Durable Solutions Advisor – Somalia 89 views

This is an initial two-year contract with opportunity to extend. It is a new role with unaccompanied terms based in Mogadishu, Somalia with frequent travel to Hargeisa, Baidoa and Nairobi, and with a salary of Grade 4 €44,133 – €49,038.

You will be the overall technical adviser on all durable solutions related engagements including development of approaches, tools, processes and activities for Concern Worldwide in Somalia. You will liaise closely with the Dublin-based Desk Officer for Somalia, the Climate and Environment Adviser, the DRR Adviser, the Social Protection and Economic Inclusion Adviser and other relevant technical advisers.

You will report to the Programme Director and will work directly with Concern Somalia’s Programme Coordinators, Programme Managers, the Somaliland Coordinator, the Grants & information Manager, the M&E Manager, the Somalia Cash Consortium Manager, and their respective teams.  As this is a cross-cutting role, you will work with all departments and sectors, especially those working on durable solutions-related programmes. In addition, you will liaise closely with the Danwadaag consortium led by IOM; the National Durable Solutions Secretariat (NDSS) including relevant technical teams, with government Ministries or Departments responsible for basic services (Education, Health, Housing, Land and Property), Agriculture, Environment & Natural Resources, Water & Irrigation, Resilience; the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) and other relevant external stakeholders.

We would like you to start as soon as possible.

Purpose of the role:

The purpose of this position is to advise and guide Concern’s durable solutions programming in Somalia/Somaliland.[1] This will include actively supporting teams with – and being directly involved in – awareness raising, assessments, analysis, capacity building, project (re-)design, proposal development, M&E, advocacy messaging and documentation of success/learning.

It is expected that you will improve the impact of Concern’s own programming on durable solutions following Concern’s Durable Solutions Vision Paper, ensuring alignment with the Somalia National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Durable Solutions Strategy. You will raise Concern’s profile in the area of durable solutions amongst other actors, including by representing the organisation in key forums and platforms both in-person and online. You will also explore opportunities to collaborate with key donors, actors, NGOs, UN agencies, research and academic institutions and private sector entities.

A key aspect of this role will be to provide close support to the National Durable Solutions Programme Coordinator, strengthening their technical and coordination capacity. You will also be expected to provide cover during the Coordinator’s leave.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Technical Advice:

1. Durable Solutions

• Provide technical guidance and support to strengthen, build upon and expand Concern’s current Durable Solutions programmes in Somalia and to position Concern both within the existing consortia and with external/new partners, for future collaboration and donor funding. This includes providing effective technical inputs to the design, development planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and management of the durable solutions programmes in Somalia (Danwadaag) as well as any other programmes with durable solutions goals.
• Keep abreast of new developments in the durable solutions field, and – in line with Concern’s organisational position – train programme teams on these issues so they are up to date and able to adapt programmes to new thinking/approaches.
• Research, adapt and write evidence-based technical program guides, manuals, and other resources to improve and innovate on durable solutions programmes, with a particular focus on remote roll-out and training using technology interactively.
• Collaborate with all sectors/departments to promote integrated programming, avoid redundancy, and integrate gender equality, inclusion, context flexibility, community feedback, conflict sensitivity, partnership, and ICT into all activities.
• Lead assessments as needed within different Areas and/or programmes in Somalia, including developing/adapting tools, methodologies, training teams, collecting data, analysing data, and writing up the findings. Work with the programme teams and Programme Director to ensure the findings and recommendations are incorporated into future programme design.
• Assist with and technically oversee the development of high quality concept notes, proposals, reports and briefing papers that are in line with Concern and sector strategies and meet donor requirements.
• Gather, collate and write up lessons learned, and develop learning briefs on the durable solutions programmes, in consultation with technical and sector leads at country and head office.
• Support the sectoral teams to continuously and jointly review the durable solutions strategy and approaches to appropriately address and accommodate shifting and/or emerging field contexts in a holistic manner, incorporating public-private partnerships, meaningful inclusion (gender, disabilities and minorities), environmental protection and climate change adaptation. Propose innovative approaches to address emerging displacement crises, or address identified gaps, relevant to the fragile context of Somalia.
• Support technical capacity building of field staff through technical updates, training opportunities, exchange visits, literature sharing and other initiatives
• Communicate regularly with in-country colleagues through phone, email, online meeting platforms, etc. Provide remote support and conduct regular field visits to assess quality of programs, deliver technical support and trainings, provide strategic guidance and recommendations, and engage in knowledge sharing.
• Regularly provide updates, briefings and responses to information requests on the durable solutions programmes in Somalia, including emerging issues, challenges, successes and any relevant contextual developments for many audiences, including Concern colleagues, donors, the media, UN agencies, inter-agency networks, and new recruits. Ensure sign-off is obtained through the appropriate channels before making any external communication directly.
• Participate in the recruitment of in-country staff and consultants, as required. This includes supporting the preparation of job requisitions, job descriptions, terms of reference, and participating in interviews.

