Base of Operation: Luanda, Angola.
Background: The USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub) is a six-year trade and investment program working throughout Southern Africa in its fifth year of implementation. The USAID TradeHub is establishing a presence in Angola to work with the U.S. Embassy, local government partners, and the private sector to achieve the following objectives:
- Increased exports to South Africa from Angola.
- Increased investment (capital and technology) out of South Africa to Angola.
- Sustainable utilization of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) preference program by Angolan firms.
Objectives and Duties: The USAID TradeHub Country Representative (CR) for Angola will report directly to the Portfolio Manager. The CR will manage the USAID TradeHub’s portfolio of activities in Angola and facilitate coordination and collaboration with the USAID Country Representative and other private sector development initiatives in Angola, government partners, private sector partners and civil society organizations, to implement USAID TradeHub activities in the host country. Implementation will be based on the approved USAID TradeHub Country Implementation Plan, and the CR will serve as the USAID TradeHub Point of Contact in Angola.
The CR will have three principal roles in-country: (a) representation and high-level liaison, (b) portfolio identification, development, and oversight, and (c) technical delivery and project team leadership. The CR shall also conduct the following tasks:
- Provide input for conceptualization, development, planning, coordination and implementation of Hub activities in-country;
- Develop relationships with key local stakeholders (private sector, public, donor / development agencies, in country U.S. Government agencies, etc.) to build and nurture country-level partnerships, solicit interest, obtain buy-ins, and mobilize resources, as appropriate;
- Monitor progress of activities against the approved workplan, flagging delays or challenges with suggested resolutions to the USAID TradeHub Chief of Party as well as the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team;
- Act as senior interlocutor between the project and key stakeholders, including USAID Southern AfricaRegional Economic Growth Office (REGO), USAID Angola Country Representative, government ministries private sector organizations and firms;
- Actively communicate with stakeholders across USAID TradeHub interventions to ensure their needs and accomplishments are widely known and understood;
- Convene and manage the private-public working partnerships;
- Manage and coordinate schedules and work of USAID TradeHub staff and consultants on short term assignments;
- Ensure that all USAID TradeHub activities are closely coordinated with the USAID Angola Country Representative, including drafts of all technical reports and other deliverables, such as separate work plans and discrete reports, and ensure they are shared with the USAID Angola Country Representative for review and comment;
- Coordinate any deployment of human resources for the program utilizing short term technical assistance (STTA) with USAID Mission in Angola;
- Monitor and report on the status of all donor and government activities related to trade in country;
- Responsible for overall risk management in host country, which includes identifying, monitoring, and reporting political / implementation / security etc. risks in accordance with the USAID TradeHub’s risk management procedures and USAID standards;
- Coordinate capacity building efforts with relevant partner organizations, and support stakeholder consultations and trainings;
- Provide input to annual work plans, weekly reports, quarterly and annual reports, success stories, briefs, and any other communication needs requested by the project, within the prescribed timeline; and
- Produce at least one weekly highlight report on a successful USAID TradeHub activity in Angola.
Skills and Qualifications:
The candidate must meet the following requirements:
- Master’s degree in economics, business administration, public policy, international trade, trade law/policy, political economy, or related area, with international experience preferred;
- Ten years of experience working in economic growth programming with a focus on trade and investment, trade facilitation, agribusiness, or related field;
- Management or economic development consulting experience across various sectors;
- Demonstrated experience in conceptualizing, negotiating and closing trade or investment deals;
- Experience working with USAID, governments, and donor agencies;
- Demonstrated experience working with a range of clients and counterparts, including donor agencies, private sector partners, and multilateral organizations, to implement trade facilitation-focused activities and procedures;
- A strong private sector network in the priority sectors for the country;
- Demonstrated experience in developing implementation strategy and workplan management
- Previous experience working on international development projects with a preference for running or starting up USAID projects in the field;
- Ability to organize, present, and disseminate information, and to draft clear and concise documents with minimal supervision;
- Demonstrated experience to anticipate challenges and resolve conflicts amongst stakeholders;
- Previous experience working in Angola;
- Current knowledge of the Angola economy and have existing networks and contacts in Angola;
- Excellent English and Portuguese speaking and writing skills; and
- Ability to use the latest ICT technology and computer software programs.
Supervisory Responsibilities: The USAID TradeHub CR for Angola will supervise a Country Program Assistant and short-term consultants.
Reporting: The CR will report to the Portfolio Manager.
Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested candidates should submit their CV to [email protected] before May 28, 2021. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.