The U.S. Mission in Accra, Ghana is seeking a highly motivated and qualified individual for the position of Regional Environment Compliance Advisor (ECA) in the Regional Environment Office, of USAID/West Africa. The Regional ECA reports to Regional Environmental Advisor (REA) and is held to very high professional standards with the principal responsibility of ensuring effective environmental compliance for USAID projects throughout West Africa. The incumbent will serve as an expert on environmental compliance and will be responsible for creating effective working relationships with USAID Mission Environmental Officers in all of the region’s Missions and Country Offices.

BASIC FUNCTION

•   The role of the Regional Environmental Compliance Advisor (ECA) is to work with the Regional Environmental Advisors (REA) to help ensure that USAID funded activities carried out in the fourteen non presence countries and by the seven USAID bilateral missions are in compliance with USAID’s environmental regulation and to ensure effective design and implementation of USAID funded regional environment and natural resource management and water activities in the West Africa region. The Regional ECA will serve as a principal advisor and when necessary, trainer/teacher, to the seven USAID Missions and USAID/WA (including staff in non-presence countries) and its partners on matters relating to environmental regulations, procedures, and policies of USAID, United States Government, host countries, and applicable international conventions.

•   The Regional ECA’s principal responsibility is ensuring effective environmental compliance for USAID projects throughout West Africa. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as a senior Foreign Service National (FSN) advisor for environmental compliance within USAID/West Africa. In consultation with the REA, the incumbent will advise USAID/West Africa and other Missions to develop and/or revise Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs), Environmental Monitoring and Management Plans (EMMPs), Environmental Review Forms (ERFs), and Environmental Assessments (EA) on a wide range of technical activities such as Health, HIV AIDS Prevention, Reproductive Health, Family Planning, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation, Education, Democracy and Governance, Trade and Investment, Infrastructure Development, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Biodiversity Conservation, Global Climate Change, and other complex issues related to international development.

•   The incumbent for this position serves as an expert on environmental compliance and is responsible for creating effective working relationships with USAID Mission Environmental Officers (MEOs) and Deputy MEOs in all of the region’s Missions and Country Offices, with the other Regional Environmental Advisors in Africa, and with USAID Washington Bureau Environmental Offices (BEOs) for Africa Bureau (AFR/SD), Global Health Bureau (GH), the Economic Growth, Environment and Education (E3) Bureau, the Bureau for Food Security (BFS), and the Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) Bureau. As a senior FSN advisor in environmental compliance, the incumbent plays a critical role in the successful implementation and oversight of the USAID/West Africa’s environmental compliance efforts by providing ongoing guidance, advice, and support.

•   The Regional ECA reports to Regional Environmental Advisor and is held to very high professional standards. The incumbent may serve as team member in each of USAID/West Africa’s Development Objective (DO) Technical Teams to assure environmental compliance and informs planning and implementation of strategic objectives and development projects.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES % OF TIME

