Senior Field Officer

Position: Senior Field officer

Location: Jowhar, Somalia

Duration: 8 months, renewable based on performance, funds, and need for the position

Closing date: 6th May 2024

Organization: Alight

About Alight:

Alight is an international humanitarian organization dedicated to guiding displaced individuals through the journey from vulnerability to resilience, impoverishment to well-being, and exclusion to inclusion. Committed to co-designing solutions with a focus on radical accountability, Alight is a global force in building meaningful lives for and with displaced communities, implementing high-quality programs and services – all while developing trusting local partnerships that build resilience and shifts power back into the hands of local communities, where it belongs.

Role Overview: 

The senior Field officer is responsible for coordinating, consolidating, and ensuring smooth implementation of Alight program and operations’ activities and adherence to logistic, human resource, administration and security procedures in Jowhar. At the regional/district level, the senior field officer represents ALIGHT to relevant stakeholders. The senior field officer reports administratively to the Area Manager and technically/programmatic functions to the Project team lead.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Representation

• Act as the Head of ALIGHT office in Jowhar with oversight on administrative and operational activities.
• Build and maintain good working relationships with local authorities, government officials, UN representatives, INGO’s representatives, community leaders, and local NGO's at the district and regional level
• Develop relationships with administration at the district and regional level
• Attend coordination meetings and external relations at the district and regional level
• Accompany donor representatives and other official visitors on field visits.
• Ensure the solid integration of support services (finance, logistics, administration and human resources).
  
  

Supervise Operations

• Increase the quality of the operations management in the Office.

• Guarantee that operational procedures and guidelines are properly implemented.
• Assume overall responsibility for the security and safety of staff and assets within the area of responsibility.
• In coordination with the Security Officer, implement, revise and maintain written security procedures and protocols.
• Provide regular update on context analyses (situation reports). Ensure the technical teams report any incidents they come across in order to evaluate the security level and to constantly improve ALIGHT’s knowledge of all the aspects that influence people's lives in the area.
• Ensure that ALIGHT and donor HR and procurement procedures and policies are fully implemented and respected.

• Ensure that reports submitted to Mogadishu are timely, accurate and appropriate.

• Provide regular situation updates to the Mogadishu (principle) office.

Coordination of Program Activities 

• Ensure a timely and high-standard implementation of all ALIGHT projects in Jowhar and nearby districts (like Mahaday).
• Assess emerging needs and recovery priorities of the target population and develop concept papers in response to the needs identified.

• Draft, support, and revise the drafts of the donor’s reports as requested by technical department.
• Provide necessary support to program staff in implementing their respective programs.

National Staff Capacity Building and Supervision    

• Supervise all program support activities in Jowhar/Mahaday, including security management.

• Ensure that the technical staff run and report the program according to proposed activities.

• Supervise and build capacity for the competencies of all the field-based staff.
• Identify and train a national counterpart.

Qualifications: 

• Minimum 5 years experience in a program management position, preferably in complex emergency or post conflict setting, with supervisory responsibilities in administration, finance, logistics and security.

·       Minimum of 3 years of staff management experience.

• Experience in international relations, business management, public administration, operations.
• Related field Graduate degree. 

• Experience in managing multi-sectoral programs in a context of relief or recovery.
• Budget and financial control/management experience.
• Excellent administrative, communications, and decision-making skills.
• Experience liaising with local officials, local NGO agencies and donor representatives.

·       Highly motivated self-starter who takes direction well, but also works independently.

·       Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, effectively managing multiple priorities.

• Extremely flexible with the ability to cope with stressful situations.
• Ability to communicate and interact well with people of different educational, linguistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

·       Willingness to travel and live in remote and security difficult situation.

• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office.
• English fluency required.

Key Behaviors & Abilities: 

·          Previous experience within a humanitarian aid organization.

·          Previous experience within the region

·          Excellent computer skills to allow reporting and representation.

·          Ability to remain calm and to be diplomatic, both with the local health authorities and with the community.

·          Good organizational skills.

Note: Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply. 

How to Apply: 

Submit a one-page motivation letter and a current, updated CV (2-4 pages) with three references to [email protected] before the closing date. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

For more information about our work and impact: https://wearealight.org