Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian relief and development organizations. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive, recover and regain control over their lives. In South Sudan, IRC has been one of the largest providers of aid in southern Sudan for over 20 years, offering emergency assistance throughout decades of war. The IRC continues to provide lifesaving support to vulnerable South Sudanese in hard-to-reach areas.Our programming in South Sudan includes training community leaders and government officials on the importance of upholding human rights, promoting peaceful conflict resolution and social cohesion, and providing returning South Sudanese refugees with emergency aid as well as job and livelihoods training.

IRC is seeking candidates for the anticipated USAID-funded Promoting Civic Engagement and Peace (PCEP) project.PCEP aims to empower citizens in South Sudan to advance peace, stability, and dialogue through local solutions, civic participation, and increase access to Information.IRC is currently recruiting for a qualified Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor whose responsibilities will include overseeing project activities designed to assist civil society organizations, individuals and groups find commonalities through effective peacebuilding, civic education, increase trauma awareness, and reconciliation activities that resonate socially and culturally.The Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor will also support project activities designed to identify opportunities within and across communities to manage disputes non-violently, promote peace messages, and strengthen the tools and resources needed to build trust and find solutions to problems. The Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor will be a full time employee, based in South Sudan.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor will report to the Chief of Party (COP).

Position Summary:

The Peacebuilding and Trauma Awareness Advisor is responsible for the conflict mitigation, peacebuilding and trauma portfolio under PCEP. H/she will be responsible for situational awareness, trend analysis, program adaptation to reflect best practices and lessons learned for stabilization and conflict mitigation, and coordinates with other stabilization actors in South Sudan.

Main Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the conflict mitigation, peacebuilding and trauma activities.
• Responsible for context and conflict analysis, including situational awareness and trend analysis, implementing program adaptation to reflect best practices and lessons learned for stabilization and conflict mitigation, and coordination with other stabilization actors in South Sudan including the Protection Cluster and relevant coordination forum on access to justice and the rule of law in South Sudan.
• Responsible for strengthening the ability of key partner(s) to provide trauma awareness services to communities. Lead activities that will allow communities to recognize signs of trauma and distress, use their increased awareness and ability to cope with distress as a means toward resolving conflicts, and build more sustainable local-level peace.
• Provide technical assistance and support to launch and manage peace and coexistence mechanisms including dispute resolution/access to justice and political processes;
• Provide technical assistance to support citizen-led coalitions or CSO umbrella organizations undertaking peace and conflict advocacy and monitoring efforts, including on what relates to formal and informal justice systems;
• Develop, or adapt existing, training materials on conflict management and mitigation, community engagement and other related topics;
• Develop and review, in coordination with key project staff, the overall program strategy and the yearly work and performance plans ;
• Support context and conflict analysis;
• Perform other duties as required

Job Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Graduate university degree in peace-building/conflict management, political science, international development, business administration, international law or other related field;
• Minimum seven (7) years of developing, implementing and monitoring conflict mitigation, peacebuilding and trauma-awareness programs in fluid, politically sensitive conflict and post-conflict environments; preferably experience in South Sudan;
• Experience using small grants to help local organizations, individuals, communities and constituencies advocate for, develop or implement conflict mitigation, peacebuilding and political transition activities;
• Regarding trauma awareness: Experience in base level 1 intervention of the MHPSS pyramid including social consideration for basic services/protection mainstreaming;
• Strong leadership and supervision skills, experience managing staff working in locations affected by conflict;
• Strong project management skills, including human resource and financial management;
• Demonstrated ability to engage and partner with communities, civil society organizations, government representatives, donors and other stakeholders;
• Proven track record in staff and organizational capacity-building, including of local civil society organizations;
• Strong knowledge of context and conflict analysis;
• Previous experience with USAID or other donor-funded programs;
• Experience with gender-sensitive programming and implementation;
• Strong computer skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Outlook);
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

 Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply. 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Security level orange: The situation in the country remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include criminality, presence of armed troops, and looting. There is active conflict in many parts of the country and a possibility for further expansion of the conflict and violence into other areas and other states.

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