Program Director (Researcher), Prevention, Peacebuilding, and Protracted Crises

Position description

Position Summary 

The NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC) seeks a dynamic, innovative Director for its Prevention, Peacebuilding, and Protracted Crises program to drive and shape the center’s work around peace and security, humanitarian policy, and their role in the multilateral order.  The ideal candidate should be an adept and credible leader with a practical background in peacebuilding and crisis management, and a proven track record of implementing impactful initiatives. The Director should have proven experience and knowledge of the United Nations (UN) system (with a focus on the UN, regional organizations, humanitarian actors, and the international financial institutions), solid practical and theoretical expertise on conflict and crisis prevention, resolution, post-conflict recovery and reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance (including field experience), and a commitment to elevating the voices of small- and mid-level powers in international debates. They should also have a strong interest and ability in leading data-driven analysis.  Finally, the candidate should have proven expertise in navigating the complexities of field research in challenging environments, adhering to the highest standards of ethical conduct, risk management, and responsiveness. This position links together two areas of CIC’s work – prevention and peacebuilding, and humanitarian crises, and reports to the Executive Director.

Organizational Summary 

For more than two decades, the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) has been a leader in applied policy that links politics, security, justice, development, and humanitarian issues. Our aspiration is to find ways to advance multilateral action to prevent crises and to promote peace, justice, and inclusion. We believe that a strengthened multilateral order is one where there is closer cooperation at country level between entities like the UN and the IFIs, and where there are integrated approaches to prevention that break down silos between fields and entities.  In practice, this approach relies on practical ideas generation, the ability to translate research into feasible recommendations for a senior policy audience, and close diplomatic work with key partners in public and private convening.

CIC, as part of NYU, is an applied policy research center that specializes in analysis and idea generation that is practical, principled, and policy-relevant, at the heart of a leading research university that spans the globe. We seek researchers and policy experts of the highest caliber, who embody the diversity of the global society in which we live. We strongly encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other individuals who are under-represented in the profession, across color, creed, race, ethnic and national origin, physical ability, gender and sexual identity, or any other legally protected basis.

Position Responsibilites 

• Leading and managing research activities for CIC’s work on prevention, peacebuilding, and protracted crises: providing overall thought leadership, strategic direction, and oversight, including defining the programs’ core objectives, strategy, and policy and research agendas, as part of CIC’s business plan.
• Strategically developing collaborative initiatives that deliver tangible prevention, peacebuilding and conflict resolution outcomes. Leveraging expertise in upstream conflict prevention, post-conflict recovery and reconstruction to address the aftermath of conflicts, focusing on effective multilateralism and building sustainable peace and security.
• Representing the initiative and its research and policy recommendations at a high level and leading on the application of research findings. This includes engagement with national government partners, multilateral counterparts, and donors; managing and developing research partnerships with a wide range of international think tanks, presenting research findings at key international conferences relevant to the program’s work; frequently producing written outputs that highlight the program’s work, including blog posts and op-eds, and providing media interviews upon request
• Personally leading research in at least one area under the scope of the program, including reform of multilateral support to prevention, peace-operations and development contributions to peace-building; nationally owned prevention; or humanitarian responses.
• Effectively managing a team of policy researchers; playing a leadership role working toward and influencing team collaboration, team building and team effectiveness, and modeling these skills for the team , ensuring effective monitoring of impact results and timely delivery, and ensuring the implementation of NYU-CIC business processes.
• Upholding and promoting best practices in peace and security fieldwork, including ethical considerations, risk assessment, and community engagement, and the ability to respond swiftly and effectively to changing circumstances.
• Securing the continued financial sustainability of the research program developing new project and funding opportunities, managing deliverables and donor relationships.
• Ensuring excellent fiduciary management of the program’s budget, in collaboration with the finance and operations team.
• As a member of CIC’s senior management team, and in collaboration with other Directors, contributing to CIC’s annual work plan and maximizing connections with CIC’s other research programs (e.g., Pathfinders for SDG16 ; Congo Research Group; UN-IFI); also.
• Other tasks as required by CIC’s Executive Director.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Required Education 

Master’s Degree or PhD in a relevant field, combined with relevant practical experience.

Required Experience 

• 15 years’ experience working in positions relevant to practical peacebuilding and conflict prevention and mediation, demonstrating a capacity to execute strategies that effectuate real change, including developing quality applied research.
• Deep interaction with the UN system with firsthand experience with the peace and security, development and humanitarian pillars, as well as familiarity with the organizational and member state processes related to prevention, peacebuilding, and protracted crises.
• Demonstrated experience or substantial knowledge in the areas of post-conflict recovery, reparation, and reconstruction.
• Knowledge of the international financial institutions around the issues of fragility, conflict and violence, and crisis prevention.
• Practical experience providing research findings and policy advice to governments, multilateral organizations, and civil society in different regions, including the Global South. 
• A track record in generating innovative and practical research and policy ideas and gaining support for their implementation. 
• Experience managing large research and policy initiatives, including ability to assess quality of evidence and to translate research findings into practical recommendations for policy makers.
• Experience in fundraising and budgetary management for a think tank, policy center, or similar institution.
• Active involvement in a network of professionals, organizations, and communities engaged in peace and security, with the ability to mobilize this network towards achieving the organization’s goals.
• A background that showcases a commitment to fieldwork that is ethical, risk-responsive, tested, and that can be applied in diverse contexts.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough understanding of the literature on the root causes of fragility, violence and conflict, and humanitarian crises.
• Broad technical expertise in prevention and peacebuilding, and humanitarian crises, and deeper expertise in either a region or thematic area falling within this.
• Ability to translate research and technical content to policy audiences.
• Ability to maintain an overview of a broad policy agenda. 
• Strong strategic analysis and ideas generation abilities. 
• Leadership skills to direct and develop a program and management skills to execute activities involving many team members and partners (including goal setting, resource allocation, and staff development).
• Diplomatic and networking skills to manage a positive relationship with member states, international organizations, civil society, and donors and to fundraise effectively for the program.
• Proven ability to work in multicultural organizations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Fluency or working proficiency in more than one language, with a preference for at least two UN languages.

Preferred Education

PhD

Preferred Experience   

• Experience working as an international civil servant in a UN system organization
• Experience working as a diplomat or civil servant in a national government
• Experience working on peace and security issues or humanitarian assistance in a field setting
• Track record of publishing influential policy research in one or more areas covered by the program.
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative data analysis is an advantage.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities   

None

In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $124,200 to $175,950. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the specific grant funding and the terms of the research grant when extending an offer. 

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