Description of the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility (CSF):

Saferworld has been working on and in Sudan and South Sudan since 2002, including on issues of community security, small arms control, and conflict-sensitive development. 

Saferworld is currently establishing the CSF aimed at supporting the integration of more conflict sensitive practices into the policies, practices and programmes of aid actors in Sudan. It draws upon Saferworld’s extensive experience of supporting similar processes in a range of contexts, coupled with our deep contextual knowledge and long-term, established relationships with Sudanese civil society from across the country.  Over the past four years for example, Saferworld has designed and built up the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility (CSRF) in South Sudan. The CSRF has supported aid actors to promote deeper and more nuanced understanding of how aid interacts with conflict and to help them to build coherent and effective responses to the challenges of operating in South Sudan.

The proposed project will support individuals and organisations to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the context within which they are operating, with the aim of ensuring that interventions do not aggravate conflict and instead contribute to peace. It will support aid actors to do this by providing high-quality analysis, technicaladvice and capacity building, and by supporting lesson learningand the sharing of knowledge about complex conflict issues in Sudan. The approach will be informed by continuous consultation with a diverse range of local and international actors, and will adopt a flexible, iterative and adaptive approach

We have a strong thematic focus to our conflict prevention work prioritising: people’s security and access to justice services; gender norms that cause and perpetuate violent conflict; the impact of external conflict drivers including weapons flows; conflict-sensitive political, economic, development, and security engagement; and inclusive and accountable governance and peacebuilding processes. We work in or on more than 25 countries and territories; we currently have regional and country programmes in Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, the Horn and Great Lakes regions of Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa.

Job purpose:

The Better Aid Learning Adviser role leads on developing and delivering the CSF’s learning agenda. The post holder is expected to provide leadership to the CSF in three key areas; support broader organizational learning within the Sudan aid community, support the CSF team to adapt its approach to better influence donors and aid actors in South Sudan to catalyse collective action amongst the aid community around conflict sensitivity, and the CSF’s internal monitoring, evaluation and learning activities. 

• Work closely with a range of donors, aid organisations, humanitarian clusters, academics, and other stakeholders in South Sudan to better understand how to improve learning, apply learning, and build institutional memory within the aid sector;
• Responsible for MEL activities: employ the Outcome Harvesting methodology to develop learning from the CSRF’s implementation that can inform programmatic shifts over the life of the programme. Work closely with the Capacity Building team to develop tools and practices that can help to sustain institutional memory, informal and social learning within the aid sector;
• Render web support for the CSF facility on its Social Media platforms, Knowledge Hub and blog processes
• Design and facilitate learning and reflection events to build understanding on complicated issues facing the aid community in Sudan by providing advice, guidance, and mentorship to CSF partners (formally and informally) on organisational learning and adaptation;
• Learn from and contribute to global discussions about learning and adaptation in the aid sector;
• Lead on the CSF’s MEL activities: internal learning and evaluation processes and relevant reporting; including leading on data collection and knowledge management for the CSF;

Key working relationships

• CSF team– work collaboratively with the CSF team and consortium in future to link the capacity building agenda with the project’s research, analysis, outreach, and learning work;
• Saferworld Conflict Advisory Unit – work collaboratively with the CAU to share learning and support delivery of activities that align with CSF’s mandate to promote capacity building around conflict sensitivity.
• Donors, UN Agencies and INGOs– develop and maintain relationships with donors and other organisations working inSudan, on conflict sensitivity issues, or on the Sudanese context more broadly.
• Aid workers– network with individual aid workers to support CSF’s outreach with regards to capacity building, information sharing and learning around conflict sensitivity.

Scope and accountability

Essential requirements:

• A university degree in a relevant field;
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience; this could include organisational management, analysis, monitoring & evaluation, management consulting, systems analysis.
• Knowledge of adaptive management methodologies and approaches (such as Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) or strategy testing) is helpful. 
• Experience working with communication products: social media content generation
• Experience designing, implementing or overseeing both participatory and theory-based M&E approaches within the INGO/NGO, Government or related sectors;
• Strong experience in humanitarian, development or peacebuilding sectors;

• Experience with knowledge management;
• Experience and comfort in facilitating discussions, sessions, and trainings;
• Experience and comfort in providing mentorship, guidance, and support to a range of actors;
• Strong problem-solving skills;
• Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders;
• Experience working in a conflict or fragile context;
• Ability to work collaboratively and constructively in a team
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing contexts;

• High standard of computer literacy.
• Capacity to produce high quality verbal briefs and written reports in English;

Desirable requirements:

• Sudan or regional experience;
• Experience in strategic planning, program design, and M&E planning development.
• Experience writing or contributing to global discussions around aid reform and learning.
• Understanding of conflict sensitivity methodologies

Saferworld is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage candidates from disadvantaged groups and candidates with disabilities to apply.

Skills and abilities

• Strong problem-solving skills;
• Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders;
• Ability to work collaboratively and constructively in a team
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing contexts;
• High standard of computer literacy.
• Capacity to produce high quality verbal briefs and written reports in English

Personal qualities

• Commitment to and compliance with Saferworld’s safeguarding principles
• Commitment to respect and value equality and diversity, and understanding of how this applies to own area of work
• Commitment to own continuing personal and professional development
• Commitment to the vision, mission and values of Saferworld
• Commitment to improving international engagement in conflict-affected contexts and sharing experience-based ideas as to how this can be achieved.

Other requirements

• Travel to sub-national and remote locations in Sudan to areas recently affected by violent conflict may be required;
• Occasional travel in the East Africa region.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Probation:           There will be a probationary period of three months

Term:                   This is a fixed term contract pending funding received

Holidays:             28 days holiday a year in addition to relevant public holidays

Salary range:      Competitive, with benefits

Hours:                 The standard working week is 37.5 hours

Application process

To apply:  Download and complete an application form at http://www.saferworld.org.uk/jobs/jobs and send to HR at jobs@saferworld.org.uk  (Ref: BALA)

Deadline for applications:  12 April 2021