Liaison Manager

Over the past few years, Afghanistan has witnessed a relative improvement in security and stability across much of the country. This has allowed humanitarian actors like INTERSOS to maintain uninterrupted access and expand services in areas that were previously hard to reach. Despite this progress, the humanitarian situation remains critical, with millions of Afghans continuing to face acute vulnerabilities due to prolonged economic hardship, natural disasters, and limited access to essential services.

In 2025, more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, with food insecurity, child malnutrition, and displacement remaining key concerns. Natural disasters, such as floods and recent earthquakes, have further compounded the needs of already struggling communities.

INTERSOS continues to operate through a community-based approach with field bases in Kabul, Kandahar, and Zabul, delivering primary healthcare, nutrition, and protection services with a focus on women, children, and persons with disabilities. The organization enjoys strong community acceptance and collaborates closely with relevant national authorities, including maintaining the full participation of female staff in all activities.

While the operational environment is largely stable and conducive, funding shortfalls and systemic barriers such as restrictions on financial flows and administrative bottlenecks continue to impact the scope and scale of humanitarian response. Sustained support is crucial to ensure the continuity of life-saving services and to address the urgent needs of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations.

Manage and coordinate the INTERSOS Afghanistan mission’s government liaison and institutional engagement function, primarily from Kabul, ensuring constructive, professional and well-documented relations with relevant ministries, government departments and provincial authorities. Coordinate follow-up on government requirements, official inquiries, audits, letters, directives, decrees, registrations, permits, MoUs and project agreements, working closely with the relevant INTERSOS departments and providing guidance and support to provincial bases as required. The position does not own the humanitarian access function, which is managed by a separate manager.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Government Liaison and Institutional Engagement

·Serve as the mission’s focal point for routine liaison with the Ministry of Economy, relevant line ministries, government departments and other authorities at central level in Kabul.

·Establish and maintain professional working relationships with relevant government representatives and administrative offices, ensuring that engagement is consistent, transparent and aligned with INTERSOS policies and approved positions.

·Arrange and coordinate meetings with authorities, including preparing agendas and briefing materials, identifying relevant internal participants, recording outcomes and following up on agreed actions.

·Coordinate official communication between INTERSOS and government authorities, ensuring that inquiries and requests are acknowledged, referred to the appropriate department and followed up within required deadlines.

·Support provincial bases in liaising with relevant provincial and district authorities, including providing guidance on documentation, communication channels and follow-up procedures, and escalating issues requiring Kabul-level engagement.

·Keep the Country Director informed of significant developments in government relations, emerging concerns, sensitive requests and matters requiring management decisions.

B. MoUs, Project Agreements, Registration and Permits

·Coordinate the preparation, submission, follow-up, amendment, renewal and closure of MoUs, project agreements, registration documents, permits, letters of support, tax-exemption requests and other government approvals required for INTERSOS operations.

·Coordinate with Programme, Grants and relevant technical teams to collect and consolidate accurate project information and supporting documents required by ministries and government departments.

·Liaise with the Ministry of Economy and relevant line ministries to clarify documentation requirements, track application status, resolve administrative issues and follow up on pending approvals.

·Maintain a central tracker of all MoUs, agreements, registrations, permits and approvals, including the responsible internal focal point, relevant authority, submission and expiry dates, current status, outstanding requirements and next steps.

·Alert the Country Director and relevant departments to delays, conditions or changes that may affect project implementation, contractual obligations or compliance.

·Ensure no MoU, agreement or formal commitment is signed or made on behalf of INTERSOS without prior written authorisation from the Country Director or another formally authorised signatory.

C. Government Requirements, Inquiries and Official Correspondence

·Receive, register and coordinate follow-up on official letters, requests, inquiries, instructions and other communications received from government authorities.

·Ensure each request is referred promptly to the responsible department, with clear ownership, deadlines and follow-up arrangements; monitor progress until the matter is closed.

·Coordinate the preparation and submission of official replies and letters, ensuring that relevant departments review and validate the technical or operational content before submission.

·Maintain an organised register of incoming and outgoing correspondence, including dates, reference numbers, issuing authorities, responsible focal points, response deadlines and proof of submission.

·Coordinate responses to government requests for information, documentation or clarification, ensuring that no unapproved organisational position or commitment is communicated.

·Escalate sensitive, unusual, conflicting or potentially high-risk requests to the Country Director before responding or taking action.

D. Government Audits, Inspections and Visits

·Coordinate the administrative arrangements for government audits, inspections, monitoring visits and official reviews involving INTERSOS offices, projects or field locations.

·Inform the Country Director and relevant department heads promptly upon receiving notification of an audit, inspection or official visit, and coordinate preparation with the relevant teams.

·Work with Finance, HR, Logistics, Programme, Grants and other relevant departments to compile and organise requested documents and evidence, while ensuring that each department remains responsible for the accuracy and validation of its own records.

·Coordinate schedules, meeting arrangements, official correspondence, document submission and follow-up on audit or inspection observations and requests for clarification.

·Maintain a tracker of audit and inspection requests, documents submitted, observations received, responsible departments, agreed corrective actions and deadlines.

·Ensure that formal responses and commitments arising from audits or inspections are reviewed and authorised by the appropriate department head and/or Country Director before submission.

·Immediately escalate any irregular, excessive, unclear or sensitive request, including requests that may compromise confidentiality, impartiality or INTERSOS procedures.

E. Monitoring Decrees, Directives and Regulatory Changes

·Monitor relevant laws, decrees, directives, circulars, policies and administrative instructions issued by ministries and government authorities that may affect INGOs, staff, projects, supplies or operations.

·Collect and verify relevant information through official communication channels and recognised NGO coordination mechanisms, including ACBAR where appropriate.

·Prepare concise written updates summarising the substance of new requirements, their potential operational implications, any deadlines and the departments that may need to take action.

·Coordinate with relevant departments to clarify the implications of new directives and track required follow-up actions, while referring legal, technical or policy interpretation to the appropriate specialists or senior management.

·Maintain an organised archive of relevant decrees, directives, circulars and official guidance, with dates, issuing authorities, translations where available and notes on follow-up.

F. Internal Coordination and Support to Provincial Bases

·Coordinate with Programme, Grants, Finance, HR, Logistics, Security, MEAL and field management to ensure government-related requirements are addressed by the appropriate department and within the required timeframe.

·Act as the central coordination point for government liaison matters without taking over the technical, operational or approval responsibilities of individual departments.

·Support provincial bases with government-related documentation, correspondence, MoU and approval follow-up, audit preparation and interpretation of administrative processes, escalating complex cases to the Country Director.

·Maintain clear communication with provincial focal points and ensure that government requests or directives received at provincial level are shared with the relevant Kabul-based departments and mission management.

·Organise internal follow-up meetings when necessary to resolve pending government requirements, review agreement status or address cross-departmental bottlenecks.

·Provide periodic updates to the Country Director on pending issues, upcoming deadlines, risks, audit and inspection follow-up, and the overall status of government requirements.

G. Records, Reporting and Information Management

·Maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date files for MoUs, agreements, registrations, permits, government correspondence, audits, inspections, decrees, directives, meeting minutes and official submissions.

·Ensure documents are properly referenced, version-controlled, securely stored and accessible to authorised staff for management review and audit.

·Maintain a consolidated government liaison tracker covering key submissions, approvals, correspondence, reporting obligations, deadlines and outstanding actions.

·Prepare regular written reports for the Country Director, highlighting progress, pending matters, deadlines, risks and decisions required.

·Maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive government communications, organisational information, staff data and other restricted records, sharing information only through authorised channels.

H. Representation, Networking and Coordination Forums

·Represent INTERSOS in government meetings and relevant NGO coordination forums when delegated by the Country Director.

·Maintain constructive working relationships with relevant UN agencies, INGOs, national NGOs and coordination bodies to exchange information on government procedures and administrative requirements.

·Share relevant information from meetings and coordination forums with the Country Director and concerned departments, ensuring that follow-up actions are recorded and assigned.

Education

• University degree in political science, international relations, law, public administration, social sciences, management or a related field. [ESSENTIAL]

• Master’s degree in a related field. [DESIRABLE]

Professional Experience

• Minimum three years of relevant experience in government liaison, institutional relations, NGO registration, administrative coordination or related functions with an INGO, UN agency or comparable organisation. [ESSENTIAL]

• Demonstrated experience working with ministries and government departments in Afghanistan on MoUs, project agreements, registration, permits, official correspondence or administrative procedures. [ESSENTIAL]

• Experience coordinating government audits, inspections, official information requests or regulatory follow-up is highly desirable.

Professional Knowledge and Skills

• Good knowledge of Afghan NGO regulations and government administrative procedures relevant to humanitarian organisations.

• Strong coordination, communication, diplomacy, follow-up and stakeholder-management skills.

• Strong written reporting, document management and deadline-tracking skills.

• Ability to coordinate across multiple departments while respecting their mandates and approval processes.

• Good computer literacy, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, email and online collaboration tools.

• Ability and willingness to travel to INTERSOS provincial bases as required.

Languages

• Dari and Pashto, spoken and written. [ESSENTIAL]

• English, spoken and written, to a professional standard. [ESSENTIAL]

Respected Applicants,

Please apply through this link: https://forms.gle/wsQHR3AuBXDrWcrj6

Answer all questions clearly . Read the instructions carefully.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for a test or interview.

By submitting the form, you confirm that the information you give is true, complete and correct.

INTERSOS never asks for or accepts any payment or favour in exchange for recruitment.

INTERSOS is committed to workforce diversity in gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

Questions or concerns

If you have a technical problem with the application form or a concern about the recruitment process, please email [email protected]. Write the job title in the subject line.

Please do not use this email to send CVs, documents or applications, or to ask about your application status. These emails will not be answered. Applications are accepted only through the online form.

Thank you for your interest in INTERSOS