Digital Development and Connectivity Program Specialist

ReliefWeb; Colombia; On-site; COP 120,000,000 - 160,000,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of State in Bogotá seeks a Digital Development and Connectivity Program Specialist to serve as the Foreign Assistance Unit’s technical adviser for digital infrastructure and connectivity programming across South America. The specialist develops technical scopes of work, reviews proposals and designs, and coordinates inputs to ensure sustainable, secure, and policy-aligned connectivity investments that support U.S.

objectives.

Qualifications

• Authorized to work daily in Bogotá.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop digital-development programming opportunities aligned with USG priorities.
• Review proposals, network designs, and cost estimates for digital infrastructure projects.
• Coordinate inputs across FAU to form coherent digital-development programs.
• Provide technical analysis on risk, feasibility, and sustainability of proposed connectivity investments.
• Monitor program implementation and address cybersecurity and operational requirements.

Job description

Colombia

Digital Development and Connectivity Program Specialist

Organization

• US Department of State

Posted 7 Oct 2026 Closing date 30 Oct 2026

Candidates must be authorized and able to work daily in Bogotá.

Position Summary

The Digital Development and Connectivity Program Specialist serves as the Foreign Assistance Unit's (FAU’s) technical adviser for digital-infrastructure and connectivity programming across South America. The position provides technical analysis and recommendations to support Government officials in identifying, assessing, and structuring U.S. Government-funded digital development programs that advance U.S. foreign-policy and national-security objectives and respond to partner-country priorities. The portfolio may include information and communication technologies (ICT) deployment (fiber, wireless, satellite, and last-mile connectivity), digital inclusion strategies, cybersecurity considerations for critical digital infrastructure, and broadband/connectivity expansion planning. The incumbent reports to the FAU’s Programs Team Lead and translate digital connectivity needs into technically credible and implementable program designs. Responsibilities include preparing technical scopes of work; contributing to program-design and acquisition or assistance documents; reviewing proposals, market studies, network designs, specifications, cost estimates, schedules, and other technical products; and providing input to the FAU on technical alternatives, implementation risks, project readiness, sustainability, and operations and maintenance considerations. The Specialist collaborates with other FAU technical and program personnel to ensure that digital infrastructure investments are appropriately incorporated into sector-specific programs. Drawing from practices used across the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. Government agencies, the incumbent provides technical analysis and recommendations to support programming aligned with the America First foreign policy framework, including economic security, strategic competition, trusted and secure digital infrastructure, supply chain resilience, and partnerships that reinforce U.S. interests. The salary will be commensurate with an FSN 11 position within Colombia.

Major Duties And Responsibilities

Strategic Digital Infrastructure Program Development (35%)

• Identifies potential digital-development programming opportunities based on USG priorities, partner-country needs, connectivity gaps, existing investments, and regional market developments.
• Supports programs involving ICT infrastructure deployment, broadband and last-mile connectivity expansion, digital inclusion initiatives, secure network architecture, and cybersecurity-conscious infrastructure design.
• Translates connectivity needs and policy objectives into technically credible, feasible, and sustainable program concepts.
• Supports the development of technical scopes and statements of work, program descriptions, acquisition and assistance planning documents, budgets, implementation approaches, and other program-design products.
• Develop recommendations regarding the technical scope and requirements for market assessments, network design studies, cybersecurity risk assessments, digital-inclusion needs analyses, and other project-preparation activities.
• Provides technical recommendations regarding requirements, performance standards, implementation assumptions, schedules, cost parameters, and risk‑mitigation approaches in collaboration with relevant FAU personnel.
• Assesses project readiness, technical feasibility, implementation risks, operational requirements, and the capacity needed to operate and maintain proposed digital infrastructure.
• Incorporates sustainability, commercial viability, and operations and maintenance considerations throughout program design.
• Coordinates technical, programmatic, procurement, financial, monitoring, and stakeholder inputs into coherent digital-development programs.
• Supports the adaptation, expansion, or modernization of existing connectivity programs when performance findings, policy changes, or market conditions warrant revised approaches.
• Identifies technical capability gaps and provides input on potential needs for short‑term telecommunications, network engineering, or cybersecurity expertise.

