South Sudan, Strategic Development Advisor

Grade-level Equivalent: ~GS 14

Mission/Office: USAID/South Sudan/Program Office

Clearance Requirement: Facilities Access (we will facilitate this process)

Period of Performance: ~February to June 2025. (Estimated 70 FTE work days)

Place of Performance: Juba, South Sudan

AFR's Mission in South Sudan is to integrate humanitarian and development assistance to promote household and community resilience, putting communities at the center of the development process to address their own challenges and develop resilience to future shocks. With a budget of $98 million in development assistance and over $700 million in humanitarian assistance, the strategy focuses on delivering multifaceted assistance to South Sudan's most vulnerable and hard-to-reach counties. USAID assistance to the people of South Sudan is delivered through non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, and private-sector partners. USAID South Sudan plays a critical role in fostering development and promoting stability in a complex and challenging environment. The Mission is tasked with addressing issues such as poverty, governance, health, education, and conflict. With South Sudan's political and economic instability, it is crucial for USAID to adapt its strategies to be effective, flexible, and responsive to changing dynamics.

As the current strategic framework ends in December 2025, USAID South Sudan team seeks a Strategic Development Advisor to provide support in FY 2025 in development of a new strategic framework 2026 to 2030. As a critical member of the Program Office team, the Strategic Development Advisor, will spearhead the formulation of a new Strategic Framework, aligning with USAID's overarching objectives and considering the nuanced realities of South Sudan. The Advisor will also ensure that the framework integrates cross-cutting themes like gender, biodiversity, conflict mitigation, private sector engagement and climate resilience.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, include but are not limited to:

1. Strategic planning leadership

   • Lead the initial stages of development of the USAID South Sudan Strategic Framework, ensuring alignment with USAID's global, regional, and country-specific goals.

   • Guide the Mission team through a structured, step-by-step approach to strategic planning and implementation.

   • Oversee the integration of thematic areas such as governance, climate change, health, and conflict into the strategy.

2. Lead the process of conducting required analysis

   • Develop and implement comprehensive guidelines for conducting the necessary analyses to inform the strategic framework. This includes political, economic, gender, biodiversity, climate change, and conflict analysis.

   • Ensure that all relevant technical teams follow these guidelines and that findings are effectively integrated into the strategic planning process.

   • Synthesize analyses and produce an evidence report.

3. Stakeholder engagement

   • Facilitate or support the process of consultations or engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, donor partners, USAID teams (both within South Sudan and at Washington Headquarters) and government counterparts (where applicable).

   • Ensure that stakeholder feedback is incorporated into the strategic framework and that diverse perspectives are adequately represented.

4. Guidance and oversight

   • Provide high-level advisory support to the Mission leadership, ensuring that the strategy aligns with the South Sudan Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) and USAID's broader objectives.

   • Monitor the development of the strategic plan and intervene as necessary to ensure milestones are met on time and within scope.

   • Ensure quality control and review drafts to meet USAID's standards.

5. Strategy development and drafting

   • Support the drafting of the strategy, ensuring it is informed by data, context analysis, and best practices.

   • Incorporate cross-cutting elements such as gender equality, biodiversity, and conflict sensitivity into the strategic framework.

   • Coordinate with technical teams to ensure cohesion between strategy and sector-specific interventions.

NOTE: The consultant will not perform other inherently governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Office or Mission.

KEY DELIVERABLES:

PHASE ONE: PREPARATION

• Develop a structured plan outlining the process for developing the Strategic Framework, ensuring alignment with objectives and providing clear direction for the Mission.

• Create comprehensive guidelines for conducting required analyses, ensuring that all relevant thematic areas, such as gender and biodiversity, are systematically addressed during strategy development.

• Consolidate evidence and lessons learned from previous USAID initiatives into a synthesis report, establishing a solid foundation for informed strategic planning.

PHASE TWO: INITIAL CONSULTATIONS AND PARAMETER SETTING

• Prepare a set of focused questions to guide and structure consultations, ensuring alignment of discussions with the strategic objectives.

• Develop a strategy concept document with presentation slides to facilitate stakeholder engagement and gather feedback for the strategy's direction.

• Align budget scenarios with the strategic concept to provide clear guidance on resource allocation across various funding scenarios.

• Draft a Summary of Conclusions (SOC) memo that summarizes stakeholder commitments and agreements, ensuring clarity and alignment among partners.

PHASE THREE: DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESULT FRAMEWORK

• Collaborate closely with the strategic MEL advisor to draft a results framework outlining key goals and measurable outcomes, supported by a summary paper that highlights the strategy's core components and direction.

PHASE FOUR: PREPARATION AND APPROVAL OF THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

• Produce a comprehensive first draft of the strategic framework document, incorporating insights from consultations and analyses while addressing feedback from reviews to create a clear strategic roadmap.

• A Master's degree in international development, public policy, or a related field and 7 years of relevant experience with USAID or other international development organizations, particularly in conflict or post-conflict environments; or a bachelor's degree and 10 years of relevant experience.

• Demonstrated experience leading the development of strategic frameworks for complex and challenging environments such as South Sudan.

• Familiarity with USAID's operational processes, policies, and regulatory frameworks.

• Proven expertise in conducting analyses of complex issues such as gender equality, biodiversity, climate change, and governance, and integrating these into strategy development.

• Exceptional analytical and critical thinking abilities, able to synthesize large amounts of data to inform decision-making.

• Strong communication and facilitation skills, capable of managing high-level stakeholder interactions.

• Outstanding organizational and planning abilities, with the ability to lead teams through structured and well-defined processes.

• Ability to work in dynamic, politically sensitive environments.

• Deep knowledge of USAID's strategic priorities and program areas, particularly within fragile states.

• Advanced expertise in specific aspects of strategy development related to gender equality, biodiversity, climate change, and governance.

• Additional skills in advanced project management tools or techniques.

• Experience with high-level negotiations or diplomacy in politically sensitive contexts.

• Practical knowledge of program monitoring and evaluation best practices and methodologies.

• Experience working and collaborating with U.S. government agencies and private sector organizations, including international organizations, foreign and domestic government officials, and development partners.

• Excellent writing skills with the ability to write collaboratively and meet deadlines.