Tunisia: Senior Regional Advisor

Macfadden/PAE is seeking a Senior Regional Advisor to be based in the Middle East and work directly with USAID/OTI counterparts.. Extensive regional travel is expected, and the position may be based in Tunis, Tunisia, but final location is subject to change.

OTI has three active programs in the Middle East and North Africa region including Libya (since 2011), Syria (since 2012), and Iraq (since 2018). The Sr. Regional Advisor will assist OTI staff in supporting these three programs as well as provide independent analysis, advice, and reporting to OTI and OTI implementing partner(s) on programmatic, and political and security developments in countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Sr. Regional Advisor performs a wide range of strategic functions to assist OTI in ensuring program effectiveness and analyzing regional political and security trends. She or he will assist OTI in training and mentoring OTI country teams in the Middle East and North Africa Region, including OTI field staff and Implementing Partner staff on the OTI business model, procedures, and best practices. She or he will contribute to broader office policy and process discussions to promote state-of-the-art transition programming.

She or he places a premium on the building of positive relationships with his or her respective team both in the field and in Washington, and with key stakeholders both in and outside of USAID, including implementing partners. The Sr. Regional Advisor is able to prioritize and complete tasks without follow-up by the Macfadden/PAE supervisor or the OTI Middle East Regional Team Leader or his or her designee. The Sr. Regional Advisor is a strategic thinker, articulates innovative ideas, presents recommendations for solutions to OTI, and is a positive role model for colleagues both in and outside of OTI.

The Sr. Regional Advisor will not directly supervise or direct OTI or implementing partner staff and does not have decision making authority to provide formal technical direction to OTI staff or implementing partners that impacts program effectiveness or resource management. Instead, he or she will provide independent analysis, advice, and reporting to decision makers working on OTI’s country programs in the region and on the Middle East Regional team in Washington to assist OTI staff in making informed decisions on programmatic, political and security issues.

Through coordination with OTI’s Applied Best Practices and Coordination (ABC) team, the Sr. Regional Advisor will stay abreast of current thinking, policy determinations, lessons learned and best practices from other regions, while at the same time cultivating and sharing best practices found in the field. Through on-the-ground knowledge of OTI country programs, the Sr. Regional Advisor will contribute to the refinement of OTI’s learning and training strategy and materials for staff in country programs.

Under the guidance and instructions of the Washington-based DCHA/OTI Regional Team Leader for the Middle East (ME), the Sr. Regional Advisor will perform the following duties:

• Establish and maintain strong relations with key partners and stakeholders and convey OTI and broader USAID interests during meetings with USAID Mission and Bureau personnel, U.S. Embassy staff, interagency stakeholders, host-country government officials, international organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international donors, and others interested in OTI activities;
• Advise and assist the OTI Middle East team and Country Representatives on OTI strategic planning;
• Travel on temporary duty status (TDY) to current or potential OTI field locations in the Middle East, Europe, Tampa and Washington, D.C., and other locations as required (up to 50% time) to provide advice on OTI field programming, including traveling to countries undergoing conflict. Provide consultations and assessments on best practices and lessons learned to develop guidance and training materials. Travel will be required to attend regional conferences and strategy sessions. Provide readouts when practicable and appropriate to the OTI’s regional and Applied Best Practices and Coordination (ABC) teams;
• Monitor regional developments related to OTI’s mission and mandate. Provide ongoing analysis and regular reporting to the Middle East Team Leader on current political developments, security concerns and other pertinent information from the region for informed decision-making;
• Assist OTI in conducting assessments for possible new country start-ups, and provide independent analysis and advice to inform OTI’s decision whether to engage in new countries. However, formal decisions to start new country programs rest with the OTI Director;
• Serve as OTI’s regional expert for new country start-ups, strategic analysis and assist OTI with dialogue with senior U.S. Government officials and representatives throughout the region;
• Assist OTI in ensuring effective and well-managed OTI country programs by performing independent analysis of program operations, and helping to mentor, train, and provide independent advice, not direction, to the OTI Country Representative, Deputy Country Representative, and other members of in-country Senior Management Teams (including implementing partner staff where appropriate) on OTI’s business model, programming methodology, applicable historical references, observed personal and corporate lessons. Advise at strategic, programmatic and activity levels to ensure the overall success of OTI programs in the region;
• Provide advice to the OTI Middle East Team Leader and assist the Team Leader with making decisions that affect the direction and implementation of country programs, and provide independent and 360 feedback on performance of in-country staff. Assist the Team Leader and relevant country teams so they can devise strategies and make decisions to improve OTI program effectiveness;
• Actively support learning and training across the OTI Middle East portfolio and in OTI by linking, contributing to, and refining observed lessons and best practices from the field, program, and personnel requirements to the main body of OTI knowledge through the ABC team;
• Provide support (as needed) for the design and execution of U.S. Embassy or USAID Mission programs that follow OTI’s quick-impact programming model. If required, such support to embassies and USAID Missions will include attendance and/or facilitation of program management processes for follow-on programming including rolling assessments, strategy review sessions, program performance reviews, and management reviews;
• Perform all other necessary duties determined by the Macfadden/PAE PM to ensure successful USAID/OTI program implementation.

