The incumbent serves as a Desk Officer and is the point of contact for all actions relating to the assigned country or countries, as needed. The position reports to the Director of the Office of South America. Principal responsibilities of the desk include overseeing programs and activities in assigned countries; applying regional perspectives on political and social trends to support country-level strategic planning and coordination; briefing colleagues and senior leaders in USAID, the Department of State, and Congress on USAID programs, political developments, operating environment, and other relevant matters related to assigned countries; and supporting Program Cycle implementation and other operational matters in assigned countries.

The incumbent is the key LAC communication link and liaison with the assigned Mission and other assigned countries in areas such as strategic planning, budget preparation, and program reviews. The incumbent represents LAC and Mission interests to senior-level officials from USAID and the interagency, host government officials, and representatives of local private sector and non-governmental organizations entities. The incumbent monitors and analyzes social, cultural, and institutional arrangements and structures and reviews and analyzes region and country data, in collaboration with various analytic units. The incumbent works with the assigned Mission and USAID offices in other countries in the South America region, as needed, to determine the feasibility of resource requests and provides policy guidance in view of regional/area strategies, policies, goals, and program criteria. The incumbent makes recommendations to LAC management regarding appropriate actions to take. The incumbent oversees the production of country briefing materials and provides presentations on programs implemented in the assigned country or countries.