Quality Assurance Specialist – Peace Corps Botswana
Job Description
OPEN TO: Qualified Botswana Nationals and Permanent Residents
DEADLINE: 30 June 2023 at 12:00 Noon Local Botswana Time
WORK HOURS: Full-time – 40 hours/week
COMPENSATION: Starting at BWP 428,441 basic salary per year; annual performance-
based increases possible. Please note: Gaborone-based housing and
transportation to/from Botswana is not provided.
1. Background
a. Summary
The Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS) will champion a culture of quality assurance (QA), continuous quality
process improvement, and system simplification at Post. A key goal of quality assurance is to optimize systems and
processes and make it easier to accomplish Post priorities while ensuring compliance with Agency policies. To
advance the quality assurance agenda, the QAS will take the lead on integrating a QA approach into relevant Post
activities, serve as Records Liaison/Records Management point of contact, and train up and support staff in QA
related areas. The QAS will play a supportive role in the coordination of site management and site history
documentation, ensuring that clear guidance and systems are in place to assist Post staff in adhering to high quality
and complete site management planning, execution and documentation. The QAS will be responsible for the
oversight of VIDA (Volunteer Information Database Application) at Post, providing trainings to Post staff on topics
including site management and the latest VIDA updates. The QAS will also be responsible for tracking deadlines and
completion status of all mandatory trainings for all Post staff, in addition to directly providing trainings when
necessary. Similarly, the QAS will support Post through preparations for Office of Inspector General (OIG) audits
and evaluations, along with presenting recurring findings to assist Post in proactively addressing common issues.
The QAS will track OIG and Regional Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer (PCSSO) recommendations, and
support staff in order to bring timely closure to any outstanding recommendations. The QAS will be a key resource
in providing quality assurance and process simplification input to Post and the Agency.
b. Country Program Information
Since re-opening in 2002, Peace Corps Botswana has worked to support the Government of Botswana in addressing
the nation’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, in cooperation with the Ministries of Local Government, Education, and Health,
and the National AIDS Coordinating Agency. In 2023, PC Botswana conducted a holistic program review and
updated its strategy to align with the Government of Botswana’s strategic priorities. Three updated/new projects
will be implemented in 2024: Health, Education, and Community Economic Development.
PEACE CORPS BOTSWANA
VACANCY
Quality Assurance Specialist
c. Reference Materials
Materials the Personal Services Contractor (PSC) must frequently refer to in the course of performing their duties
and responsibilities include US Government-wide and Peace Corps-specific laws, regulations, rules, policies,
procedures, and guidance. This includes the Peace Corps Manual and associated referenced documents (Manual
Section 270; Safety and Security Instructions (SSI) 401, 410, 415, 420, and 430; Medical Technical Guidelines (TG)
204, 385, 110) and other guidance published on the Peace Corps Intranet, as well as the Peace Corps/Botswana
Staff Handbook, Post Site Management Manual, and the Peace Corps/ Botswana Volunteer Service Handbook
(VSH).
2. Major Duties and Responsibilities
Continuous Quality Improvement Process
Post champion for adopting a quality assurance and compliance culture.
• Designs and oversees a yearly compliance calendar for reoccurring tasks and deadlines at Post.
• Works with office/department heads to identify reoccurring tasks, trainings, Post policies, or periodic
reviews and reports that are mandated by agency policy/procedure and are required to be tracked. Adds
key deadlines to the compliance calendar, to assist all departments with compliance.
• Distributes compliance calendar or task reminders periodically to assist managers and staff in proactively
meeting compliance related deadlines.
• Provides status updates to Country Director (CD) and supervisors on completed and outstanding tasks.
• Integrates a QA approach into relevant Post activities. (e.g. administration of annual performance
improvement or compliance tools, such as the Administrative Management Control Survey (AMCS)).
• Reflects on current practices, identifies potential risks and areas for improvement, and works with relevant
parties to document and implement.
• Works with Post leadership and Post Equity Council to identify opportunities for the integration of
equity/ICDEIA into core business practices across operational units.
• Serves as the Records Management POC (Records Liaison) for Post.
o Coordinates distribution, completion, and return of annual File Plan to the Records Management
Office.
o Advises Post on records management questions and issues.
o Collaborates with Senior Staff to ensure required documents are appropriately stored at Post (e.g.
MOUs, other agreements etc.), and monitors to ensure expiration timeframes are known and
tracked.
• Coordinates with Regional Quality Assurance Experts, PCSSOs, and Regional Security Advisors (RSAs), where
applicable.
• Coordinates with Office of the Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO) in informing and adopting compliance best
practices.
• Other quality assurance related duties as assigned.
Site Management (including Site History Files)
Post champion for adopting a quality assurance approach for site management and promoting compliance with site
management documentation.
• Serves as resource and technical expert on site management process and procedures and can assist
Director of Programming and Training (DPT) (and other Post staff as applicable) in meeting site
management requirements.
• In collaboration with DPT and other responsible staff, is responsible for training and mentoring staff in
adhering to site management requirements.
• Under the DPT’s leadership, helps coordinate Post planning meetings regarding site ID and site visits to
ensure all requirements from Site Management Guidance, including key Manual Sections, Safety and
Security Instructions (SSIs), and Medical Technical Guidelines (TGs) are accounted for in the planning and
implementation stages of site management (e.g.: Manual Section (MS) 270 – Volunteer/Trainee Safety and
Security, SSI 401 Site History Files, SSI 410 Housing Standards and Inspection, etc.).
• Monitors compliance with required site management documentation in VIDA; advises staff on status and
required actions.
• Supports DPT to ensure Post’s site management manual is aligned with current Regional Site Management
Guidance.
• Coordinates with Programming and Training staff, Peace Corps Medical Officers (PCMOs), and Safety and
Security Manager (SSM) to ensure that site selection materials are fully completed and approved by the
relevant parties with any appropriate programming, safety, security or health related considerations
properly documented in VIDA.
• Conducts ongoing and routine quality checks on site management documentation (e.g. Housing
Information, Community Information, Volunteer Request Form, Site Contact Form information) in VIDA to
ensure alignment with policy and approval process and site history files.
• Provides supervisor and Post staff with periodic updates on site management and history file compliance,
highlighting missing documents and/or data points for follow-up.
• Assists with occasional data entry as directed by supervisor in order to ensure compliance.
VIDA Point of Contact (POC)
Responsible for oversight of VIDA at Post, ensuring VIDA is used by all relevant staff throughout the Site
Management, Volunteer Management, and Emergency Action Plan (EAP) Event Management processes.
• Serves as the principal Point of Contact for VIDA and liaises with the Office of the Chief Information Officer
(OCIO)/HQ VIDA Product Manager for relevant VIDA updates and troubleshooting of the VIDA system at
Post.
• Serves as Post VIDA administrator with special permissions to edit data.
• In consultation with VIDA Product Manager at OCIO/HQ, trains relevant staff on VIDA capabilities and on-
going enhancements.
• Works with responsible staff to conduct ongoing review of Volunteer and site data within VIDA, ensuring
that information is accurate and complete as outlined in agency guidance. The QAS should not be the
originator of data.
• Conducts ongoing and routine quality checks on key Volunteer information (e.g. phone numbers, e-mails,
GPS coordinates, site visit information) to ensure alignment with policy.
• Ensures Post’s naming convention for site names and site geographic areas are followed consistently in
VIDA.
• Works with appropriate staff to ensure there is documentation in VIDA of: a) adverse safety, security,
health or programmatic concerns for sites that result in Peace Corps not placing a Volunteer, or b) other
incidents or events that raise concerns for Volunteer safety and well-being.
• Works with SSM to ensure that EAP events are properly documented.
