Country Director – Somalia 16 views

Oxfam has been working in Somalia/Somaliland since the 1970s with local communities, civil society, and local authorities; delivering humanitarian assistance and longer-term development initiatives. Oxfam has played a foundational role in supporting civil society development and has been called by many current and past partners “the mother of Somali civil society”. Support for women’s rights, women’s advocates, and gender equality has been a steady component of the program and many leading advocates for women’s rights, gender equality, and women’s issues were once partners or trainees of Oxfam. There are numerous examples of unique programming across youth and education, gender and emergency relief, resilience, WASH, and livelihoods. Over the years, the country office has produced an impressive range of policy briefings, reports and working papers that have drawn attention to issues, sparked discussions and influenced policies

Oxfam in Somalia recently developed its new long-term Oxfam Country Strategy (OCS) for 2021-2030 with a vision ‘A just, stable and resilient Somalia’. There are three programmatic pillars, which are complementary and interlinked: 1) Just Economy and Economic Development,  2) Inclusive Governance & Gender Justice,  3) Climate and Fragility Response and resilience.

The Role

program, including all development and humanitarian programming to maximise our influence and impact.  This role will play a key role in the implementation of the new Country Strategy. S/he will lead the Country Leadership Team and represent Oxfam in the country, influence donors and NGO colleagues and represent the organization in high level meetings and forums.

The position is accountable to the Oxfam in Africa Deputy Director for the delivery, effective management (which includes budgets and planning), monitoring and evaluation, and learning from the programme.

Who we’re looking for

representing Oxfam with integrity both internally and externally with the following:

• Master’s degree in relevant field;
• Significant senior leadership and management experience in the development and delivery of high-quality program, influencing and humanitarian strategy, with and through partners or directly, in one or more challenging location;
• Extensive experience in large-scale humanitarian and resilience programming at senior levels, including both in sudden-onset disasters and in complex, insecure environments;
• Proven track record in influencing at both grassroots as well as high international levels;
• Committed to a rights-based approach including an active commitment to putting women’s rights at heart of all we do;
• Experience of managing complex change processes and relationships involving a wide range of both internal and external multi-cultural stakeholders across a variety of disciplines and geographical areas;
• Experience in leading and motivating multi-disciplinary teams, operating in geographically remote locations;
• A high degree of self-awareness and an understanding of how to drive and support excellent team performance and individual development in line Oxfam’s values and policies;
• Proven track record of success in representing an organisation with partners; government agencies, private sector organisations, media, and donors at senior level; national and globally
• Knowledge and understanding how Regional Bodies/Institutions work
• Experience of managing security, operational risks, and legal compliance within an INGO context
• Proficiency in English

What we offer

At Oxfam, we believe that every aspect of our work can lead to a positive outcome. If you have the same opinion, together with the ability to meet the challenges involved, this role offers scope for immense personal fulfilment – as well as outstanding opportunities to develop your career. Oxfam is committed to providing a fair compensation package and a flexible working environment

How to apply

Please click on the “apply” button to start the application process. Please upload and up-to-date CV and a covering letter, clearly explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.

Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, usually within 2 weeks of the closing date.

About us

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together we save, protect and rebuild lives. When disaster strikes, we help people build better lives for themselves, and for others. We take on issues like land rights, climate change and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.

We are an international confederation of 21 organizations (affiliates) plus the Oxfam International Secretariat, all working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

All our work is led by our core values:- Empowerment, Accountability, Inclusiveness, Courage, Solidarity and Equality. 

Our commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Please note that Oxfam International participates in the Inter-Agency Scheme for the Disclosure of Safeguarding-related Misconduct in Recruitment Processes within the Humanitarian and Development Sector. Under this scheme, if you have been employed by another member of the scheme, we will request information from that organization on any misconduct history in accordance with the terms of the scheme. For scheme details please click here

Oxfam International is an equal opportunities employer, committed to diversity and inclusion within the workplace.