Foreign Service Humanitarian Assistance Officer

Duties
This is a Foreign Service Announcement. Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position.
We operate in five regions of the world: Africa; Asia; the Middle East; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Europe and Eurasia. The Agency also leads and coordinates the U.S. government's humanitarian assistance efforts overseas.
USAID responded to 74 disasters in 64 countries in Fiscal Year 2022, ensuring that aid reached people affected by natural disasters and slow-onset crises such as droughts and conflicts. The myriad of contexts in which USAID is currently responding - reflect the increasingly complex and multifaceted nature of humanitarian emergencies today - includes unprecedented global food insecurity in Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar, and Northern Nigeria; intractable complex emergencies in Ukraine, Syria, Bangladesh/Burma, and Venezuela/neighboring countries; and the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey. We also continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and support the USG's overseas COVID-19 response.
The establishment of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) in 2020 united the staffing, expertise and financial resources of USAID's offices of Food for Peace (FFP) and U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and enabled the creation in 2021 of a new Humanitarian Assistance professional job code (BS 70) for the Foreign Service. In so doing, USAID strengthened its ability to respond to the magnitude, complexity, and protracted nature of today's emergencies as well as to capitalize on opportunities to link humanitarian, resilience, development, and peace-building work.
BHA's dedicated professionals, working in Washington, DC and in many overseas missions and embassies, lead USG humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of, and bolster resilience of most vulnerable populations in times of crisis and help to build the continuum to long-term development outcomes through early recovery and risk reduction programs. Aligned with this goal, USAID is undertaking a recruitment effort as outlined in this solicitation to hire BS 70 Humanitarian Assistance Officers at the FS-04/05 levels.
Successful candidates must be available to work in any country in the world where USAID has a presence. Here is the link to the current list of countries.
Duties Include But Are Not Limited
Whether in a leadership role, or under the direction of other members of USAID, and regardless of foreign or domestic assignment, FSOs working in BS-70 have the following major duties:
Technical Support: Serve as a technical resource for foreign assistance activities in the areas of humanitarian response and food assistance, identifying needs and appropriate response options for disaster situations and opportunities to integrate BHA efforts with those of other operating units in the Agency.
Assessment: Support activity design and implementation, strategy development and situation analysis within the sector by researching, reviewing and analyzing data and making recommendations on the basis of evidence and analysis of political and humanitarian trends and contexts.
Strategy: Assist in developing, coordinating and managing country, regional and global strategies for BHA funding, advising on U.S. policy for humanitarian contexts and implementing concepts, procedures, and guidelines for establishing programs in the humanitarian response and food assistance sectors.
Program and Activity Management: Coordinate and/or participate in program development, implementation and performance monitoring. Coordinate assigned activities with other USAID Bureaus and Offices, the Department of State, other USG agencies, other donors, and the private sector.
Managing Grants, Contracts and Cooperative Agreements: Develop and manage financial instruments (Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, and Grants) with local, U.S. or international organizations providing assistance to beneficiaries requiring business skills to manage relationships with implementing partners and other Agency partners whether directly as an Agreement or Contracting Officer's Representative or as an Activity Manager..
Representation: Act as USG representative in formal and informal settings related to the position and as a member of the diplomatic community.
Leadership: Build, motivate and guide diverse teams in both steady-state and emergency response contexts to execute all the above activities.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• United States Citizenship is required.
• While USAID uses a bidding system for assignments, Foreign Service Officers must be willing and available to accept assignments to any country where USAID operates.
• Foreign Language Proficiency is not required to apply; has no effect on being selected for an interview. Applicants who demonstrate proficiency will have an opportunity to test for bonus points to be added to their interview score.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position.
• Relevant education and experience, see Qualifications below.
• Must be between 18 and 59 years old at time of application, unless the applicant is a Veteran, who may qualify for hiring up to age 65.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security clearance.
• To reach required tenured status, you must be able to achieve minimum proficiency levels in a USAID tenuring language.
• Drug Testing. These are Testing Designated Positions under the Agency's approved Drug Free WorkPlace Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.
• Class 1 Medical Clearance (no identifiable medical condition that would limit assignment). A medical clearance or waiver is required prior to being hired for this position verifying that the applicant is able to serve at any USAID overseas post.

Qualifications
Relevant experience must be in assessment, response implementation, monitoring and evaluation directly related to (domestic or international) disaster response, humanitarian assistance, food assistance, climate change adaptation, migration or conflict.
Relevant diverse experience: The applicant will need to demonstrate the diverse experience is relevant to the Humanitarian Assistance Officer's duties as stated in this announcement. The applicant should consider stating whether the experience required the learning or use of a foreign language; whether the experience resulted in the applicant encountering new and or different cultures and practices; and whether the applicant coordinated and engaged with external partners and local counterparts or conducted public outreach and communications."