Coordination and networking:

• Participate proactively in Mogadishu/Nairobi/regional-level durable solutions and other relevant sectoral meetings, and engage with UN agencies, other NGOs, academic institutions and other key actors within the durable solutions field, developing and maintaining positive relationships across the various networks.
• Develop strategies and plans that contribute to raising the profile of Concern as an expert organization in durable solutions programming, as well as in specific approaches – for example, public-private partnerships, women’s economic empowerment, early solutions, ‘green’ solutions.
• Maintain on-going consultations and interactions with Concern’s head office Technical Advisors as well as with other Durable Solutions Advisors in Concern Country Programmes on emerging sectoral trends and best practices from other countries.
• Drive forward discussions and support efforts on convergence and complementarity in a coordinated manner across locations and organisations

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E):

• Work closely with the M&E teams in Concern, partners and Consortium Management Units, to create and periodically adapt technically sound monitoring and evaluation guidelines, frameworks and indicators for the respective durable solutions programmes, in line with the changing context and emerging evidence.
• Review all Concern Somalia/Somaliland project/programme logframes and monitoring frameworks and provide inputs to ensure their impact on sustainably addressing displacement crises is adequately captured.
• Work closely with the Danwadaag CMU in design, implementation, analysis and interpretation of durable solutions surveys, assessments, reviews and evaluations.
• Manage any internal reviews or evaluations of the durable solutions programmes

Advocacy and Communications:

• Coordinate advocacy and communication activities relating to Concern’s durable solutions programming in Somalia, in line with relevant donors’ communication guidelines and internal policies.
• Produce briefing papers and other publications, coordinate approval with the appropriate stakeholders, and ensure wider dissemination to influence practice and policy and promote the work of Concern Worldwide.
• Contribute to efforts to bring together research, programming, and advocacy to act with one voice on durable solutions in Somalia

Accountability

In line with Concern’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS):

• actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E);
• work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that the Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed;
• work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that information about CRM, safeguarding and expected staff behaviour is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Other:

• Together with other programme teams ensure inequality, risk and vulnerability are analysed, mitigated against and responded to during the overall planning, implementation and management of the durable solutions programmes.
• Concern is committed to responding to emergencies efficiently and effectively in order to help affected people meet their basic needs, alleviate suffering and maintain their dignity. To this end, when emergencies strike and Somalia programme is to respond, all staff are required to actively participate in the response, regardless of location and contribute to the efforts aimed at achieving the humanitarian objective of the organization.
• Support the development and implementation of the country strategic plan in the context of the NDP, NDSS and Durable Solutions priorities.
• Any other ad hoc duties as may be assigned by your line manager or the CD that are consistent with the nature of Concern operations.

Your skills and experience will include:

Essential

• Appropriate qualification at Master’s degree level or above, in international development,/relations, business, economics, environment, climate action or other field relevant to community resilience and durable solutions
• Proven experience (at least 8 years) in senior programme management, advisory and/or leadership positions working with INGOs, NGOs, CBOs, other civil society groups, donors
• Experience with major international donor guidelines and environmental standards, particularly the World Bank, FCDO, EU
• Strong experience working on durable solutions in humanitarian and development settings and an ability to innovate in problem-solving
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills, including for reporting, proposal-writing and advocacy purposes
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, communication and organisation skills with an ability to distil complex concepts into real-world examples
• Strong coordination skills, both internal across programming sectors and support teams, and externally with implementing partners
• Experience of working in or, ideally managing, a consortium model of working
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with senior representatives of donor, INGO and Government structures and to represent the organisation at national or international level fora
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing interactive and clear trainings and capacity building
• Solid experience in providing remote advice, guidance, mentoring and training to staff and partners, including with translation
• Thorough understanding of gender, equality and protection issues
• Experience in the design and use of monitoring and evaluation systems
• Knowledge of key tools used by donor agencies, such as logical frameworks, results chains, theories of change, results-based management and financial administration systems 

Desirable

• An understanding of accountability as applied within humanitarian and development programming; familiarity with the Core Humanitarian Standard and its application.
• An understanding of programme participant protection policies and international humanitarian standards
• An innovative, strategic thinker, analytical, relationship builder with ability to influence change at scale.
• Experience of working in Somalia

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance – for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent – please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.

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Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Currently WASH, Health & Nutrition, Livelihoods, Education, Social Protection (cash – Concern is lead agency) and integrated programming under Emergency, Resilience and Durable Solutions.