Position:                                                Project Officer

Department:                                        Project Implementation Unit

Location:                                               Baidoa/Berdale

Contract Duration:                              6 months

Direct Hierarchy:                 Project Manager

Starting date:                                       January 2024

Background on ACTED

Created in 1993, ACTED is an international non-governmental organization pursuing a dual mandate of emergency response and development interventions in 40 of some of the world’s most vulnerable countries affected by conflicts, disasters, or socio-economic hardship. With a team of 7,000 national staff and 400 international staff, ACTED implements 500 projects a year to support more than 20 million beneficiaries, notably in hard-to-reach areas.

ACTED goes to the last mile through programs and approaches that look beyond the immediate emergency towards opportunities for longer term livelihood reconstruction and sustainable development. Guided by the motto “Think Local, Act Global” and its 3Zero –Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, and Zero Poverty – strategy, ACTED puts local territories at the centre and provides a tailored support to local needs.

ACTED is looking for professionally confident, self-motivated, experienced, and committed team player to fill the Project Officer position to based in Baidoa/Berdale, Somalia.

Position Profile:

The Peacebuilding Project Officers will be responsible for the design, implementation, and monitoring of the ACTED peacebuilding project in South-west state, which is currently ongoing in Baidoa, Baraawe, Bardale, and Hudur. Under the supervision of the Peacebuilding Manager, he/she will be responsible for the day-to-day coordination and building relationships with local partners. He/she will support the implementation of peacebuilding initiatives - peacebuilding campaigns and provide capacity-building trainings to local partners and women-led CSOs. The Project Officer will manage relationships with key local stakeholders in the targeted communities and lead community engagement activities. He/she will work closely with local partner staff, as well as women led CSOs and community leaders, to develop and implement community public awareness campaigns and promote women's empowerment and their involvement in peacebuilding processes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Project Officer will undertake the following key responsibilities:

a)       Develop and maintain strong working relationships with consortium members and partners, fostering effective communication and collaboration.

b)       Ensure timely and effective implementation of Peacebuilding activities in all target locations.

c)       Provide capacity building support and trainings to local partners under the consortium on all Peacebuilding tools and approaches.

d)       Manage relationships with key local stakeholders in the communities targeted by the project and lead community engagement activities.

e)       Closely work with the Local Partner staff as well as local women CSOs and community leaders to develop and implement 12 months community public awareness campaigns to promote knowledge sharing and women empowerment in peacebuilding processes.

f)        Assist Project Consortium assistant with coordination of partnership activities and communicate with partners on implementation progress across all target locations.

g)       Provide technical support and guidance to the partner organizations in the design and implementation of peacebuilding initiatives particularly during the peacebuilding campaignsMonitor project activities, assess progress, and identify challenges or bottlenecks, proposing appropriate solutions.

h)       Prepare regular progress reports, including narrative and financial reports, in accordance with donor requirements and organizational guidelines.

i)         Support the development and implementation of project monitoring and evaluation frameworks, ensuring data collection, analysis, and reporting.

j)         Promote gender equality and social inclusion by ensuring meaningful participation of women and marginalized groups in project activities.

k)       Contribute to knowledge management and learning by documenting best practices and lessons learned from the project

TECHNICAL SKILLS

l)         Project Management: Ability to plan, implement, and monitor projects, including developing work plans, setting timelines, and tracking progress.

m)     Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution: Strong understanding of peacebuilding methodologies, conflict analysis, and conflict resolution techniques.

n)       Gender Mainstreaming: Knowledge and experience in integrating gender considerations and promoting gender equality in peacebuilding initiatives.

o)       Monitoring and Evaluation: Proficiency in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.

p)       Stakeholder Engagement: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage with diverse stakeholders, including civil society organizations, community leaders, government representatives, and donors

a)       Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as peacebuilding, international development, or social sciences. A master's degree will be an advantage.

b)       Proven experience (at least 3 years) in project coordination or management, preferably in peacebuilding or related fields.

c)       Strong understanding of peacebuilding concepts, conflict resolution, and gender mainstreaming.

d)       Familiarity with the local context and Experience in working with national partners, local/government authorities, civil society organizations and UN organizations.

e)       Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.

f)        Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.

g)       Proficiency in both written and spoken English is required. Additionally, fluency in the Somali language is essential. 

Qualified national persons with the required skills are invited to submit their applications accompanied by detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter as a single document i.e. with the cover letter being on the first page and the CV starting on the second page, detailing three work related referees and contacts to [email protected] and received on or before 5.00PM on 13th December, 2023 with the subject line “Project Officer – Baidoa/Bardale”

Please do not attach any other documents while sending your applications, if required they will be requested at a later stage.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ACTED will at no stage of recruitment process request candidate to make payments of any kind. Further, ACTED has not retained any agent in connection with recruitments.

ACTED is committed to protecting beneficiaries within our programmes from exploitation and abuse and any kind of misconduct. ACTED has specific policies, including PSEA and Child Protection, which outlines the expected behaviour and the responsibility of all staff, beneficiaries, consultants and other stakeholders and has zero tolerance towards misconducts. Any candidate offered a job with ACTED will be expected to sign ACTED’s organizational Policies and Code of Conduct as an annex to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

ACTED is an Equal Opportunity Employer.