Overview of CTG:

• CTG support and manage humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world. With past performance in 15 countries – from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America – we offer a holistic fabric of project management, implementation and support. Skilled in emergency response to crises such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we have the ability to act quickly (crisis response teams can be on the ground in 24 hours) and to establish structured operations in high-risk environments. CTG recruit and manage qualified, skilled teams with extensive experience operating in challenging conditions.

Overview of the position:

The Federal Govt. of Somalia (FGS) through MoLSA is implementing the ‘Somalia Shock Responsive Safety Net for Human Capital Project’ (SNHCP) also known as Baxnaano in Somali meaning ‘uplifting,’ supported by WB. The project has 3 components:

• Nutrition linked unconditional cash transfers that will provide cash assistance to selected chronically poor & vulnerable households.
• Delivery systems & institutional capacity building for the provision of policy support, technical assistance for the development of safety net delivery systems, a unified social registry, Management of Information System (MIS), operational procedures for registration, enrolment, targeting, grievance redress, payment delivery, monitoring, community outreach, information campaign & capacity building activities.
• Project management, M&E & knowledge management to establish a Project Implementation Unit (PIU), strengthen MoLSA’s coordination arrangements, promote learning & knowledge management through robust M&E & support the design of concept note of a pilot productive safety net targeted at youth.

Under component 2, our client will support the FGS to establish the key building blocks of a national shock responsive safety net system. our client as a primary partner with MoLSA, will continue to provide support on the policy framework further by supporting the implementation of various initiatives including provision of technical assistance & capacity building. Our client has a strong interest in supporting the development of govt. led institutions & programs. In line with that, the social policy, equity & gender team in the country has been working on social protection in Somalia over the last decade, supporting the FGS with institutional capacity building & the development of the national social protection policy that was approved by the cabinet on 18 July 2019 & launched on 17 September 2019. The SNHCP enables our client to maintain the efforts to support the FGS & take them to the next level, i.e. to establish an inclusive social protection system, which can cater to the needs of all vulnerable persons, according to their respective needs.

Role objective:

Under the guidance & direct supervision of our clients Project Coordinator SNHCP & in close collaboration with the SNHCP MoLSA PIU, the Social Protection Specialist will provide technical support & assistance to the implementation of component 2 activities of the SNHCP. Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for providing support to MoLSA for the functioning of the 2 social protection governance bodies (National Social Protection Steering Committee (SPSC) & Govt. Led Social Protection Working Group (GLSPWG)) & for capacity building & knowledge management of the SNHCP project by working closely with the MoLSA Knowledge Management Consultant. Specifically, the Social Protection Specialist will be responsible for the following:

Support to social protection policy & governance: Enable MoLSA to establish a governance arrangement to provide oversight, monitoring & policy making support to the implementation of the social protection policy. To do this, the Social Protection Specialist will perform the following tasks:

• Upon FGS endorsement of the TORs, our client will support MoLSA in drafting the documents for the legal establishment of the SPSC.
• Under the technical guidance of the Project Coordinator SNHCP, facilitate & provide technical advice on the memberships & rules for the functioning of the SPSC, including the roles & responsibilities assigned by the govt. to the committee & policy options for the composition & chairmanship of the SPSC.
• Support the PIU in preparing a schedule for meetings & compile minutes of meetings for the 2 governance structures (SPSC & GLSPWG).
• Support MoLSA to advance social protection policy dialogue amongst national stakeholders to define the operationalisation of the institutional structures & business processes of the national safety net program that will be established by the FGS / MoLSA.

