Federal Government of Somalia

Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs & Reconciliation Terms of Reference (ToR)

Job Title: Senior Federalism and National Cohesion Advisor

Program: State-Building and Reconciliation Support Program (SRSP)

Location: Mogadishu

Start of work: Immediately

Reporting Line: Director General

Deadline for submission: 22th May, 2025

1. Background

The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), through the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation (MoIFAR), continues to lead Somalia’s nation-building process under a federal system of governance. The dual priorities of deepening federalism and strengthening national cohesion remain central to this effort, aiming for an equitable distribution of power and resources, inclusive governance, and the healing of historic grievances.

MoIFAR is tasked with shaping the federal system, advancing intergovernmental coordination, and overseeing national reconciliation as part of the National Reconciliation Framework (NRF). The Ministry plays a key role in fulfilling the Inclusive Politics Pillar of the National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2025– 2029, which seeks to bolster inclusive governance, state legitimacy, and political stability.

To support the implementation of this agenda, MoIFAR seeks a Senior Federalism and National Cohesion Advisor with high-level expertise to strategically coordinate strategic interventions related to state building and reconciliation, inter-governmental relations with reference to the federal-state relations, designing and conducting functional unbundling exercises at the FMS levels, leading the activation of database on Conflict Navigator, leading the consensus-building on Data Governance Framework of Somalia Conflict Navigator as key milestone of NRF Strategic Plan, designing and facilitating reconciliation efforts, and intergovernmental processes. This senior role will be instrumental in bridging the federal-level ministries, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Federal Member States (FMSs), ensuring alignment with national goals.

2. Purpose of the Role

The Senior Federalism and National Cohesion Advisor will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and technical direction across MoIFAR’s mandates related to federalism, reconciliation, and national cohesion. This will include:

• Strategic coordination and leadership to ensure the alignment of MoIFAR’s work with national priorities, particularly the NTP’s Inclusive Politics Pillar.

• Serving as a key advisor to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chief of Staff of Villa Somalia, facilitating strategic discussions to support the country’s political and federal transformation.

• Ensuring effective collaboration between MoIFAR, FMSs, and the Office of the Prime Minister

3. Scope of Work

3.1.Executive Coordination and Strategic Leadership

• Under the strategic direction and guidance of the Chief Programs Coordinator, provide coordination and strategic oversight support to MoIFAR’s federalism and national cohesion initiatives, ensuring coherence with the National Strategic Plan for NRF and the NTP’s National Cohesion and Federalism Initiatives.

• Facilitate seamless collaboration between MoIFAR, the Federal Member States (FMSs), and key stakeholders, including the Inclusive Politics Pillar of the Office of the Prime Minister, ensuring cross-departmental alignment of policy and program objectives.

• Serve as a senior focal advisor for federal-state relations and inter-ministerial collaboration.

3.2.High-Level Political Engagement

• Support the Minister and Director General in facilitating high-level political negotiations, consultations, and federalism dialogues, engaging senior leadership from FMSs, the Parliament, and constitutional commissions.

• Represent MoIFAR in national and regional platforms related to state-building, peace consolidation, and inclusive governance.

• Contribute to the coordination and political consultations with traditional leaders, civil society, and other key partners to advance national reconciliation and unity.

3.3.Contribute to the Strategic Sessions with Senior Leadership on Federalism and National Cohesion

• Co-facilitate strategic planning sessions, policy dialogues, and high-level discussions in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Inclusive Politics Pillar, ensuring alignment with MoIFAR’s federalism and national cohesion mandates.

• Ensure that these sessions are strategically aligned with MoIFAR’s priorities and drive Somalia’s political agenda, with a strong focus on federal governance, national cohesion, and political stability.

• Provide expert strategic advice to the Prime Minister’s Inclusive Politics Pillar, advising on federal governance, reconciliation processes, and intergovernmental coordination within the framework of MoIFAR’s overarching objectives.

