Country Director - Yemen

The Organisation Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 400 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 39 offices in 26 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The organisation is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff who love their work. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role.

Summary of Position The Country Director-Yemen will manage and implement a multi-faceted conflict transformation programme in the country that will utilise media, educational and capacity building programmes to promote non-violent solutions to conflict. A central component of the job is working with diverse stakeholders who are often of opposing views in a volatile political and security environment, while projecting SFCG’s commitment to being a balanced, unbiased organisation and promoting positive, constructive relations in general. The key qualities needed in this position are knowledge of Yemeni society and culture, the ability to function as both a conflict resolver and social entrepreneur, and demonstrated leadership skills in team-building and fundraising. The Director will be based in Sana‘a, Yemen. This position reports to the Director of Muslim-Western Relations and Middle East & North Africa Programmes, who is based in Washington, DC.

Responsibilities • Manage the implementation of the conflict transformation programme in Yemen within the overall vision and goals of the organisation • Oversee the establishment and management of SFCG-Yemen’s projects while managing project priorities, developing plans and long-term strategies • Take full responsibility for the financial management and health of the SFCG--Yemen programme, including fundraising, budget management, financial reporting, and budget monitoring • Recruit, manage, and evaluate SFCG’s programme and project staff in Yemen • Oversee ongoing capacity-building efforts in national staff members, particularly in areas of programme and budget management • Monitor and evaluate the results achieved by the different projects and the programme as a whole, supported in part by the Design Monitoring and Evaluation team in Washington, DC • Serve as SFCG’s representative in Yemen • Work with public and private actors, non-governmental organisations, the media and disadvantaged communities on institutionalising a culture of conflict transformation and mediation • Develop and maintain relationships with international and local trainers, partner organisations, other NGOs, media, donors, clients, key government officials, and others • Ensure compliance with donor and SFCG regulations • Oversee the management of grants and report regularly to supervisor • Raise additional support for the Yemen programme through proposal and report writing and other channels, as necessary • Identify new opportunities for SFCG involvement in Yemen, as appropriate • Stay abreast of the international conflict resolution field to ensure that the programme’s work remains innovative and professional • Maintain local administrative policies and procedures, ensuring that they comply with SFCG policies • Develop and maintain security and evacuation policy • Be directly engaged in the continuing development of the organisation, its mission and its staff, through the sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly contributing to its Institutional Learning efforts

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications Essential • At least five (5) years of experience in international relations, peace-building, development, journalism and/or related fields, including democracy and governance issues and civil society strengthening • Bachelor’s Degree in a related area required (Master’s degree preferred) • Extensive experience working in and/or knowledge of Yemen and the political, social and cultural issues affecting the region • Knowledge of and experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation • Significant experience in project management at a high level in a non-profit environment • Demonstrated experience with budgeting, project development, fundraising, proposal and report writing, and grants management • Demonstrated financial management and programme administration experience • Ability to successfully manage and inspire a team in the field of conflict resolution, international development or related fields • Excellent managerial skills, interpersonal and networking skills, as well as the ability to conduct professional working relationships • Dynamic leader with creative problem-solving skills • Knowledge of major donor rules and regulations, and the ability to manage and prioritize multi-donor funding • Proven ability in convening and facilitating multi-party meetings and ongoing dialogues • Demonstrated experience in setting up and managing monitoring systems and initiating regular evaluations of the programme • Ability to work with people at all levels, ranging from high-level officials to community leaders • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English & Arabic • Ability to function as a social entrepreneur • A team spirit

Salary: Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and current resume to employment@sfcg.org or fax to +1 (202) 232-6718 with the subject heading: Country Director - Yemen. Please be sure to include minimum salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.