Capacity building: Support institutional & capacity building of MoLSA to plan, implement & monitor the social safety net program & lead relevant policy dialogue. In this regard, the social protection specialist will:

• Contribute to assessing capacity gaps in MoLSA & relevant line ministries in social protection delivery systems & identifying solutions for addressing those gaps.
• In collaboration with MoLSA PIUs & the Knowledge Management Consultant, prepare a capacity building plan for SNHCP linking it with the operational learning’s from the implementation of component 1, development & implementation of the govt.’s CT’s delivery system & structures training courses, conferences & south – south exchange.
• Facilitate capacity building through knowledge sharing on relevant aspects of cash transfer delivery by existing humanitarian programs, including WFP under component 1 of the SNCHP & the Shock Responsive Safety Net for Locust Response Project (SNLRP). This will be done through targeted workshops dedicated to specific topics related to the cash transfer business cycle (e.g. registration, payment delivery & grievance handling) focusing on the operational modalities used, their critical assessment & identification of their strengths & weakness, challenges & lessons learned etc.
• Identify structured training courses delivered by specialised institutions in areas of relevance to the social protection agenda in general & safety nets & support participation of PIU & other MoLSA staff for capacity building.
• Organise study tours & PIU’s participation in relevant conferences & policy fora.

Knowledge management: Documenting the lessons & experiences of implementation of the project, promoting ‘learning by doing’ & adjustments to project design, as well as knowledge dissemination. To this end the Social Protection Specialist will:

• Support the MoLSA Knowledge Management Consultant to undertake project review meetings on a monthly basis that aim to assess challenges & successes of the SNHCP.
• Working closely with the Knowledge Management Consultant, prepare & disseminate, jointly with the PIU, regular stock taking & learning notes on a quarterly basis. These will build on monthly meeting minutes but will be prepared for sharing with the wider audience of govt. agencies & development partners.
• Provide technical support to MoLSA (PIU Communications Officer) for developing & managing a program website & a well structured web-based repository on knowledge products with different access rights (public access, PIU access, MoLSA access).

Project reporting:

• This role reports to the SNHCP Project Coordinator. The Consultant shall submit monthly progress report to the Project Coordinator SNHCP on expected deliverable’s, with copies of field mission reports if any during the report. The Consultant will also participate in SNHCP review meetings.

Team management:

• This role does not have any team management responsibility.

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Social Science, Development Economics, Public Policy, & / or Business Administration, Communication, or closely related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 6 years of relevant progressive working experience at the national level in the areas of public administration, local development, management, social protection or another related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in design, implementation, or management projects in social protection, preferably in conflict affected or fragile settings.
• Relevant experience in govt. & / or a UN system agency or organisation is considered as an asset.

Required skills:

• Knowledge & practical experience in strategic planning, govt. engagement, communications & outreach, stakeholder cooperation & project cycle design, management & implementation.
• Excellent theoretical & operational understanding of the field of social protection, specifically social safety nets & cash transfer programs.
• Understanding of the overall political, administrative & institutional context of Somalia.
• Excellent computer skills (especially MS Office applications) & ability to use information technologies as a tool & resource.
• Excellent interpersonal skills & ability to communicate effectively, both orally & in writing.
• Ability to establish effective working relations in a multicultural team environment.
• Ability to multitask & work under tight deadlines in a highly complex environment.
• Ability to take initiative, work independently & deliver high quality results on time.
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders, especially govt. sectors.

Geographical experience:

• Must have solid experience of working in Somalia preferably in Mogadishu, Baidoa, Jowhar, Beletweyne, Hargeisa, Kismayo & Garowe.

Languages:

• Good command of English & fluency of Somali languages are required.

Core values:

• Commitment.
• Diversity & inclusion.
• Integrity.

Core competencies:

• Communication.
• Working with people.
• Drive for results.

Functional competencies:

• Formulating strategies & concepts.
• Analysing.
• Applying technical expertise.
• Learning & researching.
• Planning & organising.

Other relevant information:

• The assignment requires a full time commitment & the Consultant will be based in our clients Somalia country office in Mogadishu.
• Frequent interactions are expected with the SNHCP project implementation unit (PIU) staff based in MoLSA & the Consultant is expected to spend a significant amount of time in MoLSA office.
• The Consultant will be provided with a working space & equipment within our clients office.
• The assignment will initially cover the period from August 2020 to October 2020 (3 months), with possible extension based on the performance, needs & resource availability.
• The supervisor will assess the performance of the Consultant periodically.
• Monthly payment will be made based on satisfactory performance & deliverable’s approved by the supervisor.
• Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this role.