WPS Senior Peace Process Support Expert and Programme Manager

Position description

Inclusive Peace is looking for an experienced Peace Process Support Expert and Programme Manager in support of our evidence-based advice to peace, political transition and policy processes. The position requires in particular expertise for women’s inclusion and gender mainstreaming in peace processes and policy formulation. We are looking for an ambitious and dynamic doer, networker, and conceptual thinker who is ready to provide expert support to our national and international partners in different country processes. This will also require the incumbent to manage Inclusive Peace’s WPS-related projects. We are interested in a candidate who has field experience in facilitation, strategy advice, inclusive peacemaking, and capacity building towards women’s inclusion in track one and two processes. The aspiring candidate should be highly motivated to expand their existing experiences in peace process support by working with comparative research evidence. The ideal candidate is conversant in WPS policy processes and NAPs.

Activity Rate

FTE 100%

Period of Contract

Indefinite-term contract

Duty station

Remote work (eligible time zones: CET +/- 3 hours; operational in the Middle East, African, and European time zones)

Salary

We offer an internationally competitive salary and HR package, oriented along national standards and personal situation.

Starting date

Immediate

Supervisor

Executive Director

Application deadline

7 May 2021

About Inclusive Peace and our WPS Peace Process Support work

Inclusive Peace is a think and do tank headquartered in Geneva/Switzerland with a global focus and reach, strong oversight and governance, and a lean, flexible, and decentralised operational structure. Our three main areas of work are: in-country peace process support; knowledge generation and transfer; and agenda setting. We collaborate with national and international partners in peace process support with a focus on inclusive designs and sustainable outcomes. More information can be found at www.inclusivepeace.org. Our inclusive peace process support has a strong focus on Women, Peace, and Security. It takes place at distinct political junctures of peace or reform processes. Activities range from providing comparative, evidence-based expertise or capacity building to national women networks and groups or to governments and international organizations mostly on track 1 and track 2. Our engagement is flexible and always adapted to the requirements of specific contexts and phases of the process. We do not maintain in-country presence but work mostly through our WPS partners such as UN Women. We provide ad hoc advice in peace but also in policy processes to governments, UN agencies, and civil society groups through a helpdesk service. We are also an NGO partner of the newly established UN Women Rapid Response Window of the Peace and Humanitarian Fund. Our WPS work has a global focus, with currently a particularly strong focus on the MENA region.

Responsibilities

Peace Process Support

• In collaboration with and under supervision of Inclusive Peace’s Executive Director, carry out parts of Inclusive Peace’s WPS peace process support and policy work.

• Provide direct advice to our partners by preparing and delivering evidence-based options for action, and strategic capacity building to actors from civil society, governments, armed groups, international and regional organizations; this work will be supported by the research team.

• Develop evidence-based input papers for use in policy and practice of ongoing peace processes in cooperation with the research team.

• Other drafting needs, including concept notes, meeting reports, as required.

• Engage with partners, national stakeholders, MFAs, embassies, regional and international organisations; represent Inclusive Peace in public and closed-door events and meetings, and vis-à-vis the media, as necessary.

• The undertaking of these duties will require travel to conflict-affected areas.

Project Management & Administration

• Track project milestones and deliverables in cooperation with our administration and finance team.

• Take charge of project management and administration as substance-lead and supported by our administrative support team.

• Take the lead on narrative reporting.

• Develop concept notes and project proposals for donor applications.

Candidate profile

The successful candidate:

• Is an experienced WPS peace process support expert with at least 10 (or more) years of experience from multiple processes with a focus on women’s inclusion, process design, capacity building, and strategy facilitation.

• Is able to navigate the national and international political environments around these processes, both in-country and globally; this includes a comprehensive knowledge of normative frameworks, e.g. UN Security Council and UN General Assembly resolutions; National Action Plans on implementation of UNSC Res 1325, and how to link them to in-country processes.

• Is soundly academically trained and proficiently qualified in applying comparative approaches – both methodologically and experientially (with support from our research team).

• Has operational experience from different processes to draw on, but can do so with a creative mind-set, applying fresh out of the box thinking to every individual process.

• Has solid experience in developing impact frameworks, project management, donor relations, and reporting.

• Is intimately familiar with WPS policy processes, women mediators’ networks, etc.

• Has worked for one or more peace process support organizations, or for a WPS organization, and/or in diplomatic positions within government, the UN, or other international or regional organizations.

• Has a substantial institutional and personal network in the WPS field and is familiar with the key developments in the field.

• Can react to demands in real time and can equally apply and utilize evidence with support of the research team.

• Has a strong understanding of the peacebuilding architecture and a willingness to push for innovative changes in approaches to peace processes.

• Is simultaneously proactive and humble, capable of both driving a process and working from the “back-seat”, putting the needs of the process and its stakeholders at the centre of all peace process support work.

• Languages: proficiency in English is essential, proficiency in Arabic and French will be considered strong assets.