Program Associate – Sub-Saharan Africa

Location	Washington, DC
Summary	The Organisation Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organisation that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters inWashington,DCand a European office inBrussels,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 47 offices in 28 countries, including in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Africa. Programme SFCG currently has programs in fifteen countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The Africa Team is comprised of six members who provide leadership and support to these country programmes, led by the Africa Director and managed by the Africa Programme Manager. Summary of Position The Programme Associate is a member of the support team for the Africa programmes and is the primary contact in Washington, supporting a portfolio of approximately seven country programs. The Programme Associate works with the country teams to produce proposals, reports, programme literature, and other materials. In this function, the Programme Associate supports programme design, administration and monitoring, providing input and feedback to the country teams to better target proposals and capture results. The position is involved in representation of the Africa programmes in the DC community. The position is also responsible for supervising interns in either Washington, DC or overseas. The position holder will work closely with Africa-based colleagues and Washington-based divisions within Search for Common Ground. The position reports to the Africa Programme Manager. Work Environment Search for Common Ground has a great work environment with a mission of peace-building in the world, hard-working and friendly co-workers, team-building opportunities, and involvement in staff events (i.e. monthly staff meetings, peace-building films, and brown bag sessions, such as informational seminars by employees). The organisation has won numerous awards.
Responsibilities	Work with project coordinators and Country Directors to produce donor reports, ensuring results-oriented focus and quality reporting Develop project proposals, based on programmatic ideas of the country programmes and the Africa programme Recruit and manage intern staff as required; Manage preparation of terms of reference and contracts for international technical assistance and consultants, and manage payments in coordination with country teams; Support the coordination between the Africa programs and other Headquarters-based support units, including the Program Quality and Support Team, Finance, and Operations departments; Update and maintain content for Africa programmes on the SFCG website; Lead the production of quarterly newsletters and other programme literature on Africa programme activities and events for public distribution; Provide general logistical support as required including support for trainings, special events and hospitality for international guests and staff; Research, identify, and compile updates of trainings, awards, and fellowship opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa programs and staff in order to provide capacity building and recognition opportunities; Represent SFCG at events and meetings; Maintain relationships with contacts from major donor and partners based in Washington, DC; Be engaged in the continuing development of the organisation, its mission and its staff Implement special projects 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.
Minimum Qualifications	Essential Bachelor’s degree in one of the social sciences, African studies, conflict resolution, international development, or a related field; Minimum of three (3) years of work experience in related field; Knowledge and/or experience in Africa, especially countries in conflict; Knowledge of U.S. and international government contract or grants management procedures;; Familiarity with U.S. based foreign policy and international development community (including US Government, NGOs, IFIs, Embassies, UN agencies, etc.); Excellent writing skills in English and French; Experience in proposal writing and development; Ability to prepare budgets and experience with Microsoft Excel; Ability to represent the organisation professionally to a variety of audiences; Strong organisational skills; Ability to work well under pressure with strong attention to detail; English and French fluency; Ability to travel overseas on short notice; and Flexibility and a sense of humour. Desirable: Knowledge of Portuguese, Arabic or other relevant languages
Salary	Salary is commensurate with education and experience. The organisation provides excellent benefits.
To Apply	Please send a cover letter and current resume to employment@sfcg.org or fax to +1 (202) 232-6718 with the subject heading: Programme Associate-Sub-Saharan Africa. Please be sure to include salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. Position is open until filled. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site at www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.