3.4.Policy Oversight and Technical Direction

• Provide strategic oversight for the development, refinement, and implementation of federalism-related policies and frameworks, ensuring they align with MoIFAR’s mandate and Somalia’s long-term national vision for stability and cohesion.

• Guide the operationalization of the National Strategic Plan for National Reconciliation Framework (NRF), focusing on key pillars, while ensuring these efforts are integrated into MoIFAR’s broader strategic objectives.

• Ensure policy coherence within MoIFAR and across other relevant government institutions, coordinating efforts to achieve long-term federal stability, political inclusivity, and national cohesion.

3.5.Implementation of the National Transformation Plan (NTP)

• Guide the integration of federal-state relations and national reconciliation priorities into the NTP’s Inclusive Politics Pillar, ensuring alignment with MoIFAR’s strategic goals for federalism and national cohesion.

• Oversee the development of action plans, performance frameworks, and monitoring systems for the effective implementation of NTP outputs related to federalism, intergovernmental coordination, and national reconciliation.

• Contribute to the facilitation of the intergovernmental collaboration, ensuring that the NTP’s political inclusion objectives are effectively integrated into the sectoral and territorial planning frameworks, in line with MoIFAR’s leadership in federal governance and reconciliation efforts.

3.6. Implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the National Reconciliation Framework (NSPNRF)

• Support the effective implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the NRF in alignment with MoIFAR’s reconciliation and federalism objectives.

• Facilitate coordination between MoIFAR, Federal Member States (FMSs), and relevant stakeholders to operationalize the NSP-NRF at national and subnational levels.

• Contribute to the integration of NSP-NRF priorities into MoIFAR’s programming, ensuring consistency with the NTP and Somalia’s broader national vision for peace and cohesion.

• Collaborate with MoIFAR departments and partners to track NSP-NRF implementation progress, prepare analytical updates, and identify policy gaps or emerging challenges.

• Engage in multi-stakeholder platforms to promote inclusive participation, resolve conflicts, and advance national reconciliation objectives outlined in the NSP-NRF.

3.7.Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development

• Develop and implement tailored training programs and strategic advisory services to build the technical expertise of MoIFAR staff and key stakeholders, enhancing their ability to navigate federal-state relations and contribute to national cohesion efforts.

• Lead and oversee efforts to strengthen MoIFAR’s institutional capacity, particularly in the areas of federal-state coordination, political negotiations, and national reconciliation, ensuring the Ministry is equipped to effectively drive Somalia’s federal governance agenda.

• Manage and guide technical assistance, peer learning exchanges, and capacity development programs for MoIFAR officials, Federal Member State (FMS) Ministry personnel, and reconciliation practitioners, ensuring alignment with MoIFAR’s strategic priorities and enhancing overall governmental effectiveness in implementing federalism and cohesion policies.

3.8.Monitoring, Reporting, and Adaptive Learning

• Collaborate closely with MoIFAR’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team to operationalize strategic monitoring frameworks for tracking progress on federalism, national cohesion, and reconciliation initiatives, ensuring alignment with the National Reconciliation Framework (NRF) and National Transformation Plan (NTP) indicators.

• Work with M&E units to design and implement data collection systems and analysis tools that provide timely, accurate reports and policy briefs, supporting evidence-based decisionmaking for MoIFAR leadership and relevant stakeholders.

• Foster a culture of adaptive learning by integrating M&E findings into MoIFAR’s federalism and reconciliation strategies, enabling continuous refinement and improvement of approaches to federal governance, intergovernmental coordination, and national cohesion.

• Ensure that lessons learned and best practices from federalism and national cohesion initiatives are systematically documented and shared across MoIFAR, FMSs, and other government institutions, contributing to knowledge-building and enhancing future programmatic efforts.

