Citizen Engagement Officer (Grade 7) – Abudwak

Job Description

SCOPE OF WORK

USAID/SOMALIA PEOPLE-CENTERED GOVERNANCE (PCG) ACTIVITY

PROPOSED PERSONNEL TBD

POSITION Citizen Engagement Officer (Grade 7)

MAXIMUM LEVEL OF EFFORT Full-time LTTA

BASE OF OPERATIONS Abudwak – Galmudug State – Somalia.

POSITION REPORTS TO FMS Specialist

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND:

USAID’s Somalia People-Centered Governance (PCG) Activity is a five-year program promoting more effective and legitimate local governance in Somalia. Through various interventions, the Activity will encourage inclusive, fair, and transparent behaviors and decisions that increase the legitimacy of District Councils (DCs). PCG brings citizens and DCs together to co-design activities that build a strong foundation for sustainable, inclusive governance processes and service improvements.

USAID PCG will promote more legitimate and effective local governance in southern Somalia and, in doing so, provide a credible alternative to al-Shabaab rule. Interventions under Intermediate Result 1 (“DCs are fairer and more inclusive”) seek to enhance the legitimacy of the Somali state by supporting districts to better manage resources and disputes (sub-IR 1.1) and promote more inclusive decision-making processes (sub-IR 1.2). Interventions under Intermediate Result 2 (“Improved performance of DCs”) seek to improve the performance – or effectiveness – of the Somali state by supporting districts to better respond to citizen priorities (sub-IR 2.1) and become more sustainable (sub-IR 2.2).

The USAID People-Centered Governance (PCG) Activity is supporting local governments in southern Somalia to improve their effectiveness and legitimacy. To accomplish this objective, the project implements activities aligned with two mutually interrelated and reinforcing immediate results, IR1) that District Councils (DCs) are fairer and more inclusive and IR2) that DCs improve their performance. PCG will engage at the Federal, State and local levels and will eventually work in several districts within four states (i.e. Galmadug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, and South West) Federal Member States of Somalia.

2. ROLE’S PURPOSE:

The Citizen Engagement Officer plays a pivotal role in the PCG activities, reporting directly to the FMS Specialist. The primary purpose of this role is to drive meaningful citizen participation and foster active engagement in public consultation processes and governance initiatives. The Citizen Engagement Officer

will work closely with the district council members, government bodies, and community members including clan elders, religious leaders, women, youth, minority and marginalized groups to ensure that the voices of citizens are heard, considered, and integrated into decision-making processes, thus enhancing transparency, accountability, and community-driven development initiatives. The Citizen Engagement Officer will be based in Abudwak District.

3. KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collaborate with the FMS Specialist and district council members to develop comprehensive public consultation strategies and plans that align with project objectives and timelines.

• Build and maintain relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including local government offices, civil society organizations, community leaders (clan and religious), and women, youth, minority and marginalized groups, to promote inclusive participation.

• Develop and implement outreach programs and campaigns to inform and engage citizens in public consultation activities, ensuring representation from women, youth, minority marginalized groups.

• Facilitate capacity-building activities and workshops for citizens to enhance their understanding of governance processes, rights, and responsibilities.

• Organize and lead public consultations, meetings, and feedback sessions, ensuring that citizen perspectives are captured and integrated into decision-making processes.

• Collect and analyze citizen feedback and input to provide insights and recommendations to PCG and district council members.

• Advocate for transparent and accountable governance practices, raising awareness about the importance of citizen engagement and its impact on community development.

• Maintain clear and regular communication with the FMS Coordinator, District Commissioner, providing updates on citizen engagement activities and progress towards PCG and local government goals.

• Support the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of citizen engagement initiatives and make the necessary recommendations for improvement.

• Document best practices, success stories, and lessons learned from citizen engagement activities to inform future project phases and initiatives.

• Other duties assigned by the FMS Coordinator that are consistent with the overall focus of the assignment.

Gender, Equity, Youth and Social Inclusion

• Provide technical guidance to the project team to ensure that gender and social inclusion considerations are mainstreamed in all stages of project cycle management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Support the project team in identifying and addressing gender-based barriers to women’s economic empowerment and access to resources and services.

• Develop and facilitate gender and social inclusion capacity-building workshops and trainings for district council members, partners, and stakeholders to promote better understanding on issues related to gender, youth, and social inclusion.

• Spearhead production of success stories related to women, youth and vulnerable populations including writing and taking high quality photos at events that show women and youth actively/productively engaged.

• Coordinate closely with communication team to make sure GEYSI initiatives and perspectives are promoted and highlighted in project communication materials and visibility events.

• Collaborate with the monitoring, evaluation and learning team to ensure that performance in gender and inclusion mainstreaming is assessed through target indicators that measure participation of women and youth, and area-consistent disaggregation of data by gender and other inclusion factors.

• Interface regularly with youth and women’s organizations and organizations that represent other vulnerable populations at the district level, and maintain positive, productive relationships with the representatives and their constituents.

• Ensure strong coordination and collaboration with other USAID funded activities working with vulnerable populations in the target district.

4. REPORTING

The Citizen Engagement Officer reports directly to the FMS Specialist and collaborates closely with the district commissioner and council members to ensure the successful implementation of PCG.

Skills and Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Social Sciences, Gender studies, Community Development, Public Administration).

• Knowledge of citizen engagement, participatory governance, and community development principles and practices.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and communities.

• Experience in project management and citizen engagement initiatives is preferred.

• Candidate`s who have prior experience in the local context is preferred highly.

• Technical experience exposure in governance programs is highly desired.

• Strong computer skills (MS Office Suite) preferred.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required, and strong interpersonal skills are also preferred.

• Fluency in both English and Somali is required.

How to apply

Interested applicants should send their application and CV through this pcg_recruitment@dai.com

Closing deadline: September 02, 2024.

Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.