Project Officer – Anticipatory Action (Guriel & Mataban)

WARDI Relief & Development Initiatives
Guricel, Somalia
Project Management

Job Description

Guricel-based WARDI Relief & Development Initiatives is looking to fill the role of Project Officer – Anticipatory Action (Guriel & Mataban). With 2 - 3 years of experience required, this position is suited for mid-to-senior level professionals in Project Management. Interested applicants should submit their applications before Oct, 07.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Project Officer – Anticipatory Action (Guriel & Mataban)

Position Title

Project Officer – Anticipatory Action (AA), WAHAFA 2.0 Build Project

Project

WAHAFA Build Project

Implementing Partner

WARDI Relief and Development Initiatives

Duty Stations

Guriel (Galguduud region) and Mataban (Hiiraan region), central Somalia, with regular travel between the two field sites and periodic travel to Mogadishu

Reporting To

WARDI Program Director, in close technical coordination with the Caritas Germany Programme Manager

Closing date

7th October,2026

Background

WARDI Relief and Development Initiatives (WARDI), in partnership with Caritas Germany, is planning to implement the WAHAFA Build Project, a nine-month initiative to develop a locally owned, forecast-based drought Anticipatory Action Protocol (AAP) for communities in Guriel and Mataban. The project is funded through the WAHAFA (Weather and Hazard Anticipatory Fund for Action) mechanism and aims to strengthen anticipatory action coordination, develop and technically validate a drought trigger mechanism, co-design pre-agreed anticipatory actions with communities, test the AAP through a simulation exercise, and embed participatory monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) throughout the process.

The project is organised around five outputs: (1) coordination, institutional ownership and governance arrangements for drought Anticipatory Action; (2) a drought risk analysis and forecast-based trigger mechanism, developed and technically validated; (3) an inclusive, community-based AAP with pre-agreed actions, targeting and accountability arrangements; (4) an operationally tested AAP with WARDI prepared to maintain and implement the mechanism; and (5) a participatory MEAL, accountability and learning system.

WARDI is seeking

a Project Officer

to lead day-to-day implementation of these activities in Guriel and Mataban, working under the supervision of the WARDI Programme Director and in close technical coordination with Caritas Germany.

Overall Purpose of the Position

The Project Officer will lead field-level implementation of the WAHAFA Build Project across Guriel and Mataban, ensuring the timely, quality delivery of project activities, coordination with communities and local authorities, and close collaboration with technical actors supporting risk analysis, trigger development and AAP design.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

3.1 Coordination, Governance and Institutional Ownership

Support mapping of Anticipatory Action actors, initiatives, coordination structures and existing drought trigger approaches relevant to Guriel, Mataban and the wider Galguduud/Hiiraan context.

Support agreement of project governance arrangements, technical roles and decision-making responsibilities among WARDI, Caritas Germany, district authorities and technical actors.

Coordinate and maintain working relationships with SoDMA, Galmudug and relevant district authorities, FSNAU/SWALIM, ICPAC and other technical and humanitarian stakeholders throughout the Build process.

Contribute to strengthening WARDI's institutional and technical ownership of Anticipatory Action, including participation in joint technical work, coaching and documentation of procedures.

3.2 Risk Analysis and Trigger Development

Support the participatory historical drought risk, vulnerability and impact analysis for Guriel, Mataban and comparable central Somali livelihood areas, including community consultations and data compilation.

Liaise with technical partners to map and assess available forecasting, monitoring and early-warning services relevant to the two field sites.

Support technical consultants and WARDI's AA team in the development, hindcasting and validation of the drought trigger framework, and in setting up operational trigger-monitoring and community-verification processes.

3.3 Community-Based AAP Development

Lead and/or directly support inclusive community consultations in Guriel and Mataban, ensuring the meaningful participation of women, persons with disabilities, displaced people, marginalised groups and mobile pastoralists.

Facilitate or co-facilitate co-design and prioritisation sessions for feasible anticipatory actions linked to trigger stages and available lead time.

Support development of transparent household pre-registration, targeting, data-protection and community accountability procedures, including field-testing of tools with communities.

3.4 AAP Testing and Operational Readiness

Support consolidation of the localised draft AAP for both field sites and preparation of the operational readiness package (SOPs, monitoring sheets, decision logs, communication templates, contact lists).

Coordinate logistics and community/authority participation for the end-to-end AAP simulation exercise, and support documentation of simulation observations and results.

Support the after-action review process and follow up on revisions to critical procedures, tools and decision-making steps identified through the simulation.

Support finalisation of the AAP and the handover of the operational readiness package within WARDI, including documentation of post-Build monitoring and review responsibilities.

3.5 MEAL, Accountability and Learning

Support implementation of the participatory MEAL plan for the Build process, including progress monitoring, participatory review sessions and tracking of inclusion and participation.

Maintain and promote the project's community feedback and complaints mechanism in Guriel and Mataban, ensuring timely referral, response and safeguarding of sensitive complaints.

Contribute to documentation and dissemination of Build-phase learning with WARDI, Caritas Germany, communities and relevant Anticipatory Action coordination structures.

3.6 Team Supervision, Field Coordination and Reporting

Directly supervise and support the day-to-day work of the Community Mobilizers.

Plan and coordinate field movements between Guriel, Mataban and Mogadishu, in line with the project vehicle and travel budget, and in compliance with WARDI's safety and security protocols.

Prepare timely activity, progress and financial-tracking inputs for internal WARDI reporting and for reports to Caritas Germany, and support project visibility requirements.

Represent WARDI at relevant field-level coordination meetings and technical working groups as delegated by the Programme/Project Manager.

About Guricel

Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa and has a growing job market, particularly in the humanitarian, development, and private sectors. Major employment hubs include Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe, Baidoa, and Kismayo, with opportunities from international NGOs, UN agencies, government institutions, and an expanding private sector.

Ereyada Soomaaliga (Somali Keywords): Shaqo Cusub • Shaqo Buuxda

Qualifications & Requirements

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Required

University degree in disaster risk management, environmental science or a related field.

At least 2–3 years of relevant field experience in humanitarian or development programming in Somalia, ideally including

anticipatory action

,

disaster risk reduction,

early warning, livelihoods or resilience programming.

Demonstrated experience organising and facilitating community consultations, including with marginalised and mobile populations, and working with local authorities and technical stakeholders.

Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities across two field locations and supervise junior field staff.

Good written and spoken English and Somali.

Should be a resident of Guriel/Mataban.

Desirable

Prior exposure to forecast-based financing, early-warning systems or Anticipatory Action Protocols.

Familiarity with SoDMA, FSNAU/SWALIM, ICPAC or other Somali disaster-management and Anticipatory Action coordination structures.

Experience with participatory MEAL approaches, community feedback and complaints mechanisms, and basic data collection tools.

Valid driving licence.

Working Relationships

Reports to: WARDI Program director.

Technical coordination with: Caritas Germany Programme Manager (technical backstopping and donor liaison).

External coordination with: SoDMA, district authorities in Guriel and Mataban, FSNAU/SWALIM, ICPAC, community structures, and other relevant humanitarian and Anticipatory Action actors.

How to Apply

Application Process

Interested applicants should email WARDI a cover letter, updated CV (with three professional references), and copies of relevant certificates by

7 October 2026

to

Hr@wardi.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hr@wardi.org

. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

WARDI is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified

female candidates

from the Guriel and Mataban communities.

Apply on

Hr@wardi.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hr@wardi.org

Job Details

Posted: September 21, 2026
Organization: WARDI Relief & Development Initiatives
Location: Guricel, Somalia
Sector: Project Management