A. Technical Support for Environmental Compliance 45%

•   Serve as a key regional technical and analytical "focal point" for USAID’s environmental compliance procedures and requirements, including providing timely feedback to USAID/West Africa and other USAID operating units in the region on environmental compliance documentation requiring BEO and Mission Director approval. The Regional ECA will have primary responsibility in the review of environmental compliance documentation for USAID Missions and Embassies in West Africa and their submission to the REA for approval. The incumbent works with USAID Mission Environmental Officers (MEO) and Development Objective (DO) teams in West Africa to ensure that USAID funded activities implemented by bilateral and regional USAID missions and their partners conform to USAID environmental regulations, environmental procedures, and related environmental guidance and provisions of US law.
•   Maintain collaborative and team working relationships with USAID field officers in both presence and non-presence countries in West Africa and with USAID/Washington to promote Agency environmental compliance objectives and environmentally sound design and management principles.
•   Assist USAID/West Africa staff and colleagues in other USAID operating units in preparing environmental reviews, IEEs, EA scoping documents, and in obtaining Africa Bureau approvals as well as developing mission orders and appointment letters concerning environmental compliance.
•   Provide expert technical assistance, training, and leadership at the highest levels to USAID/West Africa, bilateral USAID missions, and host country partners within the region, and periodically from other parts of Africa, regarding environmental compliance best practices.
•   Serve as a resource to USAID Bureaus, Missions, Offices and staff in planning and finalizing procurements with the aim of ensuring that environmental awareness and considerations are taken into account to promote better project sustainability.
•   Provide USAID liaison at the highest levels with governmental and non-governmental development partners, stakeholders, clients, and customers concerning environmental compliance approaches, best practices, and within the West Africa region.
•   Provide briefings to visitors to USAID/West Africa on the status of USAID environmental compliance activities in the region. Organize public outreach and representational events, including helping to represent USAID in interaction with congressional delegations (CODELs), other higher level delegations, other donors, representatives of local business community and civil society as needed.
•   Represent USAID/West Africa at meetings, workshops and conferences organized by various organizations, including other donors and international organizations. As required, the Regional ECA will prepare and deliver presentations relating to environmental compliance at these venues. In addition, the Regional ECA will serve as a member of the USAID Africa Bureau Environmental Officer Team, which reviews internal procedures, training and education materials, preparing and conducting training workshops, assessing programmatic issues and other tasks related to the position. The incumbent is expected to assist with the formulation of guidance and help interpret policy, regarding USAID’s environmental procedures as applied to regional and bilateral USAID programming across sectors.
•   Work collaboratively with technical teams in USAID/West Africa to prepare reports on the status of the Mission’s projects in terms of adhering to environmental compliance requirements of the USG
•   Travel to USAID Missions and non-presence countries to assess bilaterally funded activities for compliance with environmental requirements of USAID and the US Government.
•   Prepare reports related to overall Environmental Compliance that may be required as part of USAID/West Africa’s annual reporting and/or strategy preparation as well as respond to inquiries from the Mission Front Office, other Missions within the West Africa region, Embassies, USAID/Washington, US Congress, other USG stakeholders on environmental compliance.
•   Organize public outreach and representational events, including helping to represent USAID in interaction with CODELs, other higher level delegations, other donors, representatives of local business community and civil society.

B. Program Planning and Management 35%

•   Oversee and manage an inter-agency agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and an agreement with a regional water and sanitation organization of $1M USD annually. Manage up to $300,000 in small scale procurements to conduct environmental analyses and training.
•   Prepare activity approval and pre-obligation documentation as part of the activity development process for the interagency agreement.
•   Provide administration and oversight for programmatic interventions, including monitoring activities through site visits and the review of work plans and progress reports; ensuring compliance with USAID’s ‘Environmental Procedures’ and environmentally sound design (ESD); and tracking expenditures and accruals against obligations.
•   Make recommendations to implementing partners to increase project impact and enhance sustainability and monitor project results.
•   Draft official USAID documents required for reporting on the status of activities, such as the Annual Operational Plans, Performance Plan and Review, action memoranda, and procurement documents.
•   Document developmental impacts and resolve any implementation issues in an efficient and professional manner, including preparing subject matter documentation for and participating in strategic planning sessions and portfolio reviews, annual reports, environmental compliance reports, Congressional Budget Justifications and other reporting documentation.

C. Monitoring and Training 10%

•   Provide day-to-day mentoring for the Mission’s Environmental Compliance Specialist to develop his/her environmental compliance capabilities and overall professional skills and also to groom them to take on greater responsibilities over time. This will include the development of work objectives and regular performance reviews to provide the employee with regular work performance feedback and recommendations.
•   Identify, develop, promote, and conduct training activities that address key technical, programmatic and policy requirements and that increase the technical competence of personnel and implementing partners in both environmental compliance and environmentally sound design and management principles. The target audience for these training activities will be USAID Mission staff in USAID/West Africa and other Missions, implementing partner institutions, and host-country government counterparts in the region.
•   Provide technical backstopping and on-the-job training to USAID/West Africa representatives as they develop environmental compliance documentation for their respective projects.

