Early Warning and Early Response Coordinator at Search for Common Ground (Search)

Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful transformation of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC, and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict—moving away from destructive approaches and towards cooperative solutions. With more than 700 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 African countries, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Early Warning and Early Response Coordinator - A Community-Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers
Employment type: Full-time

Position Summary

• We are seeking an experienced Early Warning and Early Response Coordinator for an anticipated 18-month project funded by the European Union.
• The project will be implemented in consortium with co-applicants with the overall goal of fostering inclusive community security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States. 
• The role is expected to lead the implementation of early warning and early response activities in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers State.
• S/he will be based in Rivers state and coordinate the early warning and early response component of the project.
• She/He will be expected to coordinate early warning observers in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states, confirm and analyze reports and prepare monthly reports.
• S/he will work closely with the community EWER structures in the implementation of early warning and Conflict prevention activities.
• The position will report to the Consortium Coordinator and will work closely with the Head of Programme Implementation, Project team, and other country-level support staff. The position holder will be based in Rivers State.
• The EWER Coordinator is expected to bring to the role proven experience and skills in Early Warning and Early Response, conflict transformation, conflict resolution, conflict sensitivity, and do no harm (DNH) principles.
• The candidate will have skills in coordinating efforts aimed at transforming criminality, mitigating of violence and criminality, and supporting community-based Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) initiatives.
• The position holder will partner with civil society, security, and government actors to institutionalize strategies and approaches that will build community capacity and skills to address social cohesion, lack of economic opportunity, and environment degradation and foster sustainable peace. 
• Additionally, the role will ensure that conflicts identified through the EWER mechanism supported by the Project feeds into multi-stakeholder forums for dispute resolution and higher-level policy change and create open and neutral spaces for stakeholders, community members, and leaders to identify collective solutions.
• The anticipated project will bring together four leading peacebuilding and development organizations in the Niger Delta, in a consortium aimed at providing a holistic, community-centered approach to addressing core drivers of criminality, violence, and conflict in the region, with a specific focus on the empowerment and inclusion of youth in the security of their respective communities in the Niger Delta.
• The consortium partners will leverage existing relationships with the action’s diverse target groups, including at-risk youth, local communities impacted by oil production and oil bunkering, state security actors, the private sector, journalists and media actors, key civil society organizations, and policymakers at the state, regional, national, and international levels, to secure broad-based buy-in and participation in the action.
• Overall, the project will seek to initiate a shift in the way that relevant actors think about and approach issues of oil bunkering, criminality, and security in the Niger Delta in favor of more bottom-up, human-centered perspectives.
• This institutional and social shift is necessary in order to sustainably reduce the prevalence of oil bunkering and other forms of criminality and violence in the region in the long term.
• The design of the action centers around four activity streams, each addressing a systemic driver of division, violence, and criminality in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States:
  • Stream 1: will foster intra-community collaboration around issues of social exclusion, lack of economic opportunity, and environmental degradation.
  • Stream 2: will build trust and collaboration between communities, the government, and security actors for more participatory, community-centered security operations. 
  • Stream 3: will leverage arts- and culture-based approaches to foster social cohesion between divided communities, both online and offline.
  • Stream 4: will facilitate policy change to institutionalize community-centered security approaches at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels.
• The position will be based in Rivers State with frequent field travels to Delta and Bayelsa states.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Has the responsibility for managing the Early Warning System (EWS) and integrated hub in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states with guidance from the National Conflict and Policy Analyst, Head of Programme Implementation, and Consortium Coordinator.
• Organize monthly meetings with Community Observers (COs) and quarterly meetings with Community Response Networks (CRNs) in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States.
• Ensure that the EW system receives daily SMS/voice incident reports from COs, CRNs, and other stakeholders, and such reports are documented on the system and analyzed in real-time, and disseminated to actors and communities for immediate response.
• Ensure that all incident reports and early warning signs and indicators are fed into the centralized Search Conflict early warning and early response platform in Abuja.   
• Collate and develop weekly Early Warning System (EWS) reports/analyses and Monthly updates to be shared with donors and other stakeholders.
• Develop a bimonthly EWS bulletin to share in printed and electronic copies to local actors, government, and stakeholders including NGOs.
• Coordinate the convening of the Project’s Peace Architecture Platforms comprising the Community level, LGA level, and State level platforms for Early Warning and Early Response
• Participate and share analysis of EWS reports with CSADs and PAD members.
• Document key success stories from the EWS reports, incidences, and/or responses of actors and stakeholders linked to the reports received from the system.
• Support programmatic and logistical support and assistance to the Consortium Coordinator and Head of Programme Implementation.
• Serve as a link and intermediary between Search for Common Ground and local communities and partners.
• Facilitate and organize field visits for Search staff, visitors, and donors to local communities
• Contribute to the preparation of contractual and noncontractual  reports
• Participate in research in support of project implementation and development
• Work with program staff in the development and continuous improvement of systems
• Provide necessary support to implementing partners and government under the supervision of the program manager
• Provide weekly and monthly progress reports to the supervisor and management team

Educational Qualifications

• A Degree or Post graduate Degree in Conflict Resolution, Peace Studies, Peacebuilding, Conflict Management, or a relevant field;
• Additional education in conflict management, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution 

Required Experience:

• At least five (5) years of experience in early warning and conflict management  or related fields
• Have led implementation of similar Early Warning and Early Response initiatives in Nigeria and the Niger Delta Region 
• In-depth knowledge of the Niger Delta region. 
• Relevant experience working in the non-profit and NGO sector or institutions providing conflict early warning and early response services.
• Experience with conflict analysis tools;
• Substantial experience working with government officials, NGOs and communities;
• Experience writing reports and project proposals;
• Understanding of the social, political, and economic context of the Niger Delta region and how it impacts conflict drivers and conflict in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states and targeted communities;
• Knowledge and experience in computers and crowd mapping software;

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Good knowledge of the local languages will be an asset.
• Knowledge of civil society organizations, government agencies, private sector companies, and international development agencies, with experience working in partnership within some of these sectors;
• Experience in partnership building, with experience in influencing stakeholders and establishing and maintaining strong partnerships;
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and strong interpersonal skills;
• Commitment to Search’s aims and a clear understanding of the links between policy, lobbying, campaigning, and how policy change can be achieved through effective advocacy;
• Ability to identify issues and to use sound judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems;
• Good knowledge of the political, economic, and social dimensions of the Niger Delta region
• Ability to work under extreme pressure in a highly stressful environment;
• Willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the EW/ER field;
• Basics financial management skills;
• Knowledge of other languages spoken in the states will be an advantage;
• Strong command of the English language, with excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal communication skills;
• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace; and
• Ability to prioritize, plan and organize workflow to tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks, and be flexible with changing priorities.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrate integrity and promote Search values and ethical standards;
• Promote the vision, mission, and strategic objectives of Search;
• Demonstrate capacity to adapt to a multicultural context, tolerance, and respect for issues related to gender, religion, race, and nationality;
• Proficiency in the use of MS Office is required
• Proficiency in data analytics and the use of EWER tracking tools
• Demonstrate capacity in developing concept notes and Terms of Reference for hiring consultants on Early Warning and Early Response.

Application Closing Date
25th August, 2023

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Information and Notice

• Interested candidates should send their Current resume and Cover Letter (which includes expectations of compensation and projected start date)
• Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.
• 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 responsibilities.