Job Description

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)

Individual Selection of Consultant

Country: Federal Government of Somalia

Project ID No. P508408

Name of the Project: Bulsho Project - Strengthening Community Institutions for Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Resilience

Consulting Service: Bulsho PIU Local governments and community development specialist - LG&CD Specialist.

Individual/Firm: Individual

Ref No: ------------------

Duty Station: Garowe, Puntland, Somalia (with potential travel to the target Districts and Cities of Bulsho Project)

Deadline: 29th April, 2026

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The Bulsho Project – Strengthening Community Institutions for Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Resilience (P508408) is under the lead of the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation – MoIFAR of the Federal Government of Somalia and responsible for the national program called Bulsho, the Somali word for society. The Bulsho Program puts citizens and communities at the center of the government’s action.  The Bulsho Program is a Somali government-led initiative designed to strengthen community and local institutions, fostering social cohesion, inclusion, and resilience. As Somalia continues its recovery from two decades of civil war, the program places a strong emphasis on enhancing service delivery, rebuilding the social contract, and promoting community-centered governance. This uniquely Somali-owned and -driven initiative underscores government ownership and leadership at federal, member state, and district levels, ensuring institutional sustainability and the realization of key policy outcomes.

The Ministry of Interior, Federalism and Democratisation of Puntland State of Somalia have established Project Implementation Units - PIUs, headed a State Project Managers, which have the responsibility for the activities that take place in Puntland State..

The PIUs are responsible for managing project activities at state-level and to liaise with districts. Specifically, the PIUs are responsible for: (i) Verifying eligibility of districts, appraising districts’ request to participate – this includes allocation of Bulsho packages and conducting lottery for each package and verifying the fulfilment of district commitments. (ii) Preparing state-level procurement plans. (iii) Preparing annual project work plans and budgets for state-level activities. (iv) Carrying out procurement for state-level activities. (v) Managing the contract with the logistic firm. (vi) Delivering capacity building activities and providing quality assurance and technical backstopping to districts - this includes trainings of district officials and staff. as well as community entities that play a role in the project. (vii) Preparing requisitions for funds to be transferred to districts, as per the project workplan, and in accordance with the grant agreement/sub-agreements and this POM and its annexes. (viii) Preparing quarterly narrative and financial reports for project activities taking place in their states. (ix) Verifying technical and E&S appraisal of local investments (Component 3) as well as other E&S actions as per the Environment and Social Management Plan. (x) Verifying the soundness of sustainability plans for the local investment prepared by the districts, including Operations & Maintenance (O&M) plans and the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the management of local infrastructures; and (xi) Preparing security management plans and applying security protocols in partnership with the security firm.

The Ministry of Interior, Federalism and Democratisation of Puntland State of Somalia is seeking to use a portion of the Bulsho Project to finance the recruitment of a Local Government & Community Development – LG&CD Specialist to support the Puntland Project Implementation Unit - PIU. 

Responsibilities: For the Bulsho Project activities, the Local Government and Community Development Specialist will support the PIU in ensuring effective implementation of Bulsho’s participatory planning and community-driven components at state and district levels. The objective is to operationalize the Local Social Contract Platform, facilitate inclusive planning and decision-making, and strengthen district and community capacities to manage Bulsho-funded activities. The Specialist will provide hands-on technical support to district governments and community institutions to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability of Bulsho processes, with particular focus on the design and implementation of matching grants, use of voice vouchers, and support to communities in executing local investments.

The Local Government and Community Development Specialist will work closely with the PIU Social Safeguarding and Gender Specialist, Environmental Safeguarding Specialist and PCU Local Government and Community Development Specialists to ensure effective information sharing, oversight, guidance, and technical backstopping. The role will also provide technical support and capacity building to cities and districts under Puntland.

Experiences and Qualifications

Selection Criteria: The selection shall be based on qualification, experience and skills of the candidate and followed by an interview. The qualifications, experience and competencies include:

1-      Educational Background

·         University degree in social sciences, Social Works, development studies, Political Science, International Relations, Peace & Governance, International Humanitarian Action, Public Administration. A master’s degree is an advantage.

·         Professional certification in local governance, service delivery and capacity-buildings (Training of Trainer – ToR) is highly desirable.

2-      Professional Experience

·         Minimum of 7 years relevant experience community- development, participatory planning, and local governance, with demonstrated hands-on experience at both community and district level.

·         At least 5 years’ experience working with government and/or donor-funded programs supporting Community and Local Development (CLD), Community-Driven Development (CDD) or similar approaches, including direct involvement in community-level implementation of grants, community contracting, and community-led investments, preferably in fragile or conflict-affected contexts.

·         Demonstrated experience in mobilizing communities for collective action, including community contributions or fundraising, is an advantage.

·         Demonstrated experience in designing and facilitating participatory planning processes at both district and community level.

·         Proven track record in capacity building of local governments, community institutions, and civil society actors.

·         Note: pre-university graduation experiences will be not counted. Experience limited to policy development, advisory roles, or research without direct involvement in implementation of community-level processes will not be considered sufficient.

3-      Skills and competencies

·         Strong facilitation and community engagement skills, with the ability to promote inclusion of women, youth, minorities, and marginalized groups.

·         Solid understanding of participatory planning, social accountability tools (e.g., scorecards, grievance redress), and community procurement practices.

·         Strong interpersonal and mentoring skills, with ability to work collaboratively in multicultural environments and under challenging conditions.

·         High standards of integrity, ethical conduct, and professional accountability.

·         Excellent written and oral communication and representation skills.

·         Proficiency with MS Office applications and familiarity with digital tools for participatory planning and reporting.

5-      Knowledge

·         Good understanding of Community and Local Development (CLD), Community-Driven Development (CDD) or similar approaches in Somalia, including participatory planning, community contracting, and community-level financial management.

·         Familiarity with World Bank approaches to community-driven development and local governance.

·         Awareness of the political, social, and cultural dynamics affecting community engagement and local governance in Somalia, especially in the state and at local level.

6-      Language skills/requirement.

·         Excellent command of Somali language, e.g., reading, writing and presenting is essential

·         Excellent command of English language, e.g., reading, writing and presenting is essential.

REPORTING

The Local Government & Community Development – LG&CD Specialist will report to the Puntland Bulsho PIU Project Manager.

TIMING Duration of Assignment:

The Local Government & Community Development – LG&CD Specialist shall be contracted for up to 12 months with 3 months of probationary period) and renewable upon satisfactory performance.

The Ministry of Interior, Federalism and Democratization of Puntland State of Somalia now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-mentioned services. Interested consultants must provide the following (i) Curriculum Vitae (CV) with 3 reference persons; (ii) copies of certificates of academic qualifications; and (iii) cover letter indicating that they are qualified to perform the services.

Skills Required

Attachment

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