Conflict Sensitivity Advisor

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Contract

Contract type: International employment contract

Company Description

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation that applies practical know-how to make a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty. We use our extensive and long-term in-country presence to apply and adapt our top-notch expertise in agriculture, energy, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to local contexts. Our team of more than 1,300 staff is the backbone of SNV.  We know that the main predictor for a successful solution in a given country or context is the enthusiasm with which our staff and partners embrace it. Only by listening can we adapt our global expertise to each specific setting. We constantly renew with innovative global knowledge and lessons learned from practice. This adds to our value proposition and distinguishes us from local service providers.

For more information on SNV, visit our website: www.snv.org

Overview of programme

SNV has been working in the Sahel since 1970. Being hit hard by climate change, instability and high levels of poverty & food insecurity, the Sahel is among the most vulnerable areas in the world, and therefore is a priority area of intervention for SNV  for climate-resilient development.

Livestock is the most important productive activity in these areas, supporting the livelihoods & resilience of over 100 million people across the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Due to their mobility, the predominantly pastoral population manages to make optimal use of the drylands through turning its scarce resources into valuable products including meat, milk and skins. Their production system does not only contribute significantly to local and national economy, but also ensures food security & nutrition, employment and cultural values beyond borders. Prolonged political and economic marginalisation of these areas has however resulted in this sector not reaching its full potential

SNV teams are convinced that with the right policies and practices in place, this sector can be highly adaptive to climate change, and can drive sustainable development in Africa’s drylands. A resilient pastoral sector could form the foundation of a vibrant and diversified economy that can boost development and stability in these areas. Recurrent extreme climate events prompted pastoral communities to develop a new buffer strategy towards diversifying their livelihood to reduce their vulnerability and exposure to shocks. SNV is supporting these strategies by investing in youth skills development which can generate an (additional) income that makes pastoralists less dependent on climate-sensitive livestock, with a special focus to women who often cannot own or trade in livestock.

In order to achieve that, SNV developed a systemic approach that conjointly strengthens the market environment and value chains coming from pastoral systems and creates employment opportunities, scales up climate-smart practices and ensures an equitable and sustainable management system of natural resources. With the extension of our pastoralism portfolio in Sahel and the more and more challenging conflict situation in the Sahel, we are looking for a senior conflict sensitivity advisor.

Job Description

The purpose of the assignment is to provide strategic and operational advice to SNV teams working on livestock and pastoralism and, on request to support implementing partners regarding their peace, stabilisation and development efforts in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Conflict sensitivity analysis is an essential aspect to consider in identifying the most effective and locally appropriate modalities to engage with local governments, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders in conflict-affected areas of these countries. SNV seeks to enhance the integration of conflict-sensitive approaches across its programme cycle including local analysis of the social, political and institutional evolution of the context to inform project design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, project reporting and overarching do no harm and conflict sensitivity principles.

Key Responsibilities:

To establish robust processes and standardize procedures for systematic gender specific conflict analysis within the programme of SNV and its partners.

To ensure mainstreaming of conflict-sensitive approaches into SNV strategic planning, programming and operations.

To contribute to the development and implementation of a conflict sensitive planning, monitoring and evaluation system for the programme.

To train and coach staff of SNV and partners to sustainably mainstream do no harm principles into strategies and projects.

To ensure SNV meets donors’ best practices and standards requirements on conflict sensitivity reporting.

To contribute to the development of knowledge products relating to conflict sensitivity in Sahel.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree or equivalent in conflict analysis, peace building, mediation or conflict resolution.

At least 10 years of experience working on peace building and conflict sensitivity in international organisations in fragile and conflicted settings, preferable in the Sahel

Strong experience in delivering conflict analyses and advising on the design and delivery of conflict sensitive development and programming in fragile contexts.

Proven experiences with gender specific conflict sensitive project planning, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.

Proven practical experience in capacity building, coaching and advising on conflict sensitivity within international development programmes.

Knowledge of participatory research methods including participatory M&E

Experience in relation with pastoralism, agriculture and livestock in drylands

Key competencies

Demonstrated ability of strong collaborative, coaching and capacity building relationships and team work in an intercultural setting.

Proven ability to communicate clearly, tactfully and sensitively and to network and inter-personal  ability to interact with different social and cultural backgrounds

Excellent report-writing, research, editing and oral presentation skills

Fluency in French (working language in the Sahel) and English (SNV corporate language), knowledge local languages practised in Sahel is highly desirable

Effective planning, prioritization, time management and organizational skills

Knowledge of usual office software (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and regular communication channels (Internet, email, Skype)

Willingness to travel frequently in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and occasionally also Benin and Togo

Additional Information

 Contract Duration:                2 years with possibility of extension.

Contract type:                        International employment contract.

Expected Start Date:             January/February 2020.

Duty Station:                          Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Working at SNV

SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit from, and contribute to, an internal and global network of experts. For more information, please visit our website: www.snv.org

How to Apply

If you believe that your credentials meet the above profile, we invite you to apply by submitting your CV in English with a cover letter before December 9, 2019.

Women are encouraged to apply

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted