Liaison & Access Specialist

The Liaison and Access Specialist serves as DRC’s primary focal point for engagement with Syrian government entities and relevant authorities, ensuring compliance with national regulations, supporting registration and project approvals, facilitating staff travel and visas, and enabling operational and programmatic access. The role involves close coordination with leadership, HR, operations, and program teams to maintain effective communication with ministries and support smooth implementation of activities while safeguarding humanitarian principles and neutrality.

Responsibilities

• Act as DRC’s main focal point with relevant ministries and authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MoSAL), Ministry of Local Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, National Mine Action Center (NMAC), National Partners, and other line ministries relevant to DRC’s sectors of work.
• Support DRC’s leadership and management team in coordinating and organizing high-level meetings with governmental counterparts.
• Facilitate and track the submission of project approval requests to the Humanitarian Action Coordination (HAC), governorates, technical directorates, or relevant line ministries under the new government structure.
• Maintain updated records of all official communications, approvals, and meeting notes.
• Represent DRC professionally and diplomatically in interactions with government officials.
• Cultivate and maintain positive, trust-based relationships with officials across key ministries and authorities.
• Liaise with local authorities to facilitate staff movement, field missions, and project implementation in coordination with the Safety Coordinator and Area Managers.
• Process and follow up on requests for flight bookings, travel permits, border access and any other access letters needed for staff, consultants, and visitors.
• Coordinate and handle any related administrative matters for international staffs, consultants and visitors in collaboration with the HR and Admin team.
• Coordinate visa and residency procedures for international staff/consultants in close collaboration with HR and Admin department.
• Support DRC’s efforts to expand program access and geographic coverage, ensuring compliance with national administrative requirements.
• Monitor and interpret any new laws, decrees, or administrative directives that may impact DRC’s operations or staff in Syria.
• Maintain up-to-date records of DRC’s registration, licenses, and agreements with authorities; ensure timely renewals and compliance.
• Advise management on emerging legal or bureaucratic risks and recommend mitigation measures.
• Work closely with DRC’s regional and country security team and relevant regional/HQ departments to ensure alignment with organizational standards.
• Coordinate with HR, Supply Chain, Security, and Programme teams to ensure all activities and staff movements comply with national regulations.
• Provide regular updates and situation analyses on access, liaison, and compliance developments to the SMT and Country Director.
• Develop and maintain a tracking system for all submissions, renewals, and approvals, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Support the preparation of briefing notes, summaries, and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Support communication with relevant authorities during emergencies, facilitating approvals for rapid response activities.
• Assist in coordinating with field teams and government entities during emergency or high-priority interventions.

Requirements

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in public administration, Law, Political Science, International Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience in liaison, access, or government relations with INGOs, UN agencies, or diplomatic missions.
• Proven experience engaging with Syrian ministries and local authorities at central and sub-national levels.
• Proven experience of managing travel desk (flight bookings, visa, accommodation booking, any other admin tasks etc.)
• Strong understanding of Syrian legal and administrative frameworks governing INGO operations.
• Experience facilitating visas, project approvals, and movement permits.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage sensitive relationships professionally and with confidentiality.
• Fluency in Arabic (native) and proficiency in English (spoken and written) required.

Skills

• Liaison with Governments
• Accessible Facilitation
• Government Relations
• Travel desk management
• Visa Facilitation
• Project approval facilitation
• Movement permit facilitation
• Syrian legal frameworks
• Administrative frameworks
• Flight Booking Management
• Accommodation booking
• Diplomatic Engagement
• Confidential negotiation
• Humanitarian operations compliance
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Bilingual Communication
• Arabic Proficiency
• English Language Proficiency

Languages

Arabic, English