Specialist, Evidence and Learning, MENA & MHPSS lead

Search for Common Ground (Search) is a non-governmental organization working to transform the way societies deal with conflicts. We have over 40 years of experience in peacebuilding and are based in 53 local offices worldwide. We strive to build sustainable peace for generations to come by working with all sides of a conflict, providing the tools needed to work together, and finding constructive solutions. While conflict is inevitable, violence is not. Our mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. Instead of tearing down an existing world, we focus on constructing a new one. We shift the everyday interactions between hostile groups of people so they can work together to build up their community, choosing joint problem-solving over violent means. We rely on local staff as well as local partner organizations in order to ensure our work is culturally sensitive, sustainable and well-grounded in the context.

For more information, visit www.sfcg.org

The Strategy Alignment Team is composed of a global technical team working to enable people to effectively execute Search organizational strategy through the common Ground Approach (CGA). We want everyone at Search to have: the systems to support their strategies; evidence that empowers everyone to make smart decisions; the resources to do their jobs effectively; space to innovate and grow to tackle challenges of the future. The Strategy Alignment Team has also developed platforms for innovation and sharing to elevate a diverse set of voices to lead in our field through ConnexUs and several communities of practice. The team is led by the Vice President of Strategy Alignment. It is global, dynamic, diverse, and engaged at multiple levels of the organization and with external partners. Under the From Grassroot to Global (G2G): Contributing to Peaceful and Safe Societies program, Search made a commitment to integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in our conflict-sensitivity practice understanding the psychological toll of this work on staff, partners and community members. This initiative acknowledges the challenges of engaging in countries grappling with severely restricted civic spaces, the legacy and trauma of ongoing violence, rampant sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) including in the online space, harassment faced by local peacebuilding practitioners, and increasingly polarized digital environments. The programme will advance learning and best practices on MHPSS and leverage Search Trauma Healing methodology. The Specialist, Evidence and Learning for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and MHPSS lead, will focus on programmatic implementation of Search strategy in MENA as well as in mainstreaming MHPSS in the four countries (among which: DR Congo, Niger and Palestine) where the G2G program is implemented.

Responsibilities

• • Individual contributor with senior-level expertise in program monitoring, evaluation, adaptation and learning (MEAL) and Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS).
  • Strategic reflection for design and adaptation and MENA country strategy support;Ensure high-quality MEAL support, reporting, procurement and recruitment in MENA country programs.
  • Assessment and feedback related to standards in the MENA region.
  • Coordinate in a matrixed structure to pursue goals, standards and best practices with other teams and departments, with a focus on Coordination with program teams in MENA on technical support and training needs.
  • Ensure skills development is incorporated into personal objectives and those of other staff by proactively identifying paths for growth and opportunities to build technical skills.
  • Mainstream MHPSS across the G2G countries, including: conduct participatory protection and inclusion analyses to identify safety and mental health challenges faced by peacebuilders and activists, alongside measures for ensuring their safety, well-being, and protection; developing protocols, conducting training sessions, and facilitating connections with existing emergency support or funding mechanisms for MHPSS.

Contributions

• • Provide technical leadership in sub-strategy development, implementation and review with MENA teams and departments, seeking alignment with the organizational strategy.
  • Set technical objectives and within teams that support our standards, and participate in planning to ensure department annual objectives are relevant for organizational needs.
  • Provide technical leadership in reflection on strategy, and implement action plans to address bottlenecks to performance.
  • Articulate priorities for staff performance in technical areas of expertise, and share input with teams setting objectives for staff.
  • Guide teams to ensure they increasingly produce learning documents (includes research, MEAL, MHPSS and programmatic best-practices) that uphold Search standards for assessing program impact and building evidence, and provide review and approval for necessary documents.
  • Lead teams to produce research and analysis that contributes evidence to the broader field in line with our learning agenda and global standards for assessing impact.
  • Engage in program and strategy development, leading and reviewing drafts, with a focus on feeding evidence and lessons learned back into programmatic design.
  • Use priorities and opportunities within the portfolio to provide technical backstopping, resources and training that improve our program quality and impact in line with the goals of the organization.
  • Develop initiatives that support staff build skills within networks of technical expertise in the organization, in line with team priorities.
  • Serve as a leader within technical networks to channel Search learning back into programming, serve as a focal point of technical expertise with external groups, and position Search as field leaders affecting policy and practice globally.
  • Ensure staff build professional skills within the organization’s learning platform and lead development of relevant training and resources for technical growth.
  • Develop curricula for staff training in technical area of expertise in alignment with the paths for professional development in the organization;

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• • Manages overall strategy and vision. Provides functional and program/project management. Anticipates and plans for needs and takes action accordingly. Provides guidance to matrixed team members.
  • Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search’s network of experts critical to the area of purview.
  • Modifies a planned course of action in response to new information or new circumstances.
  • Responds to changing circumstances and expectations readily.
  • Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search. Develops program objectives that reflect broader Search strategies and approaches.
  • Creates standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams and with a view from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
  • Overcomes obstacles using ethical practices; formulates and evaluates morally and ethically justified solutions.
  • Assesses risks and opportunities to lead decision makers to a favorable outcome.
  • Checks the accuracy of one’s own and others’ work and sets up systematic checks and balances to support content and data integrity.
  • Has knowledge of project management tools including technology as resources for efficiency and reduction of stress.

Type and Nature of Contacts

• • Routinely coordinates with colleagues, country programs and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
  • Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
  • Interacts with country offices and regional and global staff.

Education and Experience

• • Master’s degree with minimum 9 years’ experience in research, MEAL and/or MHPSS.
  • Language: English and Arabic (mandatory) proficiency, good working knowledge of French.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• • Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 35%.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility

• • Individual contributors and typically do not supervise staff members