Project Management Specialist Job at United States US Embassy Uganda

Job Title:         Project Management Specialist (Budget)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Salary: UGX 102,802,449-UGX 150,709,572 per annum

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years.  Ambassador Deborah R. Malac currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda.  The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Peace Corps

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

Financial Management (40% of time) With limited supervision, the incumbent will provide programmatic and administrative leadership in structuring, updating and overseeing the entire EG Office financial portfolio of $490 million in multi-year funding, which is becoming increasingly complex in terms of nature of funding sources. The incumbent is responsible for monitoring funds for activities including infrastructure, government to government, energy, climate change, biodiversity, agriculture, and Food for Peace.

• Works with Economic Growth Director, Deputy Director and Unit Leaders and counterparts in the offices of Financial Management (OFM) Program & Policy Development (PPD) to construct EG program budgets by program area and element level and by congressional earmarks for planning purposes;
• Assists Unit Leaders and other team members in providing an understanding of financial data and analysis for quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports;
• Prepares monthly pipeline reports and spend plans and reviews with EG leadership to update planning figures, and presents financials to EG Office and USAID/Uganda Mission leadership;
• Receives quarterly financial pipeline data from OFM, reviews activities with activity managers and team leaders, provides pipeline analysis to EG leadership for quarterly mission pipeline and procurement plan reviews;
• Works hand-in-hand with the PPD to prepare the EG Congressional Budget Justification, Performance Plan Report, annual obligations by program area, documentation for obligation into development objective agreements, amendments/modifications, and on preparing the field support budget for USAID/Washington;
• Tracks EG funds in all development objective agreements;
• Negotiates joint program funding with other Mission technical offices, and tracks the funding for reporting and to assist EG and the other technical offices with strategic decision-making regarding sub-obligation of funds;
• Advises the EG Office on the strategic use of Program, Development and Learning (PD&L) funds managed by PPD; and
• Leads financial management capacity building within EG, training Support Unit staff to manage financial aspects of program management, and Unit Leaders and Contracting/Agreement Officer Representatives (C/AORs) to improve financial management of activities.

Procurement Support (30% of Time): The incumbent will provide programmatic and administrative oversight to procurement actions.

• Works closely with activity managers to provide financial data for preparation of documentation on sub-obligations into specific implementing partner instruments and other mechanisms of a general and overall nature through GLAAS, Implementation Letters, and other mechanisms;
• Actively participates in the clearance process of GLAAS requests and other documents by reviewing and clearing off on the documents before they go to the Director or Deputy Director;
• Works with activity managers, unit leaders and OAA representatives to update the EG Procurement Plan, leads weekly procurement plan reviews with EG and OAA, prepares the office for monthly front office technical meetings, and quarterly portfolio reviews;
• Participates in program/pipeline/procurement Mission review, responding to EG budget-related procurement issues.

Program Management (20% of Time) The incumbent directly manages, as A/COR, implementing instruments and partners, providing technical support and direction.

• Foster collaboration, participation, and agreement among implementing partners and USAID staff in the implementation and monitoring of EG activities. Responsible for providing strategic advice to implementing partners to ensure adherence to USAID/Uganda’s strategy and relevant U.S. Government policies.
• Review, critique and approve project planning, implementation and monitoring documents including work plans, quarterly and annual reports, and project management plans.
• Monitor activity spending; review and respond to quarterly accruals and pipeline analysis.
• Take a field-based approach to monitoring implementation to ensure the accuracy of their reporting and progress toward meeting project goals. Work closely with other units within EG and with other offices to support joint field visits that inform integrated approaches.
• Ensure compliance with USAID regulations in all aspects of project implementation.

Supervision and Mentorship (10%) The incumbent serves as Acting Support Unit Leader when the Deputy Director is serving as Acting Director and when the Deputy Director is in travel or leave status. The incumbent serves as mentor to the Support Unit Project Management Assistants (PMAs), training and assisting them in their programmatic and financial support to the EG units. The incumbent conducts capacity building training for all EG staff on financial and procurement management

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE:  All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

• The applicants for the US Embassy Project Management Specialist (Budget) job opportunity should hold a Bachelors’ degree in Financial Management, Business Administration, and Accounting, Social Sciences or related field is required.
• A minimum of three years of progressively responsible work in financial management, budgeting, accounting, business administration, in addition to one year of program management, project development, social economic or related field is required.
• Prior experience working with international donor organizations or donor-funded projects in budgeting, financial management or related work is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of accounting and budgeting practices and procedures is required.
• Knowledge of program management, including design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation is required.
• Knowledge of international accounting systems is desirable.
• Knowledge of applicable earmark requirements is desirable.
• Strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated experience and ability to work in teams, clear concise writing skills, ability to meet tight deadlines, and logical analysis, accuracy and clear presentation skills.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with a range of counterparts at all levels including those from host country government, NGOs, other donors and rural resource users.
• Computer literacy in word processing using Microsoft, and complex spreadsheets.
• Demonstrated experience in the preparation and presentation of complex reports and analyses.
• Self-directed with demonstrated ability to perform with minimal supervision.
• Language Proficiency:Level IV (fluent) in English is required with excellent speaking and writing skills.

 

How to Apply:

All those interested in working with the US mission in Kampala should send their applications and strictly adhere to the following:

• A signed DS-174 Employment Application for Locally Employed Staff or Family Member, Click Here
• Cover letter clearly indicating the position for which you are applying and describing how you meet the minimum requirements
• A Curriculum Vitae/Resume
• Copies of Academic Transcripts
• Names, contact numbers, and e-mail addresses of three (3) professional references. At least one of the references must be a prior or current direct supervisor.

Submit Application To:

Human Resources Office

By email at KampalaHR@state.gov

NB: Your application will be reviewed if you have fulfilled all the requirements including submission of standard file types such as Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) in a single attachment (No Zipped files, Links or Multiple Attachments) and should not exceed 10MB. Please clearly indicate the position number and title you are applying for on the DS-174 form.

Deadline: 26^th October 2018