BACKGROUND:
Launched in 2013, Power Africa is a Presidential initiative that focuses on bridging the gap between Africa’s power shortage and its economic potential by working with other U.S. Government agencies, African Governments, NGOs, and the private sector to take the steps needed to substantially expand power generation, transmission and access in sub-Saharan Africa. The U.S. Government-wide initiative is charged with adding more than 30,000 megawatts (MWs) of electricity generation capacity and bringing electricity to 60 million homes and businesses on the continent by 2030. Power Africa is coordinated by USAID, where it sits within the Agency’s Africa Bureau, and accomplishes its objectives through promoting investment in energy projects, leveraging public and private sector financing facilities, strengthening capacity, improving management, providing critical technical assistance and supporting necessary policy and regulatory reform efforts.
Power Africa’s Interagency (IA) team manages partnerships with the 12 USG Departments and Agencies (D/A) that constitute the USG foundation of the Power Africa initiative.
Primary Interagency Partners include: Export-Import Bank of the United States; Millennium Challenge Corporation; U.S. African Development Foundation; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Commerce; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Department of Treasury; U.S. International Development Finance Corporation; U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Each D/A supports the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa via engagements with partner countries, and the public and private sector institutions and organizations that work to advance electrification projects. Partner D/As leverage their financing, technical assistance, and policy reform tools to help achieve joint power sector objectives. The IA team is responsible for initiating and coordinating the development of these partnerships and operationalizing partnership Interagency Agreements (IAAs) in support of common Power Africa goals. The team also works closely with Power Africa Coordinator’s Office, comprising Front Office technical, program and communications teams in Washington and Pretoria, and other USAID Bureaus.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Interagency Specialist will assist in management of relationships with a key set of USG partners as a member of the Interagency team and regularly interface with Power Africa technical colleagues, who function as technical relationship managers and liaisons for the individual D/As . The Interagency Specialist will regularly interface with working and senior-level USG partner representatives, private sector stakeholders, and USAID leadership. This position requires a sophisticated level of diplomatic expertise in dealing with U.S. government and foreign government counterpart interlocutors. The Interagency Specialist, under the supervision of the AFR/PA Partnerships Office Director, IA Team Lead, or their designees, will also work with colleagues across the Power Africa Partnerships Office. The Interagency Specialist will be expected to perform a variety of duties ranging from routine tasks such as scheduling meetings, drafting briefers, arranging travel and maintaining program files, to more complex tasks such as researching, compiling and analyzing information for various programs and designing and maintaining data in Power Africa and USAID information systems. The Interagency Specialist will be required to rank and manage tasks in order of importance and impending deadlines, and handles several tasks seamlessly and simultaneously. The individual must possess a working knowledge of USAID policies and guidelines, as well as corporate practices and procedures.
NOTE: The incumbent will not perform other inherently governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Office or Mission.
Specifically they will:
Assist management of key relationships with interagency partners including international financial institutions and development organizations;
Support coordination efforts with Power Africa IA stakeholders to include IAA drafting and execution, high-level meetings, deep-dives and coordination sessions.
Provide strategic and programmatic leadership support to the Power Africa Coordinator’s Office technical teams, USAID Missions, and US Embassies.
Manage the reporting, updating and maintenance of IA information and tools, including leading regular data collection and verification exercises with partners and awardees.
Coordination & Engagement 70%
Support negotiations and management of Power Africa partnerships with critical IA partners with Technical Relationship Managers from across the Power Africa Coordinator’s office and within the Interagency team.
Develop and execute IAAs that detail activities, timelines, and benchmarks for individual partnerships.
Support partners to integrate their data and utilize/benefit from Power Africa’s Tracking Tool, an online database of generation, transmission, and distribution projects.
Research opportunities with partners to understand their evolving priorities, current deployment of technical resources, and inform partners’ approach.
Contribute to monthly reports to track progress across partnerships and coordinate IA participation in Power Africa’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning plan.
Support the convening of events and meetings with IA partners, including agenda drafting, logistics, follow-up, etc. This could include meetings specific to Power Africa’s on- and off-grid connections strategy as well as regularly occurring Power Africa Working Group (PAWG) meetings of the full interagencies. International travel to support these key meetings may be required.
Supporting efforts to align policy agendas among IA partners in specific countries where activities are planned or ongoing.
Draft briefers, fact sheets, website content, and other written materials to support strategic communications around Power Africa’s partners.
Strategic and Programmatic Leadership 20%
Provide strategic guidance on relationship management to Power Africa’s senior management.
Support the continuous implementation of the Interagency Team strategy and priorities, including proposing adjustments to team goals and approaches as needs arise.
Identify opportunities to add value to Power Africa’s IA partnerships; clarify, and communicate the synergies and additive value derived from Power Africa IA coordination to both internal and external audiences and ensure Power Africa delivers this value to its stakeholders.
Identify internal and external programmatic challenges; develop options to address them and recommend solutions.
Provide strategic guidance and support to technical office directors and team leads to promote and advance IA partners’ commitments and promote their priorities within Power Africa.
Other Duties 10%
Respond flexibly and capably to a wide range of work-related requirements such as: 1) inquiries from the White House, USG departments/agencies, US Congress and the public; 2) ad hoc assignments as dictated by unforeseen requirements at the discretion of the Team Lead Director, Deputy Coordinators, and/or Coordinator or his/her designee.
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS, EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Required:
Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five (5) years of related professional experience OR a Master’s degree and a minimum of two (2).
Mastery of a wide range of methods for the assessment and improvement of complex programs, processes and systems;
Skills to plan, organize, and implement programs, plans, and proposals involving substantial agency resources, or that require extensive changes in established procedures. The ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
The ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to reports and financial tracking systems.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment in an active office.
Ability to work seamlessly across in-person and virtual workspaces.
Proficiency in the use of Google Workspace, the Microsoft Office Suite and enterprise systems applications is required; experience in the use of database applications is recommended.
U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain a Secret security clearance.
Preferred:
Strong oral, written, and general communications skills combined with the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals.
The ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
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Jefferson Consulting Group is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, genetic data, veteran status, or any category protected by law.
Jefferson Consulting Group is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, JCG will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the Human Resources Department at (202) 626-8550 via email: HR@jeffersonconsulting.com
