Search for Common Ground Country Director – DRC

The Organization Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, 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 380 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 28 offices in 22 countries, including in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the United States and nine African countries.

Search for Common Ground in DRC was established in 2001. SFCG runs a multi-pronged project in the DRC aimed at contributing to durable peace and the use of conflict transformation approaches throughout society. SFCG in DRC has a staff of 100 located in its primary offices (and production studios) in Kinshasa and Bukavu and sub offices in Goma, Uvira, Baraka, Dongo and Kalemie and collaborates with partners in all provinces.. SFCG uses a range of tools to implement conflict transformation and peacebuilding, including radio, television, participatory theatre, mobile cinema, comic books, joint action projects, training, public forums, and arts and culture events, among others. It works on issues including good governance, repatriation and reintegration of returnees, security sector reform, media training and professionalization, sexual and gender based violence as well as regional cohesion.

Summary of Position The Country Director manages the overall program in the DRC from a programmatic and operational perspective, as well as leading on fundraising and donor relations. The Country Director supervises approximately seven international and local project managers and Sub Office heads, as well as the Deputy Director who oversees the finance, administration and operations.

This position reports to the Director, West and Central Africa and collaborates closely with various Washington-based divisions of SFCG, including Common Ground Productions, the Institutional Learning Team (ILT), and Finance and Operations. Working within a regional strategy for the Great Lakes, the DRC Country Director will collaborate with the regional team comprising SFCG’s national programmes in Rwanda and Burundi. This position is located in Bukavu, Goma or Kinshasa with very frequent travel to the other offices

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Program Development and Implementation • Define programme priorities, plans and long-term strategy (in close collaboration with the SFCG Africa Director); manage and modify, as necessary, their implementation within the the Great Lakes regional strategy • Manage the country program with the highest quality standards and well-documented results • Ensure that program planning and management reflects the available resources, and respond to gaps with fundraising and/or operational adjustments as needed • Reporting to donors based on a credible monitoring and evaluation system for overall program results as well as for specific projects • Contribute analysis and programmatic capacities to the implementation of the Great Lakes regional strategy and related activities • Stay abreast of the international conflict resolution field to ensure that the program’s work remains innovative and professional • Be directly engaged in the continuing development of the organization, its mission and its staff, through the sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly contributing to its Institutional Learning efforts • Strengthen existing funding relationships and identify and pursue new potential donors in collaboration with headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium

Financial Management • In partnership with the Deputy Director, ensure financial compliance both with Congolese laws, donor requirements and SFCG procedures across the organisation. • Identify potential shortfalls and strategize with the organisation’s senior management as necessary to ensure the program’s financial sustainability.

Staff Management and Development • Develop and manage a team of diverse staff members (expatriate, national and third country nationals) and partners, modelling the kind of interethnic and multi-stakeholder cooperation that SFCG aims to promote widely • Participate in the recruitment and selection of highly qualified staff, providing information on regional living and working conditions as well as security briefings • Strengthen the capacity of national staff and partners, contributing to SFCG’s legacy strategy of conflict transformation in the DRC • Ensure compliance with SFCG Operations Manual policies and procedures • Ensure that country policies, contracts, and disciplinary procedures and processes conform to local labour laws • Ensure an updated security and evacuation plans are in place

Organizational Representation • Serve as SFCG’s country representative • Develop and maintain proactive, positive and professional relationships with partner organizations, other NGOS, donors, clients, key government officials, civil society groups, etc. • Maintain responsible media coverage of program events and issues related to SFCG mission • Maintain regular written and oral reporting to Washington and Brussels on key country, regional, program, security and staff issues • Establish a direct line of communication with other African Country Directors in the region for program guidance toward strategic initiatives

Safety and Security Responsibilities: The Country Director shall hold final responsibility for ensuring the Country Office is in full compliance with all SFCG Safety & Security Policies and Procedures, including but not limited to: • Supervise field office safety & security plan, including evacuation. • Ensure all staff receive Safety & Security training as appropriate to the context. • Ensure that SFCG is participating in local NGO security networks and maintaining other key relationships for maintaining good staff safety & security.

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 skills and experience • Masters degree in relevant field (eg. conflict transformation, security studies, media and communications, sociology, political science, or related fields) • Experience in managing large projects, with multiple grants and donors in a fragile state • At least three years experience living overseas, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa • Knowledge of the conflict dynamics of the Great Lakes region, and specifically in the DRC • At least five years experience in managing a program, both programmatically and operationally, preferably on media and/or conflict transformation-related issues • Track record in successful fundraising • Experience with donor regulations • Experience in capturing results and overseeing reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems • Experience in managing multi-cultural teams, preferably in Africa • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills • A problem-solving approach to challenging situations • Ability to multi-task while leading a complex team • Professional-level Proficiency in French and English, written and spoken • Available to start in late November 2012.

Salary: Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits

How to apply:

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and current resume written in English to employment@sfcg.org with the position title Country Director-Democratic Republic of Congo listed in the subject line. Please be sure to include salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.