PROJECT: EU – Somalia Technical Assistance and Partnership Facility (TAPF)

DAI is looking for: State Level Coordinator (Hargeisa, Somaliland)

BACKGROUND 
The European Union – Somalia Technical Assistance and Partnership Facility (TAPF) is a five-year initiative designed to support the European Union Delegation (EUD) to Somalia’s engagement in and cooperation with the Federal Republic of Somalia, and to expedite progress towards achievement of the 2030 global Agenda for Sustainable Development. 
The project is being implemented through a service contract, signed between the EUD and DAI Global Belgium, and operates from DAIs offices in Mogadishu and Nairobi.
The project duration runs for a total term of 60 months, from 1st January 2024, through to 31st December 2028 (subject to adaptation and revision). 

It is resourced and implemented by a full-time Key Expert 1 / Team Leader and a full-time Key Expert 2: Partnership Advisor, complemented by seven full-time State-level Coordinators (six of whom have been in place and operational for a period of more than a year) and a full-time Senior Technical Advisor, working with and supporting the federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development. 

In addition, the project has an allocation of short-term, non-key expert days divided into three categories, which are (respectively): State Level Senior Technical Advisors, Senior Non-key Experts and Junior Non-key Experts, to fulfil demand-driven tasks in accordance with the project’s overall Terms of Reference and in line with its “facility” modus operandi. 
Key experts are supported by in-country administrative staff in Mogadishu and Nairobi, responsible for local administration, operational logistics and financial management, while overall project delivery is underpinned and supervised by DAI’s backstopping and support service team, based in Europe. 
 

OBJECTIVES 
Project objectives

The TAPF has three main result areas:

• I.    Strengthening the capacity of the Government of Somalia, at both Federal and State levels, and in particular the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED), to deliver on its mandate, with respect to the National Transformation Plan (NTP) and the wider development agenda. 
• II.    Strengthening identification, formulation, implementation and monitoring of European Union funded programmes in Somalia, covering renewable energy, the environment, climate change adaptation and natural resources management, amongst other topics. 
• III.    Enhancing partnerships and facilitation of policy dialogue on key topics for EU-Somalia cooperation. 
   

The project is expected to deliver a range of technical support activities structured around these result areas, in relation to both Federal (FGS) and Member State (FMS) institutions, selected non-state actors, and the EUD itself. Deliverables may include multi-stakeholder engagement activities, including community consultations, planning, project and programme design, technical studies and analyses, policy formulation and advisory support, cross-cutting thematic analyses, and monitoring and evaluation activities.

Assignment objectives
The State Level Coordinator (SLC) will play a central role supporting the Somaliland Government in engagements with beneficiary agencies and coordination of EU – Somalia cooperation. The SLC will support planning and delivery of the full range of state-level TAPF activities, structured around the three components of the TAPF programme listed above, including supporting state institutions with capacity development needs consistent with Somalia’s National Transformation Plan planning process, supporting the EUD with state-level demand-driven technical assistance tasks, and delivering EU – Somalia policy dialogue activities and events. 
 

SCOPE 

General
Working closely with programme Key Experts (KE1 and KE2), assist in TAPF state-level delivery and programme implementation, through coordinating with relevant stakeholders to design and facilitate priority national transformation plan-related activities. 
In addition to general administrative and logistics management capacity and skills, the SLC will possess and bring to the position, one (or more) area of specific, complementary, technical expertise relevant to EU-Somalia cooperation (renewable energy, the environment, climate change adaptation and natural resources management) and / or the six general thematic areas identified during preparation and compilation of the TAPF 2025 – 2026 Work Plan (“Development Planning”, “Investment Policies and PPP”, “Monitoring and Evaluation Support”, “TVET Support”, “Climate Resilience and Environment” and “Aid Management and Coordination”).
 

