Somalia: Resilience Advisor - Mogadishu (Re-advertised)

Background

The Somalia NGO Consortium is seeking a Resilience Advisor to coordinate NGO participation and representation in the National Development Plan (NDP) Resilience Pillar, represent Consortium members by providing high-level liaison, information and coordination services and act as the first point of contact for Resilience related issues.

The Somalia NGO Consortium is a voluntary mechanism that brings together local and international NGOs working in Somalia to encourage information sharing, cooperation, coordination and joint advocacy in order to better work together to improve the lives of Somalis affected by conflict, natural disasters, poverty. The Consortium aims to facilitate a more coherent NGO voice and assist NGO members to channel their concerns and suggestions to appropriate decision makers in the most effective format.

The Resilience Advisor is a national/regional position and reports to the Deputy Director and is part of the Somalia NGO Consortium team with offices in Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe and Nairobi.

A key component of the current 2017-2019 SNC strategic plan is a specific focus on Youth, Women and other vulnerable groups. The Resilience Advisor will ensure that this is taken into consideration in all areas of his/her work. Click here to view the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan of the Somalia NGO Consortium.

The position is based in Mogadishu with frequent travel to other regions in Somalia. Somalia is a hazardous environment and the selected candidate must adhere to security precautions and contribute as well as manage security of the team.

Key Responsibilities

The Resilience Advisor is a senior position and reports to the Deputy Director of the Somalia NGO Consortium. The incumbent will work with member organisations and with the Consortium resilience working groups; represent NGO Consortium members and the Consortium resilience working groups views in the Resilience Pillar of the National Development Plan (NDP) and other coordination meetings; participate in the elaboration of advocacy materials on resilience related issues; promote and coordinate inter-agency learning events on Resilience; assist in the elaboration and the communication of information relevant for NGOs, development partners and government stakeholder; advise on the Consortium’s response to specific issues and, act as the first point of contact for members on Resilience. The incumbent will lead external engagement on Resilience on behalf of the Director and Deputy Director by developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders including government, in constant collaboration with the Consortium resilience working groups.

Specific tasks:

Representation/ Coordination with members and external actors

• Participate in co-ordination meetings on Resilience with members and other international and local humanitarian organizations, ensuring that the Consortium and the Consortium resilience working groups is appropriately represented. Report on each meeting attended (including compilation of agendas, preparation and dissemination of background materials, and reports and documents).
• Respond in a timely manner to all queries received regarding the Consortium’s activities on Resilience, including induction for new members, or new staff of a member agency.
• Liaise with national and local authorities and institutions.
• Participate in monthly Consortium meetings advising on Resilience specific issues.
• Regular visits to members’ offices to ensure regular consultation and buy-in from members.

Information Sharing/Information Management:

• Facilitate information sharing between members and external stakeholders.
• Pro-actively collect information relevant to NGOs and NGO programmes.
• Provide feedback to members following representation on behalf of the Consortium.
• Identify action points after each meeting and follow up with the concerned parties to ensure that action is taken.
• Provide inputs to sitreps, reports and other ad hoc documents to be sent to members.
• Compile the project results of NGO resilience actors to provide a quarterly report of progress towards the National Development Plan objectives.

Resilience Working Group Meetings:

• Responsible for organizational functions and general Resilience Working Groups meeting support : In conjunction with SNC secretariat staff, support in the preparation and scheduling of Resilience Working Group meetings and events, preparing relevant documents, coordinating briefing inputs, arranging follow up calls, maintaining office space schedules, developing and distributing agendas, minutes and participation lists.
• Convenes and participates in resilience working groups, meetings, conferences, learning events and consultations with other agencies.
• Provides support to the Resilience Working Group chairs.

Advocacy:

• Under consultation with the Deputy Director, identify issues of priority for members and consult with members to ensure an evidence base for any advocacy activity. Influence overall Consortium advocacy from a Resilience point of view/information.
• Raise issues of key concern for humanitarian and development programming with all stakeholders when relevant.
• Carry out research as required in collaboration with the Resilience Working Groups and Consortia.

Reporting Arrangements:

• Reports to the Deputy Director, Somalia NGO Consortium
• Cooperates with the Resilience Working Groups and Senior Advocacy & Communication Officer

Conditions:

Contract: One year with possibility of extension.

Duty station: The position is based in Mogadishu, Somalia with travel to other places in Somalia as well as Nairobi, Kenya. Somalia is a hazardous environment and the selected candidate must adhere to security precautions and contribute to the security of the team.

Person specification:

Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor degree, preferably Masters, in Political Sciences, Social sciences, Development studies or other related field or comparable other experience;
• At least three (3) years of practical work experience within NGOs in humanitarian/development/ resilience work in developing countries.
• Knowledge of the Somalia NGO Consortium would be considered an added benefit.
• Good knowledge of humanitarian principles, NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct. Strong willingness to work and adapt to the NGO sector in compliance with basic humanitarian principles.
• Proven in depth and operational knowledge of Somalia. Minimum 3 years of work experience in Somalia and within the Somali context. Excellent understanding of Somali government, local government and traditional governance structures. Well-developed networks within Somalia would be deemed an added benefit.
• Proven experience in development and maintenance of multi-stakeholders networks and proactive coordination experience.
• Proven experience in high quality production of reports and analysis.
• Demonstrable experience with advocacy/lobbying (NGO or other stakeholder) within a complex humanitarian/development/resilience context and at senior level.

Skills and Competences:

• Excellent communication, coordination and representational skills. Demonstrated leadership capacity and professional experience at a senior level highly desired.
• Demonstrated ability to make clear and articulate presentations (orally and in writing) of complex information. Strong analytical skills.
• Capacity to deliver in structured and timely manner within set deadlines
• Demonstrated capacity to work with minimal supervision and maintain a high level of initiative and engagement. Demonstrated capacity to recognize when and where proactive action is required and to initiate timely and appropriate action.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and diplomacy and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff and other stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural team and to coordinate with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• He/she must be able to exercise a large degree of common sense and personal discipline. He/she must also display a high degree of diplomacy and personal integrity and at all times abide to working principles including impartiality and neutrality in all actions and work towards fulfilling the Consortium Mandate.
• The position requires the holder to be able to undertake tasking at short notice with due regard to the security environment. It requires a high degree of flexibility with respect to working hours.

Languages:

• English and Somali (working language): fluent with excellent writing capacities

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit their applications with the subject line clearly marked “Resilience Advisor”. An updated CV with a comprehensive summary of similar or comparable work should be attached. It should include three (3) referees and be no more than 4 pages. Complete applications should be sent to recruit@somaliangoconsortium.org no later than Tuesday, 13^th February 2018. Applications sent disregarding this official application process will not be considered.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who applied for this position previously need not apply again.