Disaster Field Communications Specialist / Telecommunications Analyst Senior, Government Secret Clearance Required

When disaster strikes around the world, either natural or man-made, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), is often the U.S Governments first responder. As a Deployable Communications Officer for BHA, you would:

• Provide daily technical support to BHA’s Washington D.C. based and field-based staff located in offices around the world
• Provide 24/7 technical support as part of a Duty Officer rotation
• Provide Helpdesk support for BHA user when assigned and during deployments
• Provide training to deploying personnel on all equipment in BHA’s cache
• Research new technology to support our field operations, develop documentation and provide training to your peers
• Assess communications needs of BHA’s field offices or disaster deployments and develop a plan, including equipment and training, following through until all needs are met
• Provide backup to the Communications Trainer for standard classroom training
• Coordinate with other departments within BHA, USAID and the State Department and support high-end Government officials
• Train and coordinate with Foreign Service Nationals around the world
• Deploy, at a moment’s notice, anywhere in the world for up to 45 days in support of Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs)
• Work within the Chain of Command of the Deployable Communications Team and USAID/BHA

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Candidates must be a U.S citizen, possess and maintain valid passport, driver’s license (good driving record) and must possess active secret clearance.  He/she must be in excellent health as field conditions involve exposure to extreme heat/cold and long hours often located in war torn areas.  Excellent verbal and written skills are a must.  A self-starter, the candidate must be able to work in a team environment and operate as the sole Communication Officer during deployments.

Candidates must have technical training, certification(s), or degree (significant Public Safety or Military experience highly preferred) and experience. in the following technical areas:

• Radio communications (UHF, VHF, HF- both digital and analog) programming and code plug creation experience.
• Satellite communications (VSAT, Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya, BGAN)
• Computer hardware experience as well as the ability to troubleshoot standard software (MS Office, Google Suite, Adobe, web-based applications, etc.)
• Global Positioning system (GPS). 
• Knowledge of Geographic Information systems (GIS) and using Google Earth Pro.
• Knowledge of network systems and video teleconferencing.

Must be willing to work physically in Arlington VA, Washington DC and overseas for up to 45 days deployments.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

The Deployable Communications Team is looking for a go-getter who can manage several projects at one time, think outside the box and remain cool under pressure.  Our work is unique and requires someone with an exceptional personality that is comfortable in new and different environments and gets along well with others.  The humanitarian world works primarily in the English language but some proficiency in other languages such as Spanish, Arabic and French go a long way.  Previous experience with the United Nations, USAID, USAR Operations or other non-Government agencies such as American Red Cross or Save the Children would be valuable, as would experience as an IT Service Desk technician.

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS:

ICS 100,200,300,700 and 800

AH-Communications Technician

AH-Communication Unit Leader

S-258 COMT

S-358 COML

USAR Communications Specialist

Previous deployment experience in austere environments

Previous experience working within the Incident Command Structure (ICS) type incidents

Radio Programming certifications

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