Peace Corps seeks individual candidates highly experienced in expert-level analysis and advice on agency-wide programs of national impact to serve as a Roving Senior Advisor (RSA).  The RSA is a personal services contractor (PSC) position which will require travel on extended assignments to support Peace Corps posts worldwide (in the Inter-America and the Pacific (IAP); Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia (EMA); and Africa (AF) Regions). 

The RSA will work in an overseas Peace Corps post to assist key leaders at post to plan and direct all aspects of the Peace Corps program, ensuring that the day-to-day operations create an environment for Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and staff to successfully perform their duties and responsibilities. The RSA is a senior Peace Corps representative in the country of assignment, including at times, in coordination with the Regional Director (RD) and Regional Chief of Operations (ChOps), to represent the Peace Corps to officials at the United States Embassy or host-country partner ministries/entities. The RSA will play a key role in country program planning and management, including the review and analysis of: past and future program requirements; country policies and procedures; program functions; evaluations of program goals and outcomes; and management and execution of safety and security programs at post.  The RSA will provide direction to post leadership on program management issues affecting PCVs and staff, including personal safety and security, cultural sensitivity for host country people, and other issues and elements for programs essential to the success of the PCVs. 

See attached Statement of Work for complete description of responsibilities.

With the applications received in response to this advertisement, Peace Corps may, at its discretion, fill one or more RSA PSC position(s) which may materialize within six (6) months following the closing date of this advertisement, or may decide not to fill any such PSC positions.  All PSC positions are subject to the availability of funds and continued need.

Working Conditions:
Flexible work schedule and frequent travel. This position requires travel 100% of the time on overseas assignments to support a post's country program needs, and therefore requires extreme flexibility and adaptability.  This is neither a remote position nor will telework be permitted beyond that permitted by the applicable Peace Corps policies/procedures regarding PSC telework at the post of assignment.  The RSA will be assigned to a post for all working days of their contract.  The PSC will not be assigned to work from the United States or at/from the Peace Corps post in a country where they are a citizen or permanent resident, if any.  

The anticipated personal services contract(s) will be for a one-year period with up to three (3) or four (4) option years, exercisable based on satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and continued need.  Depending on specific position requirements, certain contracts will be written as one of the following:

• Full-time:  Typically 260 work days authorized per contract year, a minimum of 40 hours of work per week
• Intermittent:  Full-time on an as-needed/intermittent basis (averaging a minimum of 8 hours per work day), with up to 195 work days authorized per contract year (which is subject to change at Peace Corps’ discretion each year).  No minimum number of work days authorized per contract year or work days per contract year actually worked are guaranteed. 

The RSA may be required to hold a duty phone and/or to respond to off-hour calls or attend off-hour meetings (i.e. nights, weekends, and holidays) related to their position.  The RSA is ineligible for additional pay or leave (e.g. paid leave, holiday pay, or overtime pay) for work performed off-hours (i.e. nights, weekends, and holidays) or for hours spent working beyond their minimum work schedule.

The selected applicant(s) must follow all health and safety guidelines (including COVID-19 protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand hygiene, submitting to temperature or other health checks/screenings and/or testing, following quarantine requirements, and following vaccination mandates, etc.) as specified by the position by the Peace Corps.

Compensation and Benefits:
Pre-tax compensation will be negotiated within the appropriate range for the position at the discretion of the Peace Corps Contracting Officer. Items of consideration may include salary history and experience. Benefits will be offered for this position in accordance with guidance provided by Peace Corps' Sub-Office of Acquisition and Contract Management. Although travel costs to/from the post(s) of assignment will be covered, relocation costs will not be covered by the Peace Corps.

Benefits may include the following, depending on full-time/intermittent status and for intermittent PSCs, the number of workdays authorized within a given contract period:

• Limited United States Embassy health unit access
• Health insurance premium partial reimbursement
• Housing or Lodging/Utilities (may be provided under a Travel Authorization (TA) with reduced meals and incidental expenses payments if the lodging includes a kitchen)

For Full-Time RSAs, note that:  Most individuals will not qualify as dependents, and when they do, reimbursement of dependent-related expenses and eligibility for Peace Corps-provided assistance to dependents (e.g. securing a visa for the country of assignment) under a full-time contract are very limited.

For Intermittent RSAs, note that:  No paid vacation/annual leave or sick leave will be included with the contract.  Any days not worked while under contract will be unpaid.  Also, no dependent expenses will be paid for by Peace Corps, nor assistance (e.g. securing a visa for the country of assignment) for dependents will be provided by Peace Corps.

