Senior Policy Associate

Job Title: Senior Policy Associate

Position Grade: G6

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya (IOM Somalia)

Job Family: Migrant Protection and Assistance (MPA)

Organizational Unit: MGD

Reports directly to: National Programme Officer

Number of Direct Reports: N/A

Organizational Context and Scope

International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been implementing Migrant Protection and Assistance (MPA) projects since 2007, providing humanitarian and protection support to thousands of migrants transiting across Somalia through Migration Response Centers (MRCs) positioned along the eastern migration corridor thereby promoting safe, orderly and regular migration. Through donor-funded programmes, MPA provides four levels of assistance: 1) individual level protection and reintegration support including migrants and returnees; 2) community-based reintegration to foster relationships between returnees, migrants and communities of origin; 3) structural support related to policy and legal frameworks and 4) capacity-building and advocacy to key stakeholders.

These initiatives are in line with Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Migration Policy Frameworks at continental and regional levels, development agencies such as the National Development Plans (NDPs), now National Transformation Plan, 2025-2029. Additionally, these efforts incorporate organizational operations related to Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) and related Internal Guidance Notes (INs).

As a result of strategic level interventions and the Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) plans to address migration issues through a whole of government and whole of society approaches, MPA aims to provide strategic support to achieve effective migration management and government across the stakeholders sitting in the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM). MPA has been providing support to drafting relevant legal and policy frameworks including counter-trafficking acts, National Migration Policy (NMP), and contribute extensively to relevant efforts involving regional and global stakeholders such as the GCM, IMD and regional convenings.

To undertake structural level interventions in MPA, for the Senior Policy Associate will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and will support the implementation of migration governance related activities. The Senior Policy Associate is expected to support the planning, implementation, communication and reporting of MPA activities in close coordination with MPA programme staff and partners including stakeholders from the Federal Government of Somalia.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Support the timely development of project site work plan and assist in the implementation of planned activities for the MPA Programme by facilitating planning meeting sessions with the project stakeholders.
• In coordination with IOM Somalia office in Nairobi, follow up with the procurement and financial processes of the project in accordance with IOM rules and regulations. Keep track of all financial, logistical and procurement aspects of the project implementation.
• Undertake field visits to monitor the project implementation on a regular basis. Bring urgent issues to the attention of PM, National Officer and Head of Sub-Office for guidance on corrective measures, while documenting good practices for future replication.
• In coordination with Labour Migration and Human Development (LMHD) and Immigration and Border Governance (IBG) Units, support the monitoring of assignments related to policy development, NCM, and coherence of structural interventions supporting migration governance of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and relevant partners.
• Support weekly and monthly reviews of project implementation with the MPA Somalia coordination Office, clarifying the progress of the activities and plans for the following month, as well as identifying potential and actual issues affecting timely and effective implementation of the project and proposed corrective measures.
• Prepare periodic reports summarizing the progress against the indicators in a timely manner and provide inputs to the PM for external and internal reports, including photographs for publication purposes.
• Maintain periodical dialogue with the project counterparts to support the implementation of planned activities with their ownership and identify problems in a timely manner. Report issues to PM and provide inputs on possible solutions to address any issues arising in project implementation.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience

EDUCATION

• High school diploma with six years of relevant professional experience; or,
• Bachelor's degree in social sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Business Administration or relevant field from an accredited academic institution with four years of relevant professional experience.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience supporting project implementation in immigration and border governance programmes.
• Experience in communication and liaison with government and project counterparts.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating workshops and trainings.
• Experience in drafting reports in English.
• Experience in supporting procurement and finance processes.
• Experience in computer applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Power Point) and internet use.

SKILLS

• Knowledge project monitoring and reporting approaches.
• Familiarity with Migrant Protection and Assistance programmes.

Languages

• For this position, Fluency in English and Swahili is required (oral and written).
• Fluent in English, or any other UN Official language is advantageous.

Competencies

The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following values and competencies:

VALUES

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge, and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring, and motivational way.