Senior Technical Advisor (STA)

Job description

PROJECT: Technical Assistance and Partnership Facility [NDICI Africa/2023/451-029]
DAI is looking for a: Senior Technical Advisor (STA) for Drafting a National Aid Policy for the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED)
BACKGROUND 
The European Union funded Technical Assistance and Partnership Facility (TAPF) is a five-year initiative designed to support the European Union Delegation’s (EUD) engagement in and cooperation with the country, 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 Nairobi and Mogadishu.
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).
OBJECTIVES Project objectives
The TAPF has three main result areas:

• I. Strengthening the capacity of the Government, at both Federal and State levels, and in particular the Ministry of Planning, to deliver on its mandate, with respect to the national development agenda.
• II. Strengthening identification, formulation, implementation and monitoring of European Union funded programmes, 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 in EU cooperation.

General Assignment objectives
Somalia’s first national development plan comprised a five-year programme that was launched soon after independence in 1960 and covered the period from 1962 to 1967. The purpose of the National Development Plan was to define national development objectives and to formalise the planning process in the context of contemporary institutional architecture.

This first national development plan was followed by a further six (6) three and five-year plans (NDP-2 NDP-3 and NDP-5, and NDP-4, NDP-6 and NDP-7, respectively), the last of which was largely ineffective, as the country descended into civil war and a prolonged period of administrative dysfunction, starting at the end of the 1980s.
After a long break, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) prepared its first new development plan in 25 years (NDP-8), covering the four-year period from 2016 to 2019, after which the country introduced a five-year plan (NDP-9), which ran from January 2020 until the close of 2024.

Like its predecessors, NDP-9 functioned as the primary instrument through which FGS sought to facilitate strategic alignment between different sectoral plans and the overarching national development strategy; to support Federal Member States (FMS) to create state-level strategic plans, consistent with national priorities, i.e. translating national plans into actionable regional / state-level policy interventions and investments, and for empowering FMS ministry-level planning, through coordinated engagement, ensuring effective policy development and seamless implementation.

MoPIED was in advanced stages of developing the next five-year strategic plan (NDP-10) when the focus was changed to formulation of a National Transformation Plan (NTP).
The NTP is the mechanism that will act as the roadmap for implementation and delivery of Somalia’s Centennial Vision 2060 (prepared by the National Economic Council (NEC)), in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN member states in 2015. The main difference between the two models (NDP and NTP) is that the NTP represents a departure from humanitarian-oriented crisis management and, in general terms, is designed to enhance government coordination of state building activities, and to secure support from the international community.

In particular, it seeks to shift the focus away from humanitarian relief, and to begin a transition into development, to build resilience to climate shocks and to build collaboration with the private sector, as an answer to the many existing challenges, including insufficient resources (particularly finance and skilled workers), weak institutions at national and state level, and the relative absence of infrastructure, that has prevented the country from fully achieving the goals set out in earlier national development plans.
The National Transformation Plan (NTP) focuses on four (4) priority sectors or pillars:

• Transformational Governance: Focusing on institutional capacity, public finance management, rule of law and accountability.
• Sustainable Economic Transformation: Driving economic diversification, job creation, private sector investment and essential infrastructure development.
• Social and Human Capital Transformation: Prioritising investments in education, healthcare, social protection and youth empowerment (to unlock the country’s demographic and human potential).
• Environment and Climate Resilience: Addressing climate change adaptation, environmental sustainability, disaster risk reduction and natural resource management.

The National Transformation Plan is expected to provide a roadmap for economic growth, service delivery, peacebuilding and climate resilience, and was informed by sectoral assessments, robust stakeholder consultations and detailed data analysis.

After its approval by the Council of Ministers, in February (2025), the NTP moved from a “formulation” to an “implementation” phase and, in this context, the federal MoPIED has embarked on a process to prepare a national NTP execution strategy (already under preparation with support from TAPF) that will translate the NTP high-level vision into actionable programming, and a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, that will measure plan implementation and progress.

To reinforce and further support NTP implementation, MoPIED now wishes to prepare and compile a national Aid Policy and has requested TAPF to mobilise an expert specialised in creating appropriate aid management architecture, including logic models, administrative systems, data collection and management protocols, and reporting formats, and to manage the subsequent institutionalisation and operationalisation of the resulting policy.

Outputs should be fully aligned with global best practice and should be expertly tailored to Somalia’s unique federal structure and operating context.
To fulfil these needs, two TAPF Non-Key Experts (NKEs) will be recruited to design, prepare, validate and install a national aid policy:
–    A Senior Technical Advisor (STA) for preparation and drafting of the Federal MoPIED National Aid Policy, and
–    A Junior Non-key Expert (JNKE), who will support the Senior Technical Advisor with research, preparation and drafting of the Federal MoPIED National Aid Policy.
Specific Assignment Objectives
Development of the national Aid Policy is a strategic national priority with long-term value for realisation of both the governance and development agendas, and will help Somalia achieve the following results:

• Creation of a functional and nationally owned aid management policy.
• Stronger and more effective coordination between federal institutions and international partner organisations and improved donor / FGS resource mobilisation and alignment.
• Stronger and more effective coordination between federal and state institutions.
• Enhanced transparency and public accountability in aid management.
• An enhanced foundation for digital transformation of national development planning.

A functional aid management policy will specifically improve aid effectiveness, by aligning donor investments with national priorities, which will, in turn, result in improved service delivery and accountability.