4. Deliverables

Result Area 1: National Reconciliation and Collaborative Governance Mechanisms

1. The National Strategic Plan for the NRF is rolled out with comprehensive stakeholder engagement, providing a clear roadmap for reconciliation, mediation, and governance across Somalia, including the consolidation and enhancement of governance and coordination mechanisms, such as:

• Regular Technical Advisory Board (TAB) meetings that provide guidance, review, and ensure technical oversight to align reconciliation efforts with national priorities.

• The National Reconciliation Council (NRC) is established and meets periodically to offer political leadership, foster consensus-building, and guide the reconciliation process.

• The National Women's Cohesion Forum is institutionalized as a key platform to ensure women’s voices are integral to the reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts.

• The National Leadership Summit (NLS) is convened to strengthen political commitment and foster alignment between federal and state actors on reconciliation frameworks.

• The National Cohesion Core Technical Team is operationalized in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to drive coordination and improve the implementation of Somalia’s National Strategic Plan for NRF, in alignment with the National Cohesion Initiative under the NTP.

• The Climate, Conflict, and Gender Nexus Taskforce is formed to address the interlinked challenges of climate change, conflict, and gender, ensuring these critical issues are effectively integrated into reconciliation efforts

Result Area 2: Peace Education and Intergovernmental Capacity Building

2. The self-paced peace education and conflict sensitivity course is institutionalized and introduced across Somalia’s educational system, increasing awareness among university students, NGO workers, and government officials.

3. A cadre of local facilitators is trained through Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions, enhancing the capacity to sustain and deliver peace education initiatives using standardized materials.

4. Gender-responsive peace education campaigns and strategic communication efforts are launched nationwide, promoting inclusive reconciliation and fostering public ownership of peacebuilding processes.

5. Collaboration between universities across Somalia is strengthened to support the joint implementation and adaptation of the self-paced peace education curriculum.

6. NRF staff and stakeholders are trained in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) to effectively track and assess progress in the reconciliation and collaborative governance process.

7. The National Insider Peacebuilders (Nabadoons) Network is created to support insider mediation and facilitate grassroots conflict resolution initiatives. 8. The National Reconciliation Council and Women’s Cohesion Forum are revitalized to enhance inclusive reconciliation processes and ensure active engagement of all stakeholders.

Result Area 3: Operationalization of Power Allocation and Functional Unbundling at All Government Levels

9. Core Technical Teams are established across all Federal Member States (FMS) and provided with the necessary training to lead the review and finalization of functional assignments, contributing to greater clarity in federal responsibilities.

10. Intergovernmental sector working groups conduct technical validation and consultations to finalize functional assignments between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States (FMS).

11. Policy papers and value-chain analysis documents are produced to support the development of sector-specific governance frameworks and operational guidelines.

12. Civil society organizations, universities, and research institutions are actively engaged in evidence-based policy advocacy to promote inclusive federalism and participatory governance.

13. Study tours and exposure visits are organized to facilitate learning and exchange of best practices on functional unbundling across regions.

14. Communities of Practice focused on federalism and collaborative governance are established and supported to promote ongoing learning, collaboration, and sharing of best practices.

5. Reporting and Coordination

The Senior Federalism and National Cohesion Advisor will report directly to the Director General of MOIFAR and work in close collaboration with relevant departments, federal ministries, and external stakeholders.

6. Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will meet the following criteria:

Educational Background:

Master’s degree in political science, international relations, public administration, conflict resolution, or a related field.

Experience:

Minimum of 10 years of experience in federalism, peacebuilding, reconciliation, or governance advisory roles, with a focus on fragile or post-conflict settings.

Technical Skills Demonstrated expertise in policy development, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity-building.

Communication

Strong facilitation, mediation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders

Language

Proficiency Fluency in Somali and English is required.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y-rm7sa8mtCJD6_Yytg9y_8BiENMfo3n/view?usp=sharing

7. How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit their applications, including a detailed updated CV and cover letter, outlining their experience and qualifications in relation to the role, to the following email address: [email protected] latest by 22nd May 2025 at 11:59 PM Mogadishu time.