Senior Community Liaison Officer

Overview of position

Organisational context:

• Our client is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian & development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, they provide sustainable project management, procurement & infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors & United Nations organizations. With over 8,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, our client offers their partners the logistical, technical & management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for their partners at any given time, our client makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

KEMC:

• Located in Nairobi, Kenya, our clients Kenya Multi County (KEMC) office manages a growing portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in east & south of Africa, including associated strategic & operational risks. The KEMC office currently consists of an established operations center in, an office in Somalia & a portfolio of multiple transactional, procurement & infrastructure projects in Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya & several Atlantic & Indian Ocean island states.

Somalia office:

• Our clients Somalia office presently manages a significant portfolio of projects in Somalia & has its direct representational & oversight functions in Somalia, while maintaining a technical & administrative support capacity at the hub level in Nairobi. They work with multiple partners including the governments of Somalia, bilateral & multilateral donors & United Nations agencies, funds & programs.

Job specific:

• Somalia Urban Resilience Project – phase 2 (SURP – II) is a municipal governance & infrastructure development project financed by the World Bank & its partners, aimed at improving access to urban infrastructure & strengthening municipal governance in Somalia. Our lcient was contracted to prepare feasibility studies, detailed design, safeguard instruments & bedding documents technical assistance to the SURP – II Mogadishu. The works involve undertaking road survey & alignment, geotechnical & traffic count information as well preparing detailed design for urban roads & drainage & bedding documents. The work implementation is managed by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the respective government. Our client also is specifically involved in the contracts management & construction supervision support to the PIU to ensure the works are implemented in accordance with the technical design, specifications & engineering standards as specified in the contract documents & also in compliance with environmental & social safeguards standards. Working alongside with the PIU, our client also contributes to strengthen PIU staff capacity through ‘on the job’ training.

Role objectives

The Senior Community Liaison Officer embedded within the PIU office will support the PIU in liaising with the local community & local government authorities to ensure the SURP II project activities are implemented as per schedule & scope, addressing the day to day concerns of the community & acceptable to all stakeholders. The position roles & responsibilities include:

• Facilitate communication: Act as a central point of contact for all communication between our client, PIU & different departments, teams, or organizations. Ensure that information is accurately shared & understood by all parties involved. Facilitate the smooth liaison between our clients team, BRA / districts & PIU by maintaining regular contacts & networking with communities. Maintain regular contacts & networking with the project stakeholders & facilitate the smooth liaison between the PIU, local authorities, community & our clients team.
• Coordinate collaboration: Foster collaboration between various stakeholders by organizing meetings & conferences. Facilitate discussions, brainstorming sessions, or problem solving meetings to encourage effective teamwork & achieve common goals. Maintain a detailed & accurate record of meetings including agendas, attendance records, meeting minutes, follow up / action points etc.
• Relationship management: Build & maintain strong relationships with PIU, district administration offices. Develops a deep understanding of their needs, expectations & concerns. Act as their advocate & representative to ensure their interests are represented & addressed. Ensure that communities at the targeted sites are kept abreast of the project developments & communication channels remain open with the communities.
• Conflict resolution: Identify & resolve any conflicts or issues that arise between different parties. Mediate conversations. Secure approvals & find mutually beneficial solutions. Foster a positive & harmonious working environment. Share community concerns with the PIU & facilitate the process of resolving the issues & convey the PIU responses to the concerned communities.
• Project support: Provide support to ongoing projects by coordinating activities, tracking progress & reporting status updates to relevant government stakeholders. Ensure that project related information is properly documented & shared.
• Information management: Manage the flow of information between different parties. Keep all stakeholders informed about relevant updates, changes, or decisions. Ensure that all necessary documentation is properly organized & accessible.

Impact of results:

• The effective & successful achievement of results by the Senior Project Manager directly impacts on achievement of the projects & consequently reinforces the visibility & image of our client as an effective service provider in project services & management & strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development & project services.

Project reporting

• The Senior Community Liaison Officer will report to the Senior Project Manager.

Key competencies

• A minimum of five years of experience in communication & liaison, interpreting / translation related fields is required.
• Strong local knowledge & understanding of Mogadishu context.
• Experience of working local government institutions & have strong community liaison experience skills.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools & Google Suite products is required.
• Excellent command of Somali & English language (oral & written) is required.
• Ability to plan, organize, manage & implement work assignments, juggle competing demands & work under pressure of frequent & tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment & decision making skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills & ability to establish & maintain effective partnerships & working relations with people in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment with sensitivity & respect for diversity.

Team management

• This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.