Overseas and diverse working environment includes serving or working in an overseas context or in an economically disadvantaged domestic community (such as an inner city or Indian reservation) for the minimum number of years required, performing work directly related to the advertised Foreign Service Officer position, in which you experienced new cultures, learned foreign languages, encountered different cultures and practices, and/or coordinated and engaged with external partners and local counterparts; and must have been achieved by the close of the announcement date. The applicant will need to demonstrate this experience is relevant to the Humanitarian Assistance Officer's duties as stated in this announcement. The applicant should consider stating whether the experience required the learning or use of a foreign language; whether the experience resulted in the applicant encountering new and or different cultures and practices; and whether the applicant coordinated and engaged with external partners and local counterparts or conducted public outreach and communications."
Volunteer experience includes relevant unpaid as well as paid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience, that meets the criteria as defined under "relevant work experience".
CTAP/ICTAP candidates will be referred to the selecting official if they are found well qualified. Well-qualified means an eligible employee who possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum requirements of the position. A well-qualified employee must meet the qualification and eligibility requirements of the position, including any medical qualifications, suitability, and minimum education and experience requirements, meet all selective factors (where applicable); meet quality ranking factors and are assigned to the Silver Category or higher Category; be physically qualified with reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying U.S. OPM-approved conditions; AND be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry without additional training.
The following skills are critical for success as a Humanitarian Assistance Officer:
Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Writing: Expresses facts and ideas in writing in a clear, convincing and organized manner.Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills: Participates constructively in a team of diverse backgrounds and skill sets, working collaboratively towards achieving a common goal or to complete a task.
Cultural Competence - Demonstrates Cross Cultural Knowledge Or Skills.
Management: Ability to plan, coordinate and execute development and humanitarian projects, including human and financial resource allocation.
Problem Solving: Identifies problems; assesses accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and to make recommendations.
Leadership: Influences, motivates and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
Influencing/Negotiating: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions or to leverage funds and advocate for humanitarian principles.
Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, comprehends and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises other on technical issues.
Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions or unexpected obstacles; effectively deals with ambiguity.
IMPORTANT: If you are found to have rated your self assessment higher than the information in your on-line application, supporting documentation narratives, and/or any other relevant part of your application package, including attachments, this may eliminate you from the list of those referred for an interview.
Education
Relevant majors include international development studies, disaster management, migration studies, international relations, public administration or management, geographic area studies, or a social/behavioral science with a specialization related to climate change adaptation, disaster risk recovery, humanitarian crisis management, food and nutrition security, or other sectors and specialization relevant to humanitarian assistance.
FS 05: Applicant must have a Master's or Doctorate degree in a relevant functional area PLUS three (3) years of relevant experience WITH two (2) years of relevant diverse experience.
FS-04: Applicant must have a Master's or Doctorate degree in a relevant functional area PLUS four (4) years of relevant experience WITH three (3) year of relevant diverse experience
We will review your application package to ensure you meet the job and eligibility requirements including the education and experience required for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, you will be rated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the relevant education and experience you report and the degree to which you possess the required competencies listed on this vacancy announcement. A technical review panel of subject matter experts will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire to verify qualifications. USAID will invite candidates for an interview based on the competitiveness of the overall application package.
Additional Information
USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in the District of Columbia, we operate in more than 100 countries worldwide, playing an active and critical role in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy interests. When crisis strikes, when rights are repressed, when hunger, disease, and poverty rob people of opportunity, USAID acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. USAID employees and contractors must commit to maintaining a workplace free of sexual misconduct, including harassment, exploitation, and abuse, and adhere to USAID's Counter-Trafficking in Persons Code of Conduct. For information on the effort to counter all forms of human trafficking, including the procurement of commercial sex acts and the use of forced labor, visit http://www.state.gov/g/tip. For more information about USAID, visit http://www.usaid.gov.
USAID Foreign Service Officers generally spend the majority of their careers assigned to the Agency's overseas offices (known as "missions") in countries with a variety of challenges including low development status, political unrest, civil war and humanitarian crisis.
These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug-Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.
Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.
Moving and relocation expenses are authorized.
M ythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies: https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .
EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement .
Veterans' Information: Veterans Information .
Telework: https://www.telework.gov/ .
Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ .
It is the Government's policy not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. USAID will use information about an individual's employment experience only to determine their qualifications and assess their relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including behavior during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
USAID is committed to equal employment opportunity; therefore, reasonable accommodations are available to applicants and employees with disabilities. If you need an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Reasonable Accommodation Division in the Office of Civil Rights at [email protected]. Reasonable accommodation decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more about the Reasonable Accommodation Division, please visit our website at: https://www.usaid.gov/careers/reasonableaccommodations.