Job Description

Title: Senior Project Officer – Hargeisa, Somaliland

Background of Shaqodoon Organization

Shaqodoon is a local NGO founded in 2011 to create innovative and long-lasting solutions to Somalia/land’s youth employment challenges. The organization designs, delivers and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the local community’s most urgent challenges in livelihood skill training, education, civic education, justice and health. Shaqodoon is a national platform whose goal is to prioritize youth employment and education on the development agenda and to exchange knowledge on effective policies and programs to improve employment and education opportunities for youth, prioritizing at risk youth, marginalized groups, and people who have lost hope and are thus often jailed for local crimes.

Job Purpose

Shaqodoon is hiring a competent, hardworking, reliable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic Senior Project Officer who will be responsible for the implementation of the business development, employment and innovation related programs of Shaqodoon Organization in Hargeisa.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Planning and management

•       Planning, directing, and coordinating the work and Projects of Shaqodoon Organization in Hargeisa

•       Represent Shaqodoon Organization at regional level conferences, meeting and sectoral level meetings organized by the Government, INGOs, UN, and the private sector.

•       Coordinate all project activities, from substantive, administrative, and financial points of view, applying strategic planning and systematic coordination of project activities.

•       Ensure timely preparation and compilation of the Project Annual/Quarterly Work Plans and Progress/Final substantial and Narrative and financial reports and its submission to donors as appropriate.

•       Guide and orient efforts and contributions of consultants, staff, and government counterparts towards achieving project objectives.

•       Ensure proper professional relationships with community leaders, the business community, local NGOs, and other Community-Based Organizations (Women's associations, youth associations, etc.).

•       Identify potential funding sources including donor, private and public sources

•       Record learnings and update project risks and mitigation on quarterly bases.

Entrepreneurship

•       Coordinate business coaching and training services for the target SMEs on productive and service sectors

•       Identify successful business coaches and trainers (with relevant professional or skills background) and match them with the relevant target SMEs and ensure that they receive the necessary assistance they need to achieve their goals

•       Assess business (startup, early stage and growth) capacity needs to prepare them for capacity building

•       Prepare TOR for the business coaches/trainer and supervise their tasks

•       Supervise training delivery of the business coaches and verify their services before receiving services payment

•       Contribute to new and innovative ideas and solutions to challenges of SMEs development and employment initiatives via entrepreneurship and business development services.

•       Organize business development events

•       Review training syllabuses for the SMEs training and development programs

Crowdfunding

•       Develop strategy for local fund mobilization learning from success of the previous model.

•       Identify the most innovative ideas to be fundraising for

•       Hold committee workshop and provide support to partners

•       Identify and Agree with CAAP projects with matching funds and crowdfunding. Open accounts for the community projects and link it to the platform.

•       Works closely with the Program Team to document and share successes and lessons learned

•       Assist partner staff and the committees to organize crowdfunding event

•       Develop relationships with funding sources and proactively promote the crowdfunding program to these partners.

•       Develop communications materials for social media

•       launch the crowdfunding on social media, local radio TV.

•       Committee members seek support from their diaspora.

•       Travel to partner offices for training and execution of crowdfunding campaigns.

•       Regularly upload project updates and stories on the crowdfunding platforms

•       Regularly promote the site and recommend new improvements for the platform.

•       Send regular reports to Shaqodoon

Jobs matching Internship

•        Support universities and the TVET centers in Somaliland secure internship, apprenticeship and job opportunities for their graduates

•        Identify the potential employers in the public and private sector who are willing to host interns

•        Supervise the internship/apprenticeship and job placement program during the attachment period

•        Mentor, coach and supervise the employee/intern/apprentices

•        Verify and record the placement confirmation letters and the contracts with the hosting/hiring employers

•        Supervise the implementation of soft skill and entrepreneurship development initiatives

Coordination and relationship

•       Work with the program staff and other relevant line Ministries to identify and support the target beneficiaries

•       Create and maintain strong relationship with business associations, financial institutions (Banks, MFIs etc) and private sector actors through networking and partnerships.

•       Participate relevant consortium meetings and on behalf of Shaqodoon Organization.

•       Identify partners, assist them and draft MOU and TOR for the partner universities and any other implementing local partners

•       Any other duties assigned by the supervisor or his designee

Reporting and monitoring

•       Responsible for submitting monthly and quarterly activity/monitoring reports and meeting minutes of the assigned projects

•       Undertake assessments, reviews and other monitoring activities according to plans and initiate taking corrective actions.

•       Prepare success stories from the different beneficiaries

•       Assist the M&E and the program management team regarding the effective management implementation and monitoring of the project

Experiences and Qualifications

Skills and Qualifications

•       A university degree preferably master’s in business administration, economic, entrepreneurship, commerce, agriculture, fishery or education.

•       Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in similar managerial role preferably in SMEs development, entrepreneurial, crowdfunding and employment

•       Experience in program management, M&E, designing capacity building and entrepreneurship training sessions and developing relevant materials.

•       Ability to multi-task and meet tight deadlines and effectively handle stressful situations.

•       Strong analytical thinking and precise interpretation of data.

•       Excellent leadership skills with demonstrated abilities to work well independently as well as part of a team to resolve diverse problems.

•       Ability to understand the importance of structure, organization, resource management and commitment to organizations mandate and objectives.

•       Excellent verbal and written communication skills - an interest in storytelling

•       Strong report writing skills is essential

•       Proficiency in computer applications such as MS packages, MS Word and Excel

•       Strong social media skills; ability to plan and conduct social media campaigns and updates

•       Experience in fundraising including online campaigns and community outreach

•       Interested in the non-profit sector

•       Must be resident of Hargeisa.

•       Strong report writing skills is essential

Skills Required

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