Julia's Journey
While every FSO journey is different, there are commonalities. Julia is a fictitious character, but she is based on a compilation of many of your peers' experiences. Take a closer look at Julia’s Journey to begin envisioning your own path in the first year.
Meet Julia
Julia has just been hired as a Program Officer in the Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) at the FS-05 level.
Prior to joining the Agency as a Career Candidate, she worked as an evaluation specialist for a company specializing in research and evaluation methodology and was contracted by USAID for an evaluation of its food security programs.
She has just completed her C3 orientation and has been assigned to her home bureau. Her assigned supervisor is Stephen.
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Quarter 1: Making a Plan
Demonstrate understanding and working knowledge of USAID programming processes and BS02 technical areas through completion of formal and informal training, e-learning opportunities, and rotations
Review the training requirements for your backstop/role and schedule and develop a preliminary training plan.
Assess your personal strengths and weaknesses and draft a skill development objective to help address your weaknesses. Be prepared to work with your supervisor on how to focus your rotation assignments and training on this skill.
Write down things you may be confused about or not sure of - the QC is a perfect time to get answers, and not a time to be shy or embarrassed about what you don’t know. USAID is a VERY complicated agency!
Julia and Stephen hold their first quarterly conversation focused on expectation-setting.
They talk about her background and determine she is strong in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), but needs experience developing program budgets and doing strategy and project design.
PPL Policy Office (Home Office) - 120 Days
Rotation with Bureau for Resource Management (to learn budget function) - 120 Days
Rotation with PPL Office of Strategic Planning and Program (PPL/SPP) (to focus on project design) - 30 days
Rotation with the regional bureau where she is assigned overseas (TBD)
Formal Trainings
see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1efhFSotnB9jez1Tygmqd-00t53BObgkcxE8UVY66dGw/edit
Language Training:
TBD based on assignment, but likely French based on past experience and interest.
In addition to the required training, they add to her IDP rotations that address her gaps. At this stage some are placeholders.
Stephen also suggests she read certain policy guidelines and books, and identifies people to reach out to in each assignment.
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Quarter 2: Capturing Accomplishments
Here are a few things to consider:
- Your first year AARs provide a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of how the work you are assigned fits into the big picture.
- AAR writing guidance suggests using a Situation, Action, Result (SAR) framework when you write your AARs.
- Your contribution may not look exceptional, and that’s ok. Talk with your supervisor to make sure you understand the need, opportunity or challenge (Situation) your work was designed to address, and what larger purpose or goal (Result) your task (Action) serves.
Here is an example of a contribution statement from Julia’s AAR:
Insufficient funds in the pipeline jeopardized the programming of two projects. I coordinated with the interagency and the field to facilitate the clearance and justification process for an early release of the upcoming FY funds. I also communicated with our implementing partners to assuage their funding concerns, which helped maintain a positive working relationship. Ultimately, both projects received funds in time to avoid triggering activity close-out procedures.
Julia spent 120 days in her home office rotation and will do her first AAR with her supervisor, Stephen.
They both realized in planning her IDP that she would benefit from building budget management skills.
Here is Julia’s memo, which was a collaboration between herself, Stephen, and the rotation supervisor in Resource Management
She is about to begin her rotation with the Bureau for Resource Management and needs to write a Rotation Memo. She collaborates with Stephen and the rotation supervisor.
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Quarter 3: Adjusting Plans
Julia has spent 90 days in the Bureau for Resource Management and is having a quarterly conversation check-in with Stephen.
The big news is she got her assignment to Senegal!
After discussing her experiences and the nature of her post with Stephen, three things are now adjusted on Julia’s IDP:
1.) Stephen helps her identify a 90-day rotation in the Africa Bureau where she can get deeply involved in the work planning and documenting a project design within her assigned region.
2.) They confirm that her language training will be French.
3.) She has also gotten very interested in Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) so they identify a short rotation in PPL where she can learn more about the methodology.
Individual Development Plans are monitored and modified throughout the year based on evolving interests, assignments and other factors. So Julia and Stephen focus on that process in this conversation.
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Quarter 4: Preparing for Administrative Promotion
Julia’s first year has flown by, it has been ten months since her hire date and she is in foreign language training prior to heading to post.
Review AARs and Rotation Memos/End of Rotation Memos for inputs.
If you had specific work assignments that contributed to the mission, those can also be referenced.
Her review for Administrative Promotion is in one month, and she needs to prepare her Promotion Input Form (PIF).
First 30 days: Orientation
Held first quarterly conversation to finalize IDP
Days 31-150: Home office (PPL Policy Office) Completed first AAR with her supervisor, drafted RM for next rotation
Days 151-240: Bureau for Resource Management Rotation (to learn more about budgeting) Made adjustments to her IDP based on her assignment and growing interest in CLA Completed a second AAR for the Resource Management rotation Drafted RMs for subsequent shorter rotations
Days 241-270: Regional Bureau Rotation (following assignment to Senegal, to experience an AFR Bureau program)
Days 270-300: Rotation with PPL Office of Strategic Planning and Program (PPL/SPP) (to focus on project design)
Days 300-315: Rotation with PPL/LER (to focus on CLA methodology)
Days 315-until departure for post assignment: Language Training (French) Prepared her PIF using inputs from her AARs and Rotation Memos/End of Rotation Memos Received Administrative Promotion and prepared to depart for her first assignment
One month later congratulations are in order. Julia has had a great training year and is promoted to an FS-04. Now she is busy preparing for departure to post!