Job description
Project summary
The Somalia Stability Fund Phase II (SSF II) is a £63 million multi-donor fund, managed through an £7.7 million Fund Manager (FM) contract with DFID, running from November 2016 to March 2020. SSF II has been an extremely successful programme in fulfilling its mandate to enhance stability, increase the legitimacy and capability of state institutions, enhance the participation and representation of women and excluded groups in governance structures, and reduce communities’ vulnerability to conflict. SSF II is a flexible programme, designed to adapt to emerging learning and an evolving and dynamic context.
SSF II operates across Somalia’s Federal Member States, working closely with governments and communities to understand stabilisation needs and priorities; and managing investment (grants and direct procurements), that address these, through selected implementing partners (investees).
The Fund Manager is overseen by a Secretariat Office, which includes a DFID secondee (Head of SSF), a secondee from the Netherlands and political advisers contracted through a Nairobi-based research organisation. The Fund Manager reports directly to DFID on all contractual matters.
The Stability Fund aims to contribute to enhancing stability in Somalia through the following programmatic outputs:
Fault-lines for political conflict (FGS-FMS, inter & intra state) are identified and appropriately addressed.
Enhanced popular participation in governance, particularly for women and excluded communities
Increased government visibility and community engagement
Reduced community vulnerability to conflict
About the role
SSF requires a full-time Programme Manager (PM) to be based in Nairobi, with travel to Somalia. The key tasks are to:
Manage the DFID contract and be responsible for ensuring a very good working relationship with DFID.
Provide the team with confidence that ASI systems and processes will support them in delivering on their work, whether that be from a DoC, operational, or personal perspective.
The following will be expected of you:
Timely delivery of the contract deliverables, including:
Performance milestones
Budget and finance deliverables
Risk registers
Audit reports
Lead, organise and prepare for the monthly DFID meetings
Manage STTA pool, recruitment and consultant outputs to ensure input to SSF strategy and workplan
Proactive building and maintenance of relationships with donor counterparts, ensuring the Fund is responsive to donor priorities and needs
Support on providing a monthly reporting and forecasting calendar to DFID that includes submission dates for the quarterly plan, financial forecasts and invoice submission
Work closely with Finance & Procurement Team to ensure timely forecasting and invoicing
Robust management of FM and Short Term Technical Assistance pool budgets
Provide support on the management of personnel and staffing issues for SSF II including the timely mobilisation of STTA consultants; quality assurance of outputs produced by the team; monitoring performance and any staff changes in line with ASI-Programme procedures
Support on managing SSF II Security and meeting ASI’s duty of care requirements, working with our security advisers, including: ensuring full compliance with ASI’s Duty of Care by staff and consultants; mitigation, management and escalation of security risks
Working with SSF Admin to ensure timely travel arrangements and insurance declarations
Work with SSF Admin team and Legal and Contracting corporate teams to ensure timely contracting of staff, consultants, sub-contractors and investees according to corporate approvals process
Compliance with all corporate policies and procedures within the programme and meeting all ASI internal reporting requirements
You will also be expected to be capable of the following:
Complete SSF II quarterly deliverables on time and within budget
Deliver accurate expenses and fees forecasts submitted monthly
Ensure all classified risks to project are documented, mitigated and escalated if need be
Develop strong and effective relationships with the SSF team in Nairobi and Somalia as well as develop a team culture within the SSF II team that reflects ASI values
Increase corporate knowledge of industry and political developments within Somalia
About you
You are passionate about delivering results on projects for developing economies. You have interest and experience in working in developing and conflicts affected environments.
You have a ‘can do’ attitude and think of innovative ways to overcome problems on the ground. We are looking for a new team member who combines technical ability with proven experience. It’s this combination that ensures we deliver real societal impact and measurable results beyond those anticipated.
You should have demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with people from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds. You should relish working in a team, should be innovative, energetic, positive, and genuinely committed to achieving lasting change in your work.
For the advertised roles Adam Smith International seeks the following skills and experiences:
Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Social Sciences or equivalent.
Good understanding of our clients and the marketplace, including:
Strategy
Political trends
Awareness of future business opportunities
Understanding of the theory and current trends in Somalia.
Good negotiation skills.
Good complex proposal writing skills.
Advanced project management skills.
Good people management skills.
Good budget, finance and forecasting skills.
Ability to build effective, credible client relationships and networks.
Excellent computer skills, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
Outstanding written English and communication skills.
Extensive years of relevant professional experience.
Project management experience working on DFID programmes.
Experience in fragile states.
Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa/horn of Africa.
What We Offer You
We offer you a dynamic and friendly team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. We have a strong commitment to our people and strive to live by our principles:
Take responsibility (Accountability). We are individually and collectively accountable for what we do.
Always find a way (Resourcefulness). We think innovatively to reach a solution.
Promote Quality (Excellence). We maintain and promote professional standards in everything we do.
Commit to the Outcome (Achievement). We take pride in delivering our best to achieve results
We’ve built a culture to reflect our principles, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do. We offer a highly competitive compensation package and excellent benefits.
Deadline for applications will be Wednesday, July 18th.
Shortlisted applicants only will be contacted.
Thank you for your interest.
ASI is committed to continually improving the diversity of our workforce through the attraction, retention and development of a diverse range of talented people. We want people to be comfortable bringing their whole self to work and recognise that inclusion brings further opportunities for innovation and creativity.
