Somalia: Project Manager (DIALOGUE project)

1. Background and context

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is an independent, non-governmental organization (NGO), founded on the basis of humanitarian and human-right principles to ensure the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and to promote long-term solutions to the problems of forced displacement.

In line with this vision, DRC has been working in Somalia since 1997 and is among the INGOs with the largest presence in Somalia, with country-wide programs implemented through six main sub offices in Somaliland and Puntland in the north and in Hiraan Region, Gedo Region, Bay Region and Banadir Region in South and Central Somalia.

Since 2007, in Somalia DRC has implemented many community-driven projects under a broader community-driven programme aimed at improving local governance and stability in communities affected by conflict and displacement. Depending on the local context, community-driven projects have adopted different names and adapted their objectives, i.e. Community-Driven Recovery and Development (CDRD), Community-Driven Recovery and Safety (CDRS) - jointly with DDG, Danwadaag – led by DDG, and DIALOGUE.

DRC has recently re-designed its CDRD & DIALOGUE project, which is now called ‘*DIALOGUE in Somalia through resource mobilization*’. The first phase of the DIALOGUE project will be funded by the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF) and will target Gedo region in Jubbaland State of Somalia for 12 months. The DIALOGUE project will be implemented by DRC jointly with Shaqodoon, a Somalia-based organization, and with technical research support from the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). Following a phase of testing and learning, DRC and its partners expect to scale up the DIALOGUE project into a fully-fledged multi-year and multi-donor programme.

The expected impact of the DIALOGUE project/programme is that Somalis will have more trust in the government to manage the development of their own areas. The expected project/programme outcome is that government authorities (at district level) that participate to the funding scheme of the DIALOGUE programme will be able to manage citizens’ money in a more transparent, accountable and efficient way than government authorities that do not participate.

The DIALOGUE project/programme entails a funding scheme that will allow Somali leaders (namely, government authorities at regional and district level, traditional clan and village leaders, prominent individuals, and civil society organizations) to start funding campaigns for community and public projects. The scheme will allow individuals to contribute to these crowdfunding campaigns. The scheme will operate at the level of districts (as administrative units). Under the first phase funded by SSF, the project will roll out an ICT platform that allows the tracking of the contributions raised for the community or public projects, and the matching grants. The ICT platform will ensure transparency and increase accountability. Moreover, the platform will allow the project/programme to involve the Somali diaspora, in order to tap into the flow of remittances.

2. Purpose

The Project Manager will manage the first phase of the DIALOGUE project, which will be implemented in Gedo region with funds from SSF.

3. Key responsibilities

The Project Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision and management of the Project. In particular, he/she will:

· Fully familiarise with project documentation, i.e. feasibility study, project proposal and budget, logical framework and M&E plan, workplan, stakeholder analysis, risk register, sustainability plan, project Operations Manual, grant agreement between DRC and SSF, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between project partners and DRC; and MoU between DRC and Jubbaland State government;

· Lead on the hiring of any project staff and identification and contracting of partner organizations that may carry out training activities;

· Supervise the implementation of activities on the ground, either by DRC field staff or implementing partners;

· Ensure that activities are carried out as per the project proposal, budget, Operations Manual, MoU between DRC and Jubbaland State government, and DRC own rules and regulations;

· If needed, initiate revisions to the budget and workplan for approval by DRC management;

· Prepare project reports for SSF and timely submit them to DRC management as per the workplan;

· Liaise with government authorities at state, regional and district level, as well as community representatives, as appropriate;

· Carry out field visits in accordance to DRC rules and regulations on staff safety;

· Closely coordinate with project partners, namely ICTD and Shaqadoon; timely provide relevant information to project partners to allow them to carry out their activities as per the project proposal and workplan;

· Identify bottlenecks in the implementation of the Project, and suggest solutions to DRC management as well as Shaqadoon and ICTD.

4. Reporting arrangements and supervision

The Project Manager will report to DRC Deputy Country Director for programmatic issues and the Area Operations Manager of his/her duty station for administrative issues. He/she will work under the technical oversight and guidance of the Senior Governance Adviser.

He/she will work in close coordination with the researchers from ICTD and the managing director, or his delegate, of Shaqadoon.

The Project Manager will supervise Community Officers that will be employed by DRC. He/she will also supervise the partner organizations that may be contracted by DRC to carry out trainings and workshops for participating communities and district authorities.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:

· Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

· Collaborating: You are a strong networker and enjoy working with many different types of stakeholders, you involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

· Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while balancing the role of advisor and leadership

· Communicating: You write and speak effectively and honestly and display political and cultural sensitivity, including ability to adapt well to local cultures

· Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Moreover, we also expect the following:

5. Qualifications

· Somali nationality or residency with ability to work in Somalia;

· Post graduate degree in Business Administration/Management, Finance, Public Administration, Governance, Social Sciences or other relevant fields;

· 7 years of experience in private companies, INGOs or other international agencies in project management in complex or conflict/post-conflict environments;

· Extended working experience in Somalia in governance or community-driven projects;

· Ability to travel without restrictions (in compliance with DRC rules of staff safety) to project locations in Gedo region in the Jubbaland State of Somalia;

· Familiarity, or knowledge, of financial technology (“fintech”) and use of technology to improve project delivery efficiency and/or to ensure remote monitoring in areas where project staff may not have regular access due to insecurity;

· Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) in English and Somali language;

· Strong experience in guiding, couching, capacity building and motivating project staff and partners;

· Ability to plan and prioritize tasks in order to achieve desired results in a multiphasic environment with a very high workload;

· Professional, courteous and able to work with a broad spectrum of people;

· Flexible, enthusiastic and willing to learn from others.

6. Conditions

Contract: The successful candidate will be offered a 1 year contract in accordance with DRC terms for National staff in Somalia.

Availability: 1^st October, 2017

Duty Station: Kismayo, Somalia with frequent travels to Dolow, and regular missions to project locations in Gedo region as needed.

General Commitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework. For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

Interested and qualified candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit their applications which should include a 1-page cover letter clearly stating their motivation and qualifications and CV to drcsjobs@drcsomalia.org with the subject heading
”Project Manager-Dialogue" not later than 16th October 2017

ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the written test and interview

(DRC is Equal Opportunity Employer)