Trócaire is currently seeking a Peacebuilding Programme Officer for an anticipated 2-year UN Peacebuilding Fund project and other upcoming opportunities in Sierra Leone. The Peacebuilding Programme Officer assists in the management of the various technical components of the activity. The position will ensure that activities are results-oriented, ensure high quality deliverables, and relevant and timely reporting. The Peacebuilding Programme Officer must focus on achieving results in all areas on schedule and ensuring synergies and cohesion between the various result areas. This individual must participate and engage in technical meetings and maintain positive relationships with partners.
Reporting to the Head of Programmes, this is a fixed term contract for 2 years and is based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Leadership
- Model the behaviours and values expressed in our organisational Strategic Framework and expected of Trócaire staff.
- Coordinate with the Business Development & Compliance Manager and CMT on in-country networking and representation with government, donors, NGOs, INGOs, networks and the Catholic Church / Caritas.
- Support local partners in their organisational and institutional capacity strengthening efforts.
Programme Development and Management
- Support the development and contribute to the implementation of the UN Peacebuilding Fund project and other similar projects utilizing standards, tools and best practices in peacebuilding programming that effectively engage stakeholders in the peacebuilding sector.
- Ensure that the project is on track and challenges are dealt with through regular project review process.
- Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and innovation.
- Provide technical solutions to multi-sector teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
- Take responsibility for Risk Management at a project level, ensuring that the Project Team appropriately analyses, mitigates, and responds to risks.
- Support M&E Manager and contribute to developing indicators, milestones and plans, and lead reporting on all indicators for youth integration, and program progress.
- Provide technical support, and team coordination, including ongoing technical guidance and support in peacebuilding, women and youth integration and empowerment and build their knowledge and technical capacity to implement and monitor peacebuilding programming.
- Support capacity strengthening initiatives in peacebuilding programming for staff and partners through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching.
- Contribute to maintaining relationships with UNPBF, UNDP, UNCDF, the Government of Sierra Leone, peer organizations, research, and other institutions, participate in forums in the area of peacebuilding programming collect and share best practices and promote Trócaire’s work.
- Promote multi-directional accountability, including developing and implementing effective complaints handling mechanisms with partners and programme participants.
Human Resource, Finance, Logistics & Systems Management
- Maintain oversight of programme and project finances and budgets; ensure proper donor and organisational programme financial management.
- Establish a system of ongoing communication with the Finance and Admin Manager to oversee programme finances and jointly address any issues encountered. Ensure full compliance, utilisation of and critical oversight of the Programmes team’s utilisation of Trócaire’s management information systems, including Salesforce, Box and Trócaire People.
Institutional Funding (IF)
- Support the Business Development and Compliance Manager to manage a donor reporting calendar and ensure that all reports for UNPBF, government, or other stakeholders are high quality and submitted on time.
- Ensure that local partners meet donor reporting and compliance requirements.
- Ensure effective management of UNPBF award and any other upcoming awards, including cost recovery for legitimate core costs at country and HQ levels.
Other Duties and Responsibilities
- Fulfil all other reasonable duties and responsibilities as requested by the Head of Programmes.
This role is contingent on funding
Requirements
Person Specification – Essential Requirement
Qualification
- A minimum of a master’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in peacebuilding, peace and conflict studies, international relations, other social sciences, or a similar relevant field and at least 5 of experience in donor-funded project management in post-conflict or fragile states.
- A master’s degree may be substituted by a bachelor’s degree and at least 7 years relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with activities that are of a similar scope and scale to this activity.
Experience
- At least 5 years of experience in donor-funded project management in post-conflict or fragile states.
- Experience in program management and demonstratable competency in negotiation and communication skills.
- Experience in budgetary and financial management.
- Experience in human resource management.
- In-depth understanding of programming in a partnership model and working in a partnership-based INGO.
- Sound and up to date knowledge of development concepts, methodologies and techniques, including results-based management, programme cycle management, M&E, and organisational development.
- Demonstrable experience in promoting peace and social cohesion through programming and within an INGO.
- Demonstrable experience of managing complex donor grants.
- Solid experience in managing diverse teams in a multi-cultural environment and playing a leadership role in ensuring cohesiveness, inclusion and development of staff at all levels.
- Experience working with management information systems.
- Professional and/or technical knowledge of peace studies/conflict management processes in West Africa, or a post-conflict or fragile state.
Skills
- Professional and/or technical knowledge of mediation and dialogue creation processes in West Africa.
- Ability to effectively performance manage staff.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills.
- Ability to manage budgets and financial systems.
- Highly organised, with excellent planning, prioritisation and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Competent in Microsoft packages (Word, Excel).
- Fluency (written and spoken) in English.
Qualities
- Understanding of, and empathy with, the role of the Catholic Church in development.
Other
- Ability and willingness to travel within the country and internationally, if required.
- Commitment to principles of safeguarding of programme participants
Benefits
For the candidate with the required experience and passion for the role, Trócaire offers a competitive package of salary and benefits. This is a national role and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications Open Until: 17th February 2023