Minimum Requirements:

An applicant will be considered to be minimally qualified if they submit a complete application by the deadline, and show evidence of having met the following criteria in their application materials:

• United States Citizenship
• Leadership – Minimum 4 years’ experience independently leading (strategic planning, communicating mission, setting goals, etc.) team(s) of at least 12 people in mission driven-organization(s).
• Administration – Minimum 4 years’ experience managing team(s) tasked with policy formulation/implementation, human resource management, financial management, budgeting, logistical/transportation support and/or facilities management.
• Budget Management – Minimum 1 year experience managing a budget of $1 Million USD or more.
• International Project Development and Management – Minimum of 4 years’ experience in project design, development, and implementation in an international setting or for an international organization.
• Intercultural Experience – Minimum of 2 years’ experience living and working in a culture other than one’s own.
• Communication and Representation – Minimum of 2 years’ experience working in senior-level role representing an organization to diverse and high-level officials and stakeholders.
• Writing and Speaking – Provides documented evidence of strong written and oral communication skills (e.g. lists articles or other written works they have authored, public presentations and/or in-person trainings they have given, etc.).
• Availability – Indicates availability and willingness to travel on a Roving basis to various Peace Corps overseas posts, often for extended periods of time, throughout the period of performance, at the direction of the Peace Corps.  Does not indicate any significant known limitations to their ability to fulfill this requirement.

Additional Pre-Contracting Requirements:

Applicants must indicate in their application materials that they know of no impediment to complying with the following pre-contracting requirements:

• Top Secret security clearance required.  The Contractor must complete the documentation and procedures required to obtain a Top Secret security clearance prior to award and to maintain it throughout the period of the contract.
• Worldwide Department of State medical clearance required.  The Contractor must complete the documentation and procedures required to obtain a Worldwide Department of State medical clearance prior to award and to maintain it throughout the period of the contract.
• Registration in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) required.  The Contractor must work to complete the documentation and procedures required to register in www.sam.gov prior to award and to maintain an active registration throughout the period of the contract.
• International health insurance coverage, which includes coverage for overseas hospitalization, is required.  The Contractor must obtain and/or provide proof of having international health insurance coverage (to include coverage for overseas hospitalization) prior to award and must maintain the coverage throughout the period of the contract.
• Payment in US dollars via electronic funds transfer (EFT) required.

Application Requirements: 
Interested applicants should submit the following materials together via e-mail to the Point of Contact and Secondary Point of Contact listed by the date and time specified in the position advertisement.  Please include the solicitation number 1145PC23R0016 in the e-mail subject line. 

• Signed Application Form (form attached)
• Current Resume or CV

All documents must be in English or translated into English.

Peace Corps does not accept responsibility for technical issues or glitches that cause application materials to be received past this cutoff date.  Late applications will not be evaluated.  Peace Corps reserves the right to delay the application review and/or evaluation process, should it be in their interests to do so.

Evaluation Process: 

Only the paper application materials of those candidates that have been found to be technically qualified upon initial application review (i.e. submitted a complete application package and determined to have met all of the required qualifications stated above) will move further along in the evaluation process.  Additional steps in the evaluation process will be as described below.

All candidates found to be technically qualified upon initial application review will have the application materials they submitted reviewed further in accordance with the following evaluation criteria:

• Years of experience beyond the minimums in the areas described above (leadership, administration, budget management, international project development and management, intercultural experience, and communication and representation).

The most highly ranked candidate(s) following the paper application review process described above will be invited to complete one or more interview(s), which will cover, at a minimum:

• The applicant’s training, skills, and/or experience in the areas specified in the Statement of Work.
• The applicant’s completeness, accuracy, and/or style when responding to scenarios and/or problem statements.
• The applicant’s English proficiency and professional comportment during the interview(s).

The following may also be evaluated during the evaluation process:

• Past performance in similar positions (both formal and informal information regarding past performance may be sought by Peace Corps and considered).  Past performance information may be obtained on both hard skills (i.e. technical experience and expertise, quality and timeliness of work product produced, etc.) and soft skills (i.e. professional judgment, professional demeanor, leadership abilities, ability to work as a member of a team, etc.).

The following may also be evaluated and scored favorably during the evaluation process and/or used when deciding between two or more similarly qualified candidates:

• Direct knowledge of or experience with the programs, procedures, and/or systems of the Peace Corps or a similar large international volunteer organization/program.
• Experience in or with a country or Region for which Peace Corps operates and for which RSA services may be required.
• Knowledge of one or more languages used by host country staff and counterparts at a Peace Corps post.
• Ability to drive a manual vehicle.

The highest ranked candidate(s) following the interview(s) will have their references checked.

Based on the outcome of those application reviews, interview(s), and/or reference checks, one or more applicants will be tentatively chosen to fill open RSA personal services contractor position(s).

Please note that:

• Peace Corps reserves the right to not evaluate the application of or to withhold an offer of a personal services contract to an individual that has a history of poor past performance or conduct as a Peace Corps Trainee, Volunteer, or staff member (USDH, PSC, or FSN).
• Peace Corps reserves the right to withhold an offer of a personal services contract to an individual that is a relative or household member of a current Peace Corps staff member.
• Individuals who have current or prior connections with intelligence activities or agencies through employment, related work, or even family relations may be ineligible for a personal services contract.
• The selected individual will be required to follow any workplace health and/or safety rules indicated for their position – including complying with any medical and/or training requirements specified for their position in accordance with public health and/or occupational health or safety policies.  This may require the individual to submit to a medical evaluation/examination, submit proof of required vaccinations, or submit other medical information to the Peace Corps or another US Government Agency both prior to contract award and/or during the period of performance of the contract.

Peace Corps will not discriminate against an applicant because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information.

Attachments: 

1. Peace Corps RSA PSC -- Statement of Work

2. Peace Corps RSA PSC -- Application Form