Tracking Mandatory Staff Trainings
• Tracks status of all mandatory staff trainings in collaboration with Senior Leadership.
• Provides periodic updates to supervisors on staff compliance with mandatory trainings.
• Coordinate with administrative staff to ensure that all staff (inc. part time, short term, and intermittent) are
appropriately enrolled in mandatory training (e.g. staff are entered into a personnel tracking system).
• When staff are unable to complete on-line trainings, ensures that staff complete and appropriately record
(e.g. in Learning Space) off-line trainings; may also facilitate off-line training sessions for staff.
OIG/PCSSO Recommendation Support and Follow-Up
• Tracks Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Regional Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer (PCSSO)
recommendations for Post, along with other formal recommendations from other offices if appropriate.
• Provides periodic (monthly/quarterly) reports to CD, SSM, and other relevant Post staff on status of open
recommendations.
• Supports Post leadership, as appropriate, to track work on addressing open OIG/PCSSO recommendations.
Coordinates with other parties outside of Post as necessary, under direction of CD.
• Assists Post with organizing, collecting, and submitting documentation to support closure of OIG/PCSSO
recommendations, as appropriate.
• Coordinates with Region, and as appropriate Office of Safety and Security (OSS) and OCCO, to discuss
challenges related to addressing OIG/PCSSO recommendations, and to share best practices.
• Periodically presents OIG recurring recommendations to Post staff.
• Facilitates process improvement solutions to proactively address recurring recommendations, as
appropriate.
• Supports Post preparations for OIG evaluations and audits.
• Supports Post during OIG visits, as appropriate.
Additional Responsibilities
• Performs other duties or assignments, when deemed necessary by the Country Director and/or DPT if
applicable, for the successful implementation of Peace Corps program(s) and/or operations in Botswana.
• May serve as back-up support for and/or carries out the duties and responsibilities of the Safety and Security
Manager (SSM), Information Technology Specialist (IST), Sexual Assault Response Liaison (SARL), or in other
collateral roles when deemed necessary by the Country Director and/or Supervisor for the successful
implementation of Peace Corps program(s) and/or operations in Botswana. For example, this could be
during periods when those individuals are on leave and/or during lapses of staffing or periods of staffing
shortages.
COVID-19 and Other Flexibilities:
• If there is a time at post, due to the COVID-19 pandemic or for any other reason, when there are limited or
no Peace Corps Trainees and/or Volunteers (jointly referred to as “Volunteers”) at Peace Corps/ Botswana,
the PSC may be temporarily assigned during that period, as determined by the Peace Corps Country
Director, to carry out additional duties and responsibilities in furtherance of the goals of the Peace Corps in
order to enhance the ability of Peace Corps Volunteers to perform functions under the Peace Corps Act,
including facilitating a safe environment in order for the successful return or increase of Volunteers.
• This temporary assignment may require the PSC to provide services and/or support beyond what is listed in
their current Statement of Work (SOW). The services and/or support may take many forms, examples of
which may include but are not limited to, training, providing administrative, technical, medical, and/or
operational assistance, building on host country programs, etc. This temporary assignment also may
require the PSC to provide these services and/or support to individuals/organizations other than those
listed in their current SOW such as host country government, partner organization(s), community
member(s), staff, and/or contractors.
3. Work Requirements and Guidelines
Interact effectively and appropriately with cultural differences and similarities by demonstrating cultural humility
and self-awareness of one’s own cultural programming, effectively navigating intercultural situations, practicing
perspective taking by seeking to understand the values, beliefs, attitudes, and worldviews of others.
Engage with differences and similarities in a way that effectively and appropriately contributes to a culture of
access and belonging by demonstrating awareness of systemic inequities and one’s own social identities and
perspectives, seeking to understand others’ and one’s own experiences with dominant and marginalized identities,
building relationships with a range of people from a variety of dominant and marginalized identities and navigating
opportunities to foster equity and inclusion using a culturally effective and appropriate approach.
