Ali Abdi Farah

Administration of travel

• In collaboration with UN entities, as appropriate, participate in the specification of requirements for, as well as the selection, contract administration and performance evaluation of travel management services provider(s), to ensure efficiency in meeting the needs of the clients.
• Liaise with all relevant actors to forecast and establish service requirements for all official travel, identify priorities, and schedule work and appropriate workflows between the office and the Travel team.
• Organize arrangements for hotel bookings, visas and vaccination requirements for staff attending sessions of Conferences of the Parties, subsidiary bodies, other constituted bodies and travelling on any other mission; obtain approval for special or ad-hoc KIA rates.
• Oversee the work of Travel Assistants providing advice to and personally advise senior staff and official travelers on travel issues, including the resolution of complex problems and emergencies.
• Oversee complex travel arrangements; analyze complex itineraries and quotations for most advantageous rates, advise on most effective travel arrangements.
• Liaise with airline representatives and the travel management services provider(s) to negotiate group discounts, reduced fares, space on flights, reduced excess baggage charges, etc., and with consulates and immigration authorities to facilitate unusual visa arrangements and/or laissez-passer exemptions.
• Ensure that outstanding travel obligations are closed in a timely manner.
• Oversee or perform calculations and follow up on reimbursements on claims for the residual values of partially or completely unused tickets in case of re-routing.
• Draft a variety of reports, correspondence and documents on travel-related issues; oversee the maintenance of databases, records, and correspondence.
• Coordinate with the appropriate office for clarification or additional information and meet with officials from substantive offices or from troop contributing countries in order to discuss the details of particular claims and to explain the nature of problems, delays and backlogs.

Travel team leader

• Provide technical guidance and administrative supervision to Travel Assistants and Protocol Assistants within the Travel team including developing annual work plans, monitoring and evaluating performance, planning and monitoring the team's work flows on a day-to-day basis, including the distribution of work and its review for accuracy and correct application of rules and regulations.
• Oversee the booking and purchase of tickets for official travel, verify and approve travel authorizations and verify and supervise the processing of invoices for payment from travel agents and all other stakeholders against the terms of contract and actual services rendered.

Policies and procedures

• Ensure compliance with the approved travel policy, rules and regulations or guidelines, monitor requests for exceptions, and identify gaps or problem areas for review and revision of policies or guidelines, and recommend new ideas to enhance the responsiveness of travel services. Make proposals on increased efficiencies, including proposing changes in policies and guidelines.
• Plan and conduct in-house travel briefings and training to staff, ensuring any updates or modifications are communicated in a clear and timely manner.
• Perform any other job-related activity required to meet the mandate, goals and objectives of KIA and its client entities.

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with security officials, government counterparts, and partner security services to obtain relevant security information for GIZ Somalia.
• Provide accurate security assessments and advice to the Country Manager on preventing and mitigating threats and risks.
• Develop, implement, and regularly test a warden system, including multiple testing methods like SCAAN.
• Prepare and coordinate country-specific security training, seminars, and briefings, ensuring adherence to GIZ’s learning standards.
• Provide security briefings for GIZ personnel and coordinate all travel security aspects, including assessments of transport networks and medical evacuations.
• Review and monitor adherence to Security Risk Management Measures (SRMM) and Residential Security Measures (RSM), participating in Security Cell Meetings and advising the Country Manager on security management policies.
• Understand GIZ programmes and provide security risk assessments for areas of operation or planned deployment.
• Support the Country Manager with security-related inputs into the Business Continuity Plan and advise on regular testing.
• Develop, implement, and test country office-specific security plans.
• Supervise Field Security Associates to ensure proper staff safety and security.
• Monitor and report on deployment numbers and security clearance procedures during emergencies.
• Test and ensure the functionality of GIZ-specific emergency communications systems, including SCAAN.
• Report security matters with potential or direct impact on GIZ operations to the Country Manager and SFSO immediately.
• Conduct preliminary inquiries into security breaches/incidents and work with local authorities to protect GIZ personnel and assets.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Organize the travel of staff and non-staff: review travel requests, obtain price quotations, travel itineraries from travel agents, hotel bookings, arrange security clearance, and raise travel requests.
• Verify travel claims against authorized itinerary, with regard to actual routing and duration of stay. Recommend solutions in case of discrepancies.
• Support WASDA official visitors; make necessary arrangements for accommodation, transportation, meet and assist at airport and registration.
• Ensure WASDA official visitors, and consultants are registered as per the WASDA rules. Prepares and follows up on correspondences with concerned parties specially Airport authority, and Immigration department.
• Advises staff on visas and ensures that application forms are completed correctly with accompanying material.
• Makes all necessary arrangements for visas for staff traveling.
• Verify invoices received from travel agents and ensure payments are timely effected. Keep records of all payments made for reconciliation purpose.
• Perform other duties assigned by the line manager.