USAID is seeking Foreign Service Engineering Officers who can support the design, implementation, and monitoring of its more than $3 billion of ongoing infrastructure activities through assignments around the world and in USAID’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
USAID offers the opportunity to address some of the greatest infrastructure challenges of our time to help reduce poverty and inequality, advance democracy around the world, and further USG foreign assistance goals. USAID supports various infrastructure projects, including the design, rehabilitation, and construction of energy, water, sanitation, and transportation infrastructure, as well as schools and health facilities in more than 60 countries. Through investments abroad, USAID builds local capacity to operate and maintain infrastructure, making countries more resilient to shocks and reducing the need for emergency humanitarian assistance.
These infrastructure projects, often overseen by the Agency’s Foreign Service Engineers, are guided by a mix of US based and local knowledge, regulations, best practices, and context to create systems that are easily utilized, operated, and maintained by the host country government and local experts.
This is a Foreign Service announcement. Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position. Successful candidates must be available to work in any country in the world where USAID has a presence.
Duties:
- Assist in the planning, analysis, implementation and evaluation of USAID engineering and infrastructure projects in support of the full range of foreign assistance objectives (governing justly and democratically, investing in people, economic growth, peace and stability, and humanitarian assistance).
- Manage U.S. Government resources, implementation teams, contractors and grantees to achieve specific program objectives and results consistent with overall U.S. domestic and international rules, regulations, policies and laws.
- Serve as a technical resource to foreign assistance activities involving the project design and implementation of infrastructure and other construction projects. Support engineering and infrastructure activities by researching, reviewing and analyzing data, providing assistance and advice on engineering and infrastructure issues.
- Assist in coordinating and managing strategies, policies, concepts, procedures, and guidelines for establishing infrastructure projects. Analyze technical constraints to engineering and infrastructure projects and recommend professional, sound courses of action.
- Coordinate program development, implementation and performance monitoring plans. Support contracting activities for architecture and engineering, construction management and construction services and monitor progress to ensure compliance with design and contract specifications, safety, and environmental standards.
- Coordinate assigned activities with other USAID Bureaus and Offices, the Department of State, other USG agencies, other Donors and governments, and the private sector.
- Perform a variety of duties related to special projects involving program issues that contain complex elements. Assist in managing special cross-cutting initiatives and task force groups to accomplish programmatic goals. These groups may review specific programs at the organization or develop new initiatives in various program areas.
- Provide technical guidance to several areas of emphasis within the overall portfolio, e.g. water and sanitation infrastructure, roads and transportation, energy, hospitals, clinics, schools, and other public facilities, housing, etc.
- Provide cost estimates and determine project feasibility. Supports project management activities, direction of construction, operations and maintenance activities at project sites.
- Assist in the preparation and presentation of engineering reports, such as bid requests, cost-benefit analyses, environmental impact statements, and feasibility studies.
- Serve as a technical resource in developing programs and operational plans for national, regional, and/or local service delivery objectives.
- Support policy reform efforts that include but are not limited to: operation and maintenance, utility management and administration, cost recovery and sector commercialization.
- Throughout a Foreign Service career, assumes positions that entail supervision of one or more staff and management of a team or office. Supports professional development of staff, conducts annual evaluation reviews , and addresses any conduct or performance issues.
- Act in a diplomatic, professional, persuasive, and respectable manner as a U.S. Government representative in formal and informal settings.
Foreign Service Officers generally spend the majority of their career assigned to the Agency’s overseas Missions and work in assigned developing countries with a variety of challenges (conflict, political transition, lack of reliable infrastructure, etc).