Country Director

NOTE: This position requires written and oral fluency in English, Arabic desirable. French is useful.

The Organization
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organisation that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organisations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 400 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 28 offices in 24 countries. SFCG’s programmes are in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and the United States.

Summary of Position
The Country Director will report to the Director of Muslim-Western Relations and Middle East and North Africa Programs, based in Washington, D.C.

The Country Director (CD) of SFCG in Lebanon has the overall responsibility for fundraising, program development and growth, staff management and successful operations in Lebanon.

Therefore the top 4 qualities required for this position are:
a) creativity and entrepreneurial skills
b) project management experience
c) team building and management skills
d) organizational skills and attention to detail

Responsibilities
• Manage the implementation of existing projects in Lebanon within the overall vision and goals of the organisation
• Develop plans and long-term strategies for Lebanon and possibly neighboring countries (e.g. Jordan, Egypt)
• Oversee sound financial management of SFCG in Lebanon including budget management, financial reporting, and budget monitoring
• Recruit, manage, and evaluate SFCG staff in Lebanon
• Oversee ongoing capacity-building efforts of staff members, particularly in areas of project and budget management
• Monitor and evaluate the results achieved by the different projects and the programme as a whole, supported in part by the Design Monitoring and Evaluation team in Washington, DC
• Serve as SFCG’s representative in Lebanon
• Work with public and private actors, non-governmental organisations, the media and disadvantaged communities on institutionalising a culture of conflict transformation and mediation
• Develop and maintain relationships with international and local trainers, partner organisations, other NGOs, media, donors, clients, key government officials, and others
• Ensure compliance with donor regulations
• Oversee the management of grants and report regularly to supervisor
• Raise additional support for the Lebanon programme through proposal development and other channels, as necessary
• Identify new opportunities for SFCG involvement in Lebanon and the region
• Stay informed of the international conflict resolution field to ensure that the programme’s work remains innovative and professional
• Maintain local administrative policies and procedures, while ensuring that they comply with SFCG policies
• Be directly engaged in the continuing development of the organisation, its mission and its staff, through the sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly contributing to its Institutional Learning efforts
• Additional duties as assigned

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications

Essential
• At least five (5) years of experience in international relations, peace-building, development, journalism and/or related fields, including democracy and governance issues and civil society strengthening
• Bachelor’s Degree in a related area required (Master’s degree preferred)
• Extensive experience working in and/or knowledge of Lebanon and the political, social and cultural issues affecting it and the region
• Knowledge of and experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation
• Significant experience in project management at a high level in a non-profit environment
• Demonstrated experience with budgeting, project development, fundraising, proposal and report writing, and grants management
• Demonstrated financial management and programme administration experience
• Ability to successfully manage and inspire a team in the field of conflict resolution, international development or related fields
• Excellent managerial skills, interpersonal and networking skills, as well as the ability to conduct professional working relationships
• Dynamic leader with creative problem-solving skills
• Knowledge of major donor rules and regulations, and the ability to manage and prioritize multi-donor funding
• Proven ability in convening and facilitating multi-party meetings and ongoing dialogues
• Demonstrated experience in setting up and managing monitoring systems and initiating regular evaluations of the programme
• Ability to work with people at all levels, ranging from high-level officials to community leaders
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• Written and oral fluency in English, Arabic highly desired
• Ability to function as a social entrepreneur
• A team spirit

Salary: Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and current resume to employment@sfcg.org or fax to (202) 232-6718 with the subject heading: Country Director – Lebanon. Please be sure to include your earliest start date. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.