Project Manager, East and Central Africa

Job Title: Project Manager, East and Central Africa

Location: Bangui, Central African Republic.

Reporting to: East and Central Africa Programme Director

Responsible for: Consultants, Programme Officers, and consultants.

Duration: Fixed-term contract until 30 November 2025 (with potential for extension).

Gross salary: £48,771

Deadline: 31 July 2024, 17:00 UK time.

Conciliation Resources

Conflict is difficult, complex and political. The world urgently needs to find different ways to respond. Conciliation Resources is an international organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies. We work with people impacted by war and violence, bringing diverse voices together to make change that lasts.

For over 25 years, we have been making peace possible. We currently have over 80 full and part-time staff members, working mainly out of the London and Australian offices. We work with over 70 locally-based and international partners worldwide.

The East and Central Africa Programme

Conciliation Resources’ East and Central Africa Programme (ECAP) has been working towards the non-violent end to conflict in the East and Central Africa region, in particular the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Uganda since 2006. Since 2010, we have been working in the Central African Republic (CAR), supporting civil society and community actors in conflict resolution and peacebuilding that is sustainable and meets the needs of conflict-affected communities. In CAR, Conciliation Resources’ programmes focus on strengthening local peace mechanisms, integrating mental health in peacebuilding, promoting inclusion in local and national peace processes (special focus on promoting young people’s role in peacebuilding), linking local and national peace processes and reconciliation. Conciliation Resources’ work is guided by our long-term partnership approach, which seeks to accompany local civil society organisations.

Conciliation Resources has a small satellite office in Bangui. The Bangui satellite office is supported by the Programme Director based in Uganda, Africa Department team based in Nairobi and the London team.

Job Overview

The post-holder is responsible for managing a project – ‘Integrating mental health in gender-responsive Peacebuilding in the CAR’. They will also contribute to managing the rest of our peacebuilding and conflict resolution work in the Central African Republic (CAR). The post holder will report to the ECAP Director. They will liaise closely with the Africa Department, finance, fundraising, other teams in the CAR, Conciliation Resources’ EU, and the Research, Accord and Policy teams.

Person Specification

Essential knowledge, skills and experience

• Experience in managing projects funded by the European Union, FCDO and other donors, including donor relationship management, programme development and narrative and budget reporting.

• Considerable experience of project management including project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and narrative and financial reporting.

• Considerable experience of developing and designing new project ideas, building relationships with donors and writing proposals and budgets to secure new funds.

• Excellent organisational and coordination skills, including the ability to think and plan strategically while also retaining close attention to detail, to manage and prioritise a diverse and demanding workload, to convene and run efficient meetings and meet deadlines.

• Excellent spoken and written English and French.

• Experience of working with local partners in an accompaniment and mentoring role, including due diligence.

• Practical and conceptual knowledge and experience of MHPSS, peacebuilding and conflict transformation processes, processes of social and political change and of supporting the development of local capacities for peacebuilding.

• Experience of planning, running, and facilitating effective meetings and workshops.

• Appreciation of confidentiality, political sensitivity and the complexities of working in a situation of unresolved conflict or political transition.

• Experience implementing projects in difficult social and political situations or conflict contexts, and experience of hostile environment training or willingness to undertake hostile environment training.

• Experience of line managing staff, including task management, performance management and professional development.

• Financial management experience and confidence overseeing finances, including preparing and managing annual budgets of at least £500k, monitoring and forecasting spend, and overseeing, audit, internal and external financial reporting.

• Considerable knowledge of the social and political landscape in the Africa, and its conflicts, ideally through experience of living or working in Africa.

• Excellent communication skills, to communicate complex issues effectively and adjust communication style to varying circumstances, including ability to listen actively to people from varying backgrounds and with a range of political, cultural, gender and sexual identities and value orientations, combined with an ability to engage with them clearly and sensitively.

• Experience of navigating the complexities of working in conflict-affected situations, including appreciation of confidentiality and handling sensitive information with due care.

• Willingness to work irregular hours on occasions and for frequent internal and international travel.

• Excellent word processing, spreadsheet, database and email software skills.

• Experience facilitating dialogue processes.