Yemen Stabilization and Donor Coordination Advisor’s primary purpose is to lead and coordinate donor activities and stabilization efforts for the USAID mission to Yemen. Based in Amman, Jordan, the incumbent reports directly to the USAID/Yemen Senior Development Advisor is a member of the Mission Senior Staff core team and serves as an extended element of the Yemen Affairs Unit (YAU). 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A.    Develop and execute the USAID/Yemen Donor Coordination Strategy (40%)

•  Establish new and maintain existing relationships with Amman-based donors (working and high level) on development, stabilization, relief and recovery planning and implementation.  
• Advise the USAID/Yemen SDA and team leads on stabilization related donor, political, and other events, activities, and analysis. 
• Attend regular donor coordination meetings in Amman and share invitations for conferences, seminars, and other meetings with USAID/Yemen staff.
• Convene donors on emerging issues of importance to USAID/Yemen and the YAU. 
• Advise USAID/Yemen SDA on strategies for improving donor coordination and suggestions for improving the USG donor coordination strategy. 
• Contribute to USAID and YAU reporting (the biweekly Yemen Update cable, topical cables, and analyses for Washington colleagues; and
• Establish regular communications with respective members of the USAID/Yemen team, the YAU political-economics team, and other interested parties on donor activities. 

B.    Support and Advise on the Yemen Political Process, Conflict Mitigation, and Stabilization Assistance (50%)

• Provide technical guidance on USAID’s stabilization and conflict mitigation programming, with a focus on alignment and coordination with UN and international community efforts.
• Provide support and technical assistance to the governance, peace, and stability (GPS) team and the economic growth (EG) team.
• Support USAID assessments or analysis related to peace processes, conflict mitigation, and stabilization assistance.
• Support USAID assistance planning, including participating in regular team meetings and outyear budget planning exercises.
• Partner with the USAID/Yemen team leads and draft applications for possible funding opportunities, required project and activity analysis, monitoring and evaluation planning, and the implementation of appropriate activity learning plans.
• Support annual data collection and data calls, including drafting and submission of performance narratives for the Mission’s Performance Plan and Report, Performance Monitoring Plan, Operational Plan, and other annual reporting requirements.
• Identify gaps in information, expertise, or programming that can be resolved with USAID interventions and that capitalize on USAID’s comparative advantage; and
• Contribute to the design and implementation of new USAID/Yemen projects and activities, including drafting and editing activity documents, conducting sectoral assessments, or completing gender, climate, or environmental compliance analyses. The incumbent may also be asked to serve as the Activity Manager for USAID/Yemen activities.

 C.    Provide Support to Overarching USAID/Yemen Mission Initiatives (10%)

• Host and support Yemen-related USG visitors to Jordan, including VIPs, to include schedule development, logistics coordination, note-taking, summary cable drafts, and other support as needed;
• Contribute to mission-wide strategic planning, internal and external portfolio reviews, and assisting technical team leads in preparing the related documentation and analysis; and
• Coordinate with other USG partners as directed by the SDA, including the Bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, and others.

SPECIFIC DELIVERABLES:

• Strategy: Draft a USAID/Yemen donor coordination strategy and work to implement this strategy.
• Reporting: Draft and distribute weekly reporting on stabilization topics, including reports or analyses relevant to the USAID/Yemen portfolio, as well as regular reporting on donor activities, updates, and trends.
• Knowledge Management: Gather and share key analysis, information, meeting outputs, contact information, and reports with USAID/Yemen (and where appropriate other USG Yemen watchers). Maintain an updated shared database of this information.
• USG Visitors: Create a TDYer/visitor guide which all Yemen-related travelers will follow in their visits to Jordan.
• Meetings: Regularly report on technical and high-level donor coordination and stabilization-related meetings (formal and informal). Track and report on stabilization outputs, socio-economic trends, political scenarios, and other content for the technical team leads, YAU staff, and the USAID/Yemen SDA.
• Manage Relationships: Manage productive working- and senior-level relationships with donors, Yemen watchers, and Amman-based Yemeni actors; and
• Contact List: Maintain an updated donor contact list in coordination with the USAID/Yemen administrative assistant.

EDUCATION, REQUIREMENTS, AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

•  We are looking for experienced personnel to hire for short-term or long-term periods in the US or MENA region.  Some positions are on-site, and others are remote.
• Must currently hold or be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level clearance.
  
• The incumbent must be willing and able to travel to the MENA region as needed for his/her position. Professional experience working in the MENA region or demonstrated ability to quickly grasp and learn a new region. Possess a thorough knowledge and understanding of professional accounting principles, theories, practices, and terminology, as well as the principles and accepted practices of USG financial accounting, budgeting, and reporting.
• The selected candidate for this position will demonstrate clear evidence of knowledge of relevant technical skillsets with a financial background and regional areas.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Master’s Degree with a total of seven or more years of work experience; or a bachelor’s degree with a total of nine or more years of work experience in a related field.
• Five years of experience with a non-governmental organization, an international assistance organization, a contractor, an international organization (IO), or a U.S. Government entity on issues related to: stabilization; donor coordination; development; mediation/arbitration; conflict resolution; democracy and governance; political transition; international law; human rights activities; preventing/countering violent extremism; disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR); security sector reform (SSR); peace and political processes; political analysis; or another related field.
• Two years of overseas field experience (in person or virtual). A virtual temporary duty (TDY) is defined as work that would have been conducted in an overseas location if not for the global COVID pandemic.
• Demonstrated experience working constructively with high-level officials, donors, or political leaders.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including message development, advocacy, diplomatic communications, developing and delivering presentations/briefings, report-writing, and analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship and partnership building required.
• Experience working on issues related to Yemen is required; and
• Must currently hold or be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level clearance.

Language Proficiency:

•  Fluent English (Level IV) reading, speaking, and writing ability is required.  Arabic language skills is preferred and French Languages would be an added asset.