Facilitation Expert at International Alert (5 Openings)

International Alert is one of the world's leading peacebuilding  organisations, with over 30 years of experience supporting communities,  advising governments, organisations and companies on how to build  peace. Alert works with people in conflict-affected and threatened areas  to make a positive difference for peace; to improve the substance and  implementation of international policies relevant to peacebuilding; and to  strengthen the peacebuilding sector.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Facilitation Expert

Locations: Abuja (FCT), Delta, Enugu, Oyo and Sokoto (with travel as required)
Duration: 3 months with possible extension
Contract Type: Consultancy
Reports to: National Team Lead

Background

• As part of the national effort to harmonise and operationalise a comprehensive DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration) framework in Nigeria, there is a critical need for expert facilitation to ensure meaningful stakeholder engagement, inclusive participation, and knowledge co-creation across national and sub-national levels.
• This includes convening government actors, security agencies, community representatives, civil society, victims’ groups, and returnee populations in structured dialogues and strategic working sessions. 
• The Facilitation Experts will enable these platforms to function effectively by applying inclusive, participatory, and context-sensitive facilitation methodologies.

Purpose of the Assignment

• To provide expert-level facilitation services for high-level and grassroots events, ensuring outcomes that are participatory, consensus-driven, technically sound, and conducive to advancing the objectives of the national DDR framework.

Key Responsibilities