Living Conditions and Travel Expectations:

The position will be based in in the Middle East (Likely in Tunis, Tunisia). However, the advisor will not have a designated office location and will primarily be expected to work from home with occasional access to US Embassies for meetings, as required. However, the position also requires travel throughout the region, including to countries experiencing conflict, in an environment with harsh and dangerous working and living conditions, which may require additional safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to extreme and austere desert-like environment. Employees must be willing and able to perform regular job requirements in this austere, extreme environment. The Sr. Regional Advisor is expected to be able to travel in support of OTI country programs up to 50% of the time per annum.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree with 15 years of relevant work experience, or Master’s degree with 12 years of experience.

Additional Experience Required:

• Six years of project management experience, preferably in the Middle East/North Africa Region, including project design with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, organizational development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, and/or human rights activities;
• Two years of overseas field experience working in one or more developing countries undergoing political transition, preferably in the Middle East / North Africa region;
• Two years of supervisory experience;
• One year of experience working with political transition or stabilization programs implemented through a grants-under-contract mechanism with a U.S. Government foreign assistance bureaucracy;
• Arabic language skills preferred;
• Be able to qualify for government-sponsored security clearance.

Skills:

This assignment requires experience in stabilization environments, demonstrated civ/mil experience, strong political and conflict analysis capacity, excellent managerial and communication skills, an ability to perform in a complex and highly sensitive political environment, experience in policy formulation and negotiation at the highest levels (government and non-government organizations), and a strong interest in assisting countries in transition. The candidate must be mature, self-reliant, a team player, a problem-solver, and able to manage a high volume of travel. The Sr. Regional Advisor should have project management experience in a stabilization environment and understand the basics of grantee and contractor/donor relationships. The candidate should be able to communicate effectively with local government counterparts, grassroots organizations and their constituencies, USG agencies, including the military, and other international organizations. Since work may require continued changes in program direction and implementation, including frequent coordination, the individual will be someone who is highly flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change.

Familiarity with a wide range of issues is necessary, including community development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy/governance and human rights. Knowledge and understanding of the region is also required. Prior work experience with USG agencies or managing programs in conflict environments is preferred. The successful candidate will possess excellent political analysis and reporting skills and the ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, responsibility and authority in a highly stressful environment while exercising sound judgment in politically charged and challenging security environments.

Physical Requirements

Employees must be willing and able to perform physical activities including, but not limited to, climbing in and out of armored vehicles and working outdoors. This includes being able to lift and carry 40 pounds of personal protective equipment for extended periods of time and being capable of running and ‘duck & cover’ during emergencies without putting oneself or others at risk.

This position description reflects Macfadden/PAE’s assignment of essential functions; nothing in this job description restricts the Company’s latitude to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

PAE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, national origin, age, United States military veteran’s status, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, medical condition including genetic characteristics or information, veteran status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.

Senior Regional Advisor