Target Groups
The State Level Coordinator’s main partner will be the Somaliland Ministry of Planning and National Development. It is expected that the SLC will work with and be based in the Ministry of Planning and National Development in Hargeisa, from where he / she will liaise and coordinate with other relevant state institutions. 
The SLC will also interact with non-state actors, such as civil society organisations and interest groups (women, youth, private sector and the business community), and international donor representatives, facilitating their participation in policy dialogue activities, and sector-based analysis and consultations, e.g. state-level consultations and validation events. 
The work of the TAPF ultimately benefits Somali citizens through increased effectiveness of EU and other development partners’ development cooperation across the country.
 

Specific Activities
The SLC is expected to participate in the the following activities and complete the following tasks:

1. In collaboration with the Ministry Director General, and under the supervision of the TAPF Team Leader and Key Expert 2, proactively drive day-to-day engagement with and promote cooperation and coordination between assigned MDAs / government counterpart agencies.
2. Ensure the effective and timely engagement of government MDAs (notably, relevant Ministries, the private sector and other partners) with EU programmes and programming, through effective communication, consultation and relationship building. 
3. Provide contextual analysis to the TAPF management on institutional structures, processes, relationships, issues and priority needs, relevant to TAPF state-level activities.
4. Provide proactive support to state level strategy and policy development and to sector initiatives and opportunities addressing felt needs.
5. Provide advice and capacity support on national transformation processes, and in specific sectors where the SLC brings technical specialisation and “value added”.
6. Support work plan and technical progress monitoring, learning and reporting functions on behalf of TAPF.
7. Coordinate and drive collaboration with selected stakeholders on policy issues, as a part of the state-level TAPF policy dialogue component.
8. Perform other ad-hoc technical and coordination tasks, as assigned by the contracting authority and / or Team Leader.
    

DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING 

• Deliver assigned state-level work plan activities, ensuring endorsement and approvals as needed from beneficiaries, and the EUD as Contracting Authority.
• Provide a monthly report to the TAPF Team Leader, briefly summarising all work carried out by the SLC and identifying any issues encountered and lessons learned.
• Contribute (substantively) to preparation of TAPF interim six-monthly progress reports, as directed by the Team Leader.
• Provide workshop facilitation, or co-facilitation, including making presentations and leading discussion, in line with SLC / TAPF work plan requirements.
• Ensure TAPF outputs and other relevant materials are recorded on the TAPF internal SharePoint platform. 
• Ensure financial and administrative records are duly obtained and returned to relevant TAPF support staff, in line with project and EUD policy.

The working language of the assignment and contract will be English, and all communication and reports will be submitted in English.
 

State Level Coordinator Requirements

• University degree (preferably a Masters’) in social and political science, economics, planning or a related field. 
• At least 5 years of practical work experience, working with an international organisation, private sector company, non-governmental organisation or government institution.
• Previous work experience as a technical assistant / technical advisor, embedded within a host government department preferred (inclusive mentoring and capacity development experience, leading development programmes and / or  implementation of policies, strategies and operational plans). 
• Previous experience (at least one assignment) in facilitation of multi-stakeholder workshops / consultations (inclusive in-depth knowledge of and familiarity with focus group discussion and other interactive data collection methodologies, preparation of PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and moderating workshop plenaries). 
• Strong communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and spoken / verbal communication skills in both English and Somali.
• Strong organisational and analytical skills.
• Extensive knowledge of the local (Somali) development context.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities effectively.
• Special criteria: Demonstrated extensive knowledge of the applicable “place of posting” government institutions, development actors and processes, and specialist technical knowledge of one or more sectors comprising the foundation pillars in the current development planning framework.
   

Location and travel: The main place of assignment shall be Hargeisa, Somaliland. Regular travel within Somaliland, and possibly in greater Somalia, is foreseen, and will be subject to relevant project and EU policies and security considerations and assessments. 

The role will be based in the Somaliland Ministry of Planning and National Development in Hargeisa. 

Input:   220 working days over the 12 months (extendable subject to project requirements, performance and resourcing).

Start date & duration: The role is expected to start in February 2026, approximately (subject to adjustment) and run for a term of approximately 12 months, counting from the date of deployment of the expert. 

Deadline for submission of CVs : not later than 15th of February 2026

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.