REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI) Puntland Project Manager

Position Title:	Somalia Enhancing Public Resource Management  Puntland Project Manager
Reporting to:	Ministry of Finance, Puntland State of Somalia
Type of Appointment:	Individual Consultant
Duration:	12 months renewable upon satisfactory performance
Duty Station:	Garowe, Puntland, Somalia

 Background

The World Bank, through the Somalia Enhancing Public Resource Management Project (SERP), is supporting Somalia to improve institutions and service delivery to strengthen the social contract. This is part of a broader effort to build state legitimacy and reduce institutional fragmentation. For Somali citizens to be willing to contribute to public revenues, they must trust in the state’s capability to discharge its basic functions and deliver public services. Similar trust is required to boost external funding for essential services and humanitarian support, such as for drought and famine, and to channel these via government institutions and systems. This requires, on the one hand, bolstering the institutional capacity of the state, and on the other hand, addressing fragmentation and strengthening the transparency and accountability in managing public resources.

SERP will assist Somali governments by focusing on synergies and interconnections between improving domestic revenue mobilization (DRM), public financial management (PFM), and public sector management (PSM).[1]  Integration of revenue, expenditure, and service delivery will in time improve formal tax revenues, strengthen legitimacy of the state by strengthening budget management, accountability for results, transparency, and the State’s capacity to deliver services to its citizens.

1. The Ministry of Finance of Puntland State of Somalia seeks an experienced, highly qualified, and committed Project Manager for the SERP implementation in Puntland State of Somalia (SERP Puntland). The Manager will lead the SERP Puntland Project Implementation Unit (PIU), be the lead person on SERP project management in Puntland and will report to the Puntland Minister of Finance under the supervision of the DG of the Puntland Ministry of Finance, and collaborate closely with other senior officials at the respective MDAs of Puntland including the Ministry of Labor, Puntland Civil Service Commissions, and other State Government Institutions. The Project Manager will coordinate, and report as needed and in line with project documents and the subsidiary agreement between Puntland and FGS, ensuring that these agreements are adhered to and reports and results are delivered as expected and on time.
2. Building robust Domestic Revenue Mobilization (DRM), Public Finance Management (PFM), and Public Sector Management Implementation systems and processes will be essential steps in making the Puntland state government a more effective institution that can deliver basic public services to the people. DRM, PFM, and PSM reforms are a national priority and key to fiscal and economic development.
3. The reforms specifically aim to: Improve transparency and openness of the State budget process; Enhance fiscal discipline through internal and external controls; Focus public expenditure on priority areas of state Government programs; Enhance efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditures; and strengthen overall financial management, strengthening public sector management and accountability.

4. The PFM reforms are anchored in four platforms: (i) institute PFM fundamentals for budget credibility; (ii) effective budget execution and financial accountability; (iii) improved policy formulation, planning, and budget preparation; and (iv) institutional structures; Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM); Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS); and cross-cutting issues.

Collaborating with the SERP Project Coordination Unit at the FGS, the SERP Puntland PIU will anchor the reform and capacity-building efforts in Puntland. A qualified Project Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day coordination of the reform activities, serve as the key interlocutor for the Component Implementation Teams (CIT) and ensure proper sequencing of activities expected to be funded by various donors. In addition to the Project Manager, the SERP Puntland PIU will include a Procurement Specialist, a Monitoring Evaluation Specialist and an Operations Officer Specialist. The Project Manager is responsible for supervising the staff of the PIU.

SERP Project Manager in Puntland

The task requires the services of an individual professional as Project Manager for the SERP project in Puntland with the following roles and responsibilities among others:

• Assist the State, to prepare, and follow through a phased program of actions to ensure coordination of efforts in implementing the SERP project in the Puntland state of Somalia.
• Lead the SERP Puntland PIU team to facilitate timely and quality implementation and achievement of results indicators of SERP Activities in Puntland.
• Initiate and coordinate the preparation of annual work plans and budgets of the various beneficiary agencies in the State based on a standardized format.
• Facilitate the successful implementation of Puntland planned activities under the SERP Project, in accordance with the Financing Agreement (FA), Grant Agreement (GA), and subsidiary agreement with the FGS.
• Collaborate and support the work of the External Assistance Fiduciary Section (EAFS) in the Puntland Ministry of Finance and ensure that procurement procedures and practices adhere to World Bank standards and policies.
• Working closely with respective Puntland MDAs and Civil Service Commission independent monitoring agents, ensure the timely implementation of all project activities and ensure the proper accounting and reporting of all expenditures incurred under the SERP.
• The Project Manager is responsible for coordinating and supervising the Puntland PIU to ensure that all PSRs are properly reviewed and validated before submission to the FGS PCU and the World Bank. Furthermore, the Project Manager shall collaborate with the PCU on the Puntland SERP workplan which will be endorsed for approval to the World Bank. Thereafter, the Project Manager will coordinate with both the World Bank and PCU during the implementation of the Puntland SERP workplan, to ensure alignment with World Bank requirements, maintain accountability, and facilitate smooth transmission of reports and updates to the World Bank.
• Specifically, coordinate engagements with the Puntland Civil Service Commission on the development of the SERP implementation plan to be supported under the SERP Puntland.
• Supervise the M&E specialist in the preparation of SERP results indicators expected of Puntland government and the periodic monitoring and reporting of these indicators.
• Facilitate the discussions on the Annual Review Benchmarks as they relate to Puntland State of Somalia SERP activities, ensuring that the various beneficiary agencies are on track.
• Support and ensure that project implementation complies with the stipulations of the Project Implementation Manual and agreed-upon agreements and applicable Bank policies and procedures.
• Organize and provide secretarial services to the various oversight and management committees.
• Coordinate and supervise the work of Technical Assistants and Consultants as necessary and develop a plan for ensuring that these capacity development activities are efficiently transferred to Relevant institutions in Puntland State of Somalia
• Any other duties assigned for the interest of the project.

 Qualifications and Experience

1. Possess a master’s degree in project management, economics, accounting, governance, development, or any other relevant area, with a minimum of 7 years of experience working on donor-funded projects and strong experience with the Somalia context with solid technical leadership in PFM, DRM and PSM sectors.
2. Reputable individuals with good characteristics, knowledge, skills, and proven capability in Ministry, Department, and Agency planning, development, and government policy formulation.
3. Knowledge of Somalia generally and the sensitivity to the underlying state of fragility and the prevailing adversity.
4. Demonstrated ability to lead a multi-disciplinary project management team, build effective working relations with colleagues and clients, and be capable of working under pressure, with good experience in leadership and strategic management of project teams at the state and/or national level.
5. Proven experience in coordinating, cooperating, and negotiating with high-level Government officials, donor partners, and a multitude of local stakeholders.
6. A charismatic change agent – with extensive experience in context-specific – practical techniques for change management.
7. Proven record of ethical good conduct with high integrity and moral values
8. Having a trackable and clean record of professional experience required under this TOR
9. Applied knowledge and managing experience of Donors (particularly multi-lateral such as WB, AfDB, IsDB, and UN) Policies and Practices in fragile state settings – Particular experience in managing multi-disciplinary projects.
10. Readiness to work in a multicultural environment and respond to work to tight deadlines continually.

Reporting Obligations

The Project Manager will report directly to the Director General of the Ministry of Finance of Puntland State of Somalia. Additionally, the Project Manager will operate under the overall guidance and oversight of the Ministry of Finance.

The Project Manager will also collaborate closely with the Project Coordinator at the FGS.

 Duration of Assignment

The Project Manager shall be contracted for an initial one-year period, with the possibility for extension for additional year(s) based on satisfactory performance, requirements and availability of funds.

Duty Station

The duty station will be Garowe Puntland Somalia, with frequent travel as required.

 Input/facility provided by the Client:

The client will provide office space with necessary furniture and other facilities such as printing facility etc. to enable the consultant to perform day to day work. In addition, the Client will make available to the Consultant copies of all the documents the consultant may need to discharge his/her functions.

How to apply

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS; The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to section III, para 3.14,3.16 & 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers: Procurement in Investment Projects Financing Goods, Works, Non -Consulting and Consulting Services, July 2016, revised November 2017, August 2018, November 2020 and September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant method set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations. 

Interested applicants may obtain further information including a detailed Terms of Reference from the Ministry   by requesting via e-mail to the address given below during office hours from 9.00 a.m.– 4.00 p.m. Saturday to Thursday excluding public holidays.

Deadline: Expressions of interest and CV must be delivered to this email serpprocurement@gmail.com before 16:00 hours to the address below by  7^th October 2025, with email subject marked clearly as “ Puntland SERP Project Manager – REF:   SO-MOF-PL-502195-CS-INDV