A strong aid coordination system will enhance Government ability to support the community / population, demonstrate a clear focus on priority needs and mobilise additional financing for essential activities. It will also promote transparency and good governance, by underpinning public financial management and accountability with reliable coordination, data systems and reporting mechanisms. Thus, supporting the establishment of an operational national Aid Policy will help ensure long-term sustainability, by fostering a results-oriented public sector culture predicated on clear planning and development programming.

Strengthening national governance systems, fashioned in the manner described above, requires specialised technical capacity that is not yet universally available within government institutions, hence, making external support critical to the process of building a robust national aid coordination architecture.

In this instance, technical assistance will work closely with the MoPIED Director General, departmental Directors, etc. and the (TAPF deployed) MoPIED Senior Technical Advisor, to plan activities, collect and review data (and opinions), and formulate a specific national Aid Policy. Additionally, where required, NKEs will collaborate with other ministries to ensure that the Aid Policy aligns with NTP sector execution plans (Transformational Governance, Sustainable Economic Transformation, Social and Human Capital Transformation and Environment and Climate Resilience), ultimately contributing to an effective aid landscape.

Formulation of the national Aid Policy will pass through a number of review, preparation and drafting phases (outlined in detail in the table below), including organisation of at least seven (7) stakeholder workshops, which will be convened and conducted in Mogadishu and participating states, and a final validation workshop (to enhance inclusivity and promote ownership).

The NKE team will incorporate feedback gathered during these consultation / validation workshops into the final draft of the Aid Policy.
Activity
Desk review of existing and key documents: NTP, NTP Lab Reports, NDP-9 Endline Evaluation, M&E Policy, aid policies, etc.

• Mapping the policy architecture (KRAs, preferred outcomes / outputs, existing initiatives)
• Drafting a National Theory of Change
• Consultation phase: stakeholder consultations at FGS and FMS levels and regional validation of the policy outline
• Development of a Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP)
• Compilation of the draft Aid Policy document
• National Validation WorkshopRevision and finalisation of the Aid Policy

SCOPE 

General: Working closely with appropriate authorities at FGS and at (selected) FMS level (State Ministries of Planning), and with TAPF Key Experts (KE1 and KE2) and Non-key Experts (the MoPIED Senior Technical Advisor and State Level Coordinators), and coordinating between federal MoPIED, other federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and state ministries, the STA will lead and direct the preparation (through document review and data analysis), design, draft formulation and subsequent validation, of a national “Aid Policy”, thus helping translate the NTPs overarching vision into precise actionable programming.
Specifically (for the NTP to effectively translate policy into tangible results), establishing a credible, standardised aid management and coordination system is essential, as it will constitute a strategic tool that ensures aid finance targeting for organised progress.
Target Groups: The work of the TAPF benefits Somali citizens through increasing the effectiveness of EU cooperation with Somalia, including (in this case) support for targeted national development, through provision of effective support for the national transformation plan implementation process.
The Senior Technical Advisor (STA) will work with, and be based in, the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development in Mogadishu, but will liaise and coordinate with other relevant FGS and FMS institutions.
The NKE will also interact with non-state actors, such as civil society organisations and interest groups, and with international partners, facilitating their participation in stakeholder dialogue activities, e.g. in consultations and validation events.

Specific Activities:

Under the direct supervision of the office of the MoPIED DG, with support from the MoPIED / TAPF STA, and in conjunction with the TAPF Team Leader and Key Expert 2, pro-actively contribute to, and where required “drive”, preparation and formulation of the national Aid Policy (2026-2030), through direct engagement (and in coordination) with government counterpart MDAs. Specifically, the Expert is expected to undertake and complete the following tasks:

• Conduct a rapid diagnostic of existing aid policy architecture, extracting and classifying mechanisms, systems and networks, KRAs / outcomes, outputs and targets.
• Conduct a series of (at least) seven (7) individual stakeholder consultations for government institutions, civil society and the private sector, and international partners, at FGS level (3 workshops), and with a similar array of stakeholders in at least four (4) Federal Member States, finalised via a Policy Validation event (see below), to be convened in Mogadishu on culmination of the stakeholder consultation phase of the policy development process.
• Develop a national Aid Policy Theory of Change, by identifying assumptions, risks and enabling conditions (produced in both visual and narrative versions).
• Prepare a national Performance Monitoring Plan, by defining purpose, methodologies, formulas, frequency, data sources and responsibilities, etc. (to be integrated into the National M&E Framework), and outline timelines for annual and mid-term policy reviews.
• Develop and formulate a comprehensive national Aid Policy, valid over, at least, a five-year timeframe.
• Organise and conduct a Validation Workshop, involving key stakeholders from federal and state levels, civil society and the international donor community.

In addition, the STA should endeavour to build staff capacity in the use of methodologies and tools utilised during the Aid Policy development phase and should provide mentoring and training to sectoral staff and junior professionals, during the entirety of the formulation process.

DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING 

Generation of the following deliverables will contribute to and result in successful implementation of the “Drafting a National Aid Policy for the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED)” technical assistance assignment:

• A Policy Architecture Mapping Matrix (identifying existing aid policy structures and guidelines).
• Individual stakeholder consultation reports.
• A National Theory of Change (visual and narrative).
• A Policy Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP).
• A draft, five-year national Aid Policy document.
• A final, five-year national Aid Policy document (arising from the formal validation process).
• Presentation slides for national validation and launch.

SUPERVISION
The Aid Policy development STA will be answerable to the Director General (DG) of the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED), working in collaboration with the TAPF MoPIED STA (and SLCs at state level), and will be supervised by the TAPF Team Leader, in close collaboration with the TAPF KE2 / Partnership Advisor.
Time sheets will be approved by the TAPF Team Leader and the EU Delegation (EUD).

Skills and qualifications