4. Safety and Security
Addresses Volunteer safety and security by adhering to Peace Corps site development policies and procedures.
Identifies and immediately communicates Volunteer safety and security concerns and issues to the SSM and the
CD. Assists Program Managers to ensure that prospective sites meet established programmatic and safety/security
criteria (e.g., safe housing, a clearly defined assignment with an organization that shows real interest in working
with a Volunteer, etc.). Reviews and references site history files when evaluating potential sites and incorporates
appropriate safety and security-related information into site history files. Monitors Volunteer compliance with
Peace Corps policies, especially related to safety and security. Participates in the design and implementation of the
Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Acts as duty officer, as needed. Knowledgeable and supportive of Peace Corps safety
and security policies and procedures, including the timely reporting of suspicious incidents, persons or articles.
When serving as Back-Up SSM, completes duties outlined in Safety and Security Instruction 111 (per Safety and
Security Instruction 110).
5. Roles and Responsibilities
QAS reports directly to the Country Director; technical guidance on site management provided by the DPT. The QAS
will also liaise closely with the Safety & Security Manager, Peace Corps Medical Officers, and the Director of
Management and Operations. This position does not have any direct reports but is responsible for coordinating
with staff in all other units of PC Botswana.
6. Logistics
This position is in the Peace Corps office in Gaborone, with 30-40% travel to the field. A laptop and work phone will
be provided to the incumbent and transportation provided for required travel to the field.
7. Level of Effort
QAS will maintain a regular 40-hour office schedule.
Peace Corps Botswana’s basic workweek consists of four eight and a half-hour days Monday through Thursday, and
one six-hour day on Friday each week (forty hours at a minimum), with one hour for lunch which is not part of the
eight and a half-hour day work time (with no lunch period for Fridays).
Peace Corps/Botswana recognizes that work hours related to Volunteer emergencies, site visits, Duty Officer
rotations, In-Service Trainings (ISTs), and Pre-Service Training sessions (PST) will vary, and hours outside business
hours will sometimes be required for the QAS to meet the position’s core expectations and deliverables. This
incumbent for this position will be required to carry a duty phone and will at times be expected to work on
weekends/nights/holidays.
8. Minimum Qualifications
• B.S., B.A. or higher degree
• Five years of professional work experience
• Experience with records management, audit, compliance, project management or Volunteer management
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Experience effectively coordinating complex processes across multiple business units.
• Experience in planning and delivering training.
• Strong background in data standardization, process facilitation and management (organizational
development, tracking tasks and processes and ensuring accurate documentation)
• Professional oral and written English proficiency required. Knowledge of Setswana required for interaction
with PCV communities.
• Advanced computer proficiency in MS Office: Windows, Excel, Word.
• Experience working with database management software.
• Demonstrated intercultural competence, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility related skills and
experience.
• Demonstrated ability to synthetize, interpret, and apply regulations.
• Versatility: ability to take initiative to resolve problems.
• Detail-oriented and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural team.
• Ability to pass a background check and maintain a security clearance.
• Botswana citizen or valid local residency documentation
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Individuals meeting the minimum qualifications must submit a cover letter highlighting motivation
and qualifications for this position, certificates and references and detailed CV via email
[email protected] with “QAS” in the subject line. This full job description is
accessible in Peace Corps web https://www.peacecorps.gov/botswana/contracts .
Please note:
* Only those invited to an interview will be contacted.
* Peace Corps reserves the right to not evaluate or to withhold an offer of a personal services
contract to an individual that has a history of poor past performance.
* 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.
Peace Corps will not discriminate against an applicant because of person’s race, color, religion, sex
(including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older,
except when the applicant is beyond the mandatory retirement age in the country of assignment),
disability, or genetic information.
Application Deadline is 30 June 2023 at 12:00 Noon. Late submissions will not be accepted.
