Job Title: Partner Liaison Officer

Location: Based in Mogadishu with frequent travels to Lower Juba

Job Holder Reports To: Senior Project Manager

Role Overview

The Partner Liaison Officer (PLO) develops and maintains good relationship with all Medair implementing partners in Somalia. Keeps an updated log sheet of their supported projects, activities, key project timelines to include and not limited to important project milestones and reporting. Coordinates their implementation to ensure strict alignment to Medair and other donors’ requirements. Studies partner project agreements and ensures strict adherence to the terms and conditions of the partnership. This involves effectively monitoring project implementation in line with project objectives and indicators. Monitors partner budget with a focus on the agreed upon activities, staffing levels and reporting accordingly. Organizes regular catch-up meetings with the partners senior management and joint implementation meetings with Medair.

Project Overview

Somalia has been experiencing conflicts in the last three decades. The three decades conflicts have left many families homeless, many families ran away as refugees, other resettled away from home as Internally displaced Persons (IDPs) hosted by host communities. In the recent past the country has been experiencing hostile climatic conditions due to climatic changes and global warming. Floods for communities living along the river line have become common following flush floods. Prolonged droughts as a consequent of failed rain seasons both long and short have led to loss of livestock, livelihood and forced communities to ran away from rural areas in search of humanitarian aid in different regions. Desert locusts have been experienced in Somalia and the greater Horn of Africa which destroyed crops and vegetation cover, triggering a series of food and livelihood shortages. Disease outbreaks such as Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD), measles have increased. Malnutrition has become common affecting mostly children under 5 years, Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLWs). Huge health and Nutrition gaps have increased. The role requires someone experienced in working with partners, a good understanding of the humanitarian context to facilitate partner implementation of improvements through health system strengthening, Pharmaceutical and other Medical Commodities management and community members engagement. The role will involve travels to rural project sites and mentoring partner staff. An integrated Health, Nutrition and WASH Infrastructure approach is applied in the supported Health facilities with a strong community Care Group model component in the accessible facilities and an Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) approach in the difficulty to reach communities.

Key Activity Area

Health, WASH and Nutrition Liaison roles and responsibilities

• Closely work with partner management team to ensure the assigned health project objectives, indicators and activities are implemented in a timely manner.
• Prompt reporting of any delayed milestone or operational concerns to line manager, such as failure to meet objectives and beneficiary needs.
• Regular provision of feedback on the different partner progress towards planned activities.
• Ensure project objectives and indicators are clear and understood by all the partners.
• Continuously – monitor progress of the integrated health, nutrition, and WASH activities as per the donor and partner agreements.
• Take part during joint Medair/partner supportive activities supervisions at project locations.
• Provide support towards the integration of beneficiary participation and accountability in all partner project activities.
• Participate in all needs assessments and actively contribute towards project proposal development new proposals.
• Provide support in project activities monitoring and reporting including Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM)

Partner Staff

• Participate in joint partner staff recruitment process.
• Follow up on any human resource gaps that occur due to leave or maternity breaks and ensure covers are recruited well in advance.
• Arrange for training and coaching meetings between Partner staff and Medair program mentors to capacity build partner staff on developing ownership and taking full responsibility for Health, WASH and Nutrition activities.

Partner agreements and financial Obligations

• Participate in the drafting of partner agreements, discussing their provisions with the partners and ensuring strict adherence to their terms and conditions.
• In collaboration with the project managers, discuss and understand the partner budget and appraise it regularly against the actual spending to ensure that there are no major deviations.
• In collaboration of the Deputy Finance Manager, coordinate between partners and Medair to ensure smooth financial processes and timely financial disbursements.
• Ensure partners submit timely financial records that are in accordance with Medair and donor financial reporting guidelines.

Partner Communication and Coordination

• Maintain regular, transparent and supportive communication to the partners on Medair policies and donor guidelines.
• Facilitate and participate in Medair/ partner communication and coordination meetings.

Partner Logistics

• Liaise with logistics team to ensure all Medair/partner logistic and supply chain activities are fulfilled in a timely manner, tracked, and properly documented.
• Liaise with logistics team to ensure stock transportation from Medair and other third-party stakeholders are timely, tracked and properly documented.