Technical Review and Quality Assurance (30%)

• Reviews proposals, market studies, network designs, technical specifications, pricing structures, cost estimates, schedules, work plans, and other technical submissions.
• Conducts market research and performs technical and commercial analysis of proposals for pricing, competitiveness, and commercial viability relative to comparable connectivity solutions.
• Conducts technical assessments of proposedapproaches to evaluate if they are credible, implementable, appropriately scaled, priced, and responsive to program requirements.
• Evaluates design assumptions, technology choices, deployment methodologies, energy and energy storage requirements, equipment specifications, sequencing, and operations and maintenance requirements.
• Reviews technical products for consistency with applicable host‑country, U.S., and international standards, including relevant cybersecurity and data‑protection standards.
• Compares technical and commercial alternatives and provides recommendations to the FAU on their relative feasibility, risks, lifecycle implications, and expected performance.
• Identifies technical gaps and potential implementation risks—including cybersecurity vulnerabilities—and recommends corrective actions or additional analysis.
• Reviews quality‑assurance and quality‑control approaches, testing requirements, commissioning arrangements, maintenance plans, and other measures necessary to support reliable digital‑infrastructure performance.
• Provides technical input during proposal reviews and other procurement or assistance processes, as requested and consistent with applicable procedures and conflict‑of‑interest safeguards.
• Conducts technical reviews for GORs (Grant Officer’s Representatives), CORs (Contract Officer’s Representatives), and FAU leadership on whether technical products appear responsive to applicable requirements while preserving formal acceptance authority for designated USG officials.
• Confirms that designs, certifications, and other regulated technical products are prepared or approved by appropriately qualified professionals when required.

Digital Infrastructure Portfolio Planning and Strategic Analysis (25%)

• Maintains visibility over proposed, active, and emerging digital‑connectivity initiatives supported by the FAU.
• Develops and maintains a digital‑development opportunity pipeline that captures project status, technical‑preparation needs, strategic relevance, principal risks, and required next steps.
• Provides analysis and recommendations to inform prioritization of large strategic connectivity investments and community‑level digital‑inclusion activities based on policy relevance, feasibility, readiness, and potential results.
• Conducts technical assessments of how individual digital‑infrastructure activities contribute to broader economic‑security, digital‑inclusion, or strategic‑competition objectives, including trusted‑vendor and secure‑supply‑chain considerations.
• Identifies opportunities to connect digital‑connectivity investments with complementary programming managed by other FAU specialists, including training, sustainability, and wraparound services needed to achieve public policy goals alongside commercial viability.
• Identifies recurring technical and management risks across the digital‑infrastructure portfolio and recommends improvements to future program design.
• Captures and shares lessons from completed and ongoing activities to strengthen technical quality, implementation, and sustainability.
• Prepares technical briefing materials, analytical memoranda, talking points, and recommendations for FAU and Embassy leadership.

Program Quality, Monitoring, and Reporting (15%)

• Reviews program reports, work plans, technical deliverables, deployment updates, schedules, cost information, and performance data as requested by the responsible GOR or COR .
• Collaborates with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist to gather, validate, analyze, and synthesize information from assigned programs.
• Participates alongside the responsible GOR or COR in site visits, monitoring activities, portfolio reviews, and meetings with implementers, contractors, government counterparts, private‑sector partners, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders.
• Analyzes implementation progress and identifies technical, quality, cost, schedule, management, sustainability, cybersecurity, and operations and maintenance concerns.
• Reviews information on network quality, testing, contractor quality‑control processes, security posture, commissioning, and readiness for intended use, as applicable.
• Provides recommendations to GORs and CORs when independent technical review, testing, cybersecurity assessment, or other specialized support may be required.
• Prepares monitoring observations, technical analyses, and evidence‑based recommendations for consideration by the G