Job Description

Position: Program Officer.

Start date: Immediately.

Job Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Contract Details: 1-year with possibility of extension.

Reports to: Executive Director.

Position open to Somaliland Nationals only.

Background

SONYO- abbreviated for Somaliland National Youth Organization. Are nonprofit, non-partisan, non-political humanitarian and voluntary national youth umbrella whereby 56 Member of youth organizations are currently members. SONYO, established in June 5, 2003, is the first and the only nationwide youth umbrella in the country committed to empower and improve youth quality of life through provision of programs and services. Umbrella members include Youth NGOs, Associations, and Student Unions from higher educational institutions. The organization has a hierarchical structure with various lines and functions that define the roles, responsibilities, chain of command, units, departments and sections that execute project activities. Its aim is to identify, present and represent issues pertaining to youth at the national levels.

The Umbrella is committed to the redefinition of the role and purpose of the youth in economic, social and political leadership and governance over natural resources of the; and in mainstreaming the youth agenda in all decision-making processes of the country.

SONYO believes that investing in the youth (socially, politically, economically and even religiously) is one of the best panaceas for addressing the injustices, inequalities and poverty bedeviling the planet earth. The youth are and have the solution – they are the silver bullet to world’s crises and therefore it is not an option involving and engaging them towards solving local, national, regional, continental and even global problems. It is an obligation!

Primary Purpose:

SONYO Umbrella is seeking a qualified and committed program officer for the implementation of project called Strengthening the operating environment of CSOs ability to participate in advocacy for policy change and equality of marginalized groups is project funded by European Union and implementing as consortium by SONYO Umbrella.

The project is intended to institutionally strengthen the capacity of Somaliland civil society organizations (CSOs) and to improve the operating environment for vulnerable groups, and also to promote good governance, accountability, better coordination, and prioritization of the actions in order to ensure that CSOs participation and contribution both national and regional level is effective and sustainable.

The Program Officer will be a high-level professional with proven leadership and management skills and a strong knowledge of the international sustainability and development context. A confident presenter and analytical thinker, the successful candidate will demonstrate their ability to represent SONYO and related program issues to a wide range of audiences including donors, government representatives, business leaders, and UN agencies and other INGOs/LNGOs to build relationships and networks in a culturally sensitive manner. An ability to engage and empower people and inspire others to perform and grow will go hand in hand with excellent communication, networking and implementation skills. The Program Officer will be the primary support to organizational fundraising efforts, including organizational efforts to develop fee based income sources. The ideal candidate will have experience managing a mix of grant and fee-based income.

Key Responsibilities:

See below a list of the main responsibilities of the role. Please note that this may not be an exhaustive list and the successful candidate may also be expected to take on additional responsibilities within the overall scope of the role.

• Lead, manage and coordinate day‐to-day planning, implementation and management of project activities according to the project document and project log frame
• Develop and implement project plans with project staff, technical specialists and stakeholders to ensure effective project implementation
• Provide technical support and guidance on achieving inclusive decision sharing in local and national level.
• Ensure monitoring system and tools developed are used by project staff to track project progress, and capture learning
• Ensure project compliance with all legal and donor requirements
• Provide regular reporting to the Executive Director as per guidelines including preparation and consolidation of project monthly, quarterly and annual reports
• Monitor the context and carry out adjustments to project plans and management on an on-going basis in light of changing context, resources and opportunities
• Monitor project expenditure against budget, and preparation and submission of required project progress and financial reports on a regular basis
• Develop and maintain strong relationships within and outside SONYO including with the Government Agencies and with project partners, INGOs, local organizations, community leaders and relevant networks working in the district and including those working within the wider Youth empowerment sector
• Ensure that the donor guidelines are adhered to particularly in regards to grant acknowledgement and reporting
• Coordinate processes for project evaluation, document and share lessons learned with development partners and other stakeholders
• Excellent report writing skills and Good command of English both written and Spoken
• Any other duties assigned by project manager

Experiences and Qualifications

Master’s degree in Business management, economics, governance or related field.

• Proven 6-year experience working with youth of Somaliland through national or international agencies.
• Proven 6-year experience in dealing with a multi-donor NGO organization at a senior level management position.
• Accomplished leader with substantial experience in developing and managing high performing teams.
• Proven experience of developing and delivering strategy and communicating clearly about organizational priorities.
• Excellent public speaking abilities and experience in dealing with high level individuals (e.g. donors or government or corporate representatives) on a one to one basis.
• Demonstrable experience building networks and relationships with a wide range of actors in diverse countries, including governments, MO, INGOs/LNGOs, UN Agencies and local communities.
• Strong collaborative decision making ability and inclusive.
• fluency in English.

Desirable requirements

• Candidate must be experienced in project management, Youth organizations, Civil Society organizations, and international organizations and familiar with EU grant guidelines and donor compliances.
• She/ He should have extensive practical experience with developing program log frames. Co-creation and theory change.
• Critical thinking and insightful situational analysis with a profound understanding of Somaliland politics and democratization process.
• She/ He Must have knowledge about the private sector engagement and building relationships with government institutions.

Skills Required

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