D. Knowledge Management 10%

•   Collect and serve as a source of information on USAID environment compliance documentation in the West Africa region. As appropriate, disseminate these and other relevant findings within USAID, to host country government colleagues in West Africa, and with other relevant partners.
•   Attend relevant workshops and meetings concerning environmental compliance in order to keep colleagues working at USAID/West Africa and with other USAID operating units in the region aware of the latest guidance and best practices in environmental compliance.
•   Document success stories in improving environmental adaptation and mitigation responses in USAID/West Africa and collaborate closely with the Mission’s Development Outreach and Communication Officer in disseminating them to a wider audience.
•   Prepare an annual summary of the status of each USAID operating unit mission as it relates to satisfying USAID’s environmental compliance requirements and recommend, if warranted, follow-up actions as necessary.

Qualification Required & Experience

•   Education: Master’s degree with specialized course work in environmental engineering, policy, natural resource management, water management, waste management, forestry, conservation, or other fields applicable to environmental compliance is required.
•   Prior Work Experience: A minimum of seven years’ experience working with the USG and/or the environment sector in West Africa, environmental governance, and other environmental issues is required.
•   Language Proficiency: English Level IV (reading and writing) is required. Level II French is also required. Language proficiency will be tested.
•   Job Knowledge: The incumbent should have a thorough knowledge of U.S. environmental regulations. S/he should have an expert understanding of existing environmental guidelines for development activities. Incumbent should have acquired the skills to provide environmental compliance training to Offices and partners within West Africa.
•   Skills and Abilities: The incumbent should have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of technical and policy issues surrounding international development in Africa; as well as understanding of environmental regulations. Position requires developing an in-depth knowledge and understanding of USAID procedures, regulations, and policies.
The incumbent should demonstrate capacity to manage for results and implement policies and procedures in accordance with established regulations. The candidate must be able to obtain, analyze and evaluate complex material; prepare accurate, factual and analytical reports; and provide objective advice on appropriate courses of action. Complexity entails considerable scope in how to perform duties, which are inherently complex and involve overlapping tasks and shifting priorities. Ample problem solving capacity as well as ability for considerable analysis and judgment to find a solution is required. Excellent written communication skills are required to draft environmental compliance documentation. Demonstrated past experience in writing Environmental Status Reports (ESRs), IEEs, EAs is also required.
•   Good computer skills are highly required to maintain the Mission’s database on compliance and the preparation of the Mission’s annual report. Skills and ability for active planning are required to meet programming goals over both short-term and long-term time scales. Substantial innovation is required in performance of duties. Specifically, incumbent shall possess high level specialized technical ability within the disciplines of environmental compliance and sustainable development methodologies to plan for implement and evaluate potential adverse impacts on the environment and economic development.

Salary:

Current salary range: GH¢ 64,096.00 – GH¢ 96,139.00 p.a.
New salary range effective July, 26: GH¢84,110.00 – GH¢ 126,163.00 p.a.
(Depending on Qualification and experience).

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Interested individuals should submit cover letter, Curriculum Vitae with references and relevant certificates to:

Regional Executive Office
USAID/West Africa
P.O. Box 1630, Accra

Or by Email to:

acpersonnel@usaid.gov

Closing Date: 06 August, 2015

NOTE: When submitting your application via email, start the subject line with the position title (Acquisition Specialist)) Failure to state this and attach relevant certificates may disqualify applicant.

ALL U.S. AND NON-GHANAIAN CITIZENS, WHO ARE NOT FAMILY MEMBERS OF USG EMPLOYEES OFFICIALLY ASSIGNED TO POST AND UNDER CHIEF OF MISSION AUTHORITY, MUST ATTACH COPIES OF THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO THEIR APPLICATIONS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION. NO RELOCATION EXPENSES ARE PROVIDED TO THE JOB LOCATION: ACCRA, GHANA. IF TRANSPORTATION TO ACCRA IS REQUIRED, IT WILL BE THE EMPLOYEE’S RESPONSIBILITY.