Liaison Officer - Damascus

Job Title: Liaison Officer

Job Location: Damascus, Syria

Report to: Syria Country Director

Job Style : Full Time

JOB SUMMARY

The Liaison Officer will support UITYD’s official engagement and coordination with Syrian government entities, particularly the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MoSAL), Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), health directorates, public hospitals, and other concerned authorities. The role will facilitate institutional approvals, registrations, authorizations, agreements, and government coordination required for UITYD’s humanitarian and health programming in Syria. The postholder will represent UITYD professionally, maintain constructive relationships with government stakeholders, and coordinate closely with UITYD’s management and legal advisers to ensure that official processes are completed accurately, lawfully, and on time.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Liaison Officer has the following responsibilities and duties:

Government Liaison and Relationship Management:

• Maintain effective professional relationships with the MoH, MoSAL, MoHE, health directorates, public hospitals, and other relevant ministries and authorities.
• Serve as a focal point for routine government liaison under the direction of the Syria Country Director.
• Represent UITYD in official meetings, coordination forums, consultations, and follow-up visits when authorized.
• Promote clear understanding of UITYD’s mandate, programs, medical activities, and contribution to Syria’s health system.
• Handle sensitive government communication with diplomacy, discretion, neutrality, and respect for established protocols.

Approvals, Authorizations, and Official Documentation:

• Facilitate and follow up on government approvals required for UITYD projects, medical missions, partnerships, donations, assessments, trainings, events, and field activities.
• Coordinate the preparation, submission, tracking, and renewal of registrations, licenses, permits, official letters, memoranda of understanding, and other governmental documents.
• Support approvals related to medical teams, visiting specialists, public health activities, medical equipment and supplies, importation, distribution, hospital support, and access to health facilities.
• Maintain an accurate approvals tracker showing submission dates, responsible authorities, pending requirements, decisions, validity periods, and required follow-up.
• Ensure that all submissions are complete, consistent, formally approved internally, and supported by the correct attachments before presentation to government entities.
• Escalate delayed or high-risk approvals to the Country Director and recommend practical follow-up actions.

Coordination with Legal Counsel and Regulatory Compliance:

• Assist in coordinating with UITYD’s lawyers and legal advisers regarding organizational registration, licenses, agreements, powers of attorney, employment matters, regulatory requirements, and other legal documentation.
• Obtain legal review of official documents and government commitments before signature when required.
• Track legal and regulatory actions, deadlines, renewals, and pending documentation through completion.
• Monitor relevant changes in Syrian laws, regulations, administrative instructions, and government procedures and communicate their possible operational impact to management.
• Maintain confidentiality and secure records for legal, registration, and government-related documentation.

Internal Coordination and Operational Support:

• Coordinate with Programs, Medical, Operations, Supply Chain, Compliance, Finance, HR, and Communications teams to identify government requirements before activities begin.
• Review official correspondence and supporting documents for accuracy, consistency, appropriate terminology, and alignment with approved UITYD plans.
• Arrange government meetings, prepare agendas and briefing notes, record decisions and action points, and follow up with responsible teams.
• Support government and official visits to UITYD-supported facilities and activities, including schedules, protocols, briefings, and follow-up documentation.
• Provide timely advice to project teams on government procedures, expected timelines, required documentation, and approval risks.

Records, Reporting, and Risk Management:

• Maintain complete and organized electronic and physical records of approvals, official correspondence, meeting minutes, agreements, licenses, and legal documents.
• Submit regular updates to the Country Director on pending approvals, government engagement, emerging regulatory issues, and actions requiring management attention.
• Maintain a government stakeholder and contact database with appropriate confidentiality controls.
• Identify reputational, legal, operational, or relationship risks and escalate concerns promptly.
• Ensure commitments made during government meetings are documented, internally communicated, and followed through to closure.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Should have the following skills, education, and experience:

Educational Qualification

• University degree in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, public health, health administration, or another relevant medical or health-related field.

1. Experience

• At least three years of relevant professional experience, including experience in government liaison, health-sector coordination, public administration, or humanitarian health programming.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with the MoH and strong familiarity with MoSAL, MoHE, health directorates, public hospitals, and other relevant authorities.
• Previous experience supporting NGO registration, institutional approvals, medical missions, health projects, legal documentation, or regulatory processes is highly desirable.
• Good understanding of Syria’s health system, government structures, administrative protocols, and humanitarian operating environment.

2. Technical Skills

• Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, diplomacy, protocol, and representation skills.
• Strong written and spoken Arabic and good working proficiency in English.
• Ability to draft and review professional official correspondence, meeting notes, trackers, and briefing materials.
• High integrity, discretion, sound judgment, neutrality, and ability to manage sensitive information.
• Strong organization, follow-up, problem-solving, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to coordinate effectively across technical and support departments and work under pressure.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and online collaboration platforms.

ABOUT UITYD

UITYD is a global humanitarian non-profit organization providing medical and health education services to people in need, including refugees and displaced people, in disaster and underserved regions. The organization is composed of medical and public health professionals of diverse backgrounds.

CODE OF CONDUCT

UITYD Code of Conduct reflects the profession’s core set of beliefs and values of care, respect, trust, and integrity. These beliefs and values are fundamental to UITYD employees, volunteers, interns, consultants, and contractors to guide their practice and conduct. The Code is organized into categories, as follows:

1.      Always act with fairness, honesty, integrity, and openness; respect the opinions of others and treat all with equality and dignity without regard to gender, race, color, creed, ancestry, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, disability, age, or sexual orientation.

2.      Provide a positive and valued experience for those receiving service within and outside UITYD.

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Child abuse in all forms is unacceptable to UITYD, which recognizes its responsibility to protect children from harm in all areas of its work. UITYD is committed to ensuring a child-safe environment and is applying a zero-tolerance approach towards any kind of child abuse and exploitation.

DISCRIMINATION, ABUSE AND HARASSMENT POLICY

UITYD provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and expressly prohibits and will not tolerate any form of discrimination, abuse, harassment (sexual or otherwise), based upon race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, citizenship status, disability, or military status. UITYD employees and related personnel must under no circumstances take part in any form of discrimination, harassment, or abuse (physical, sexual or verbal), intimidation or exploitation, or in any other way infringe the rights of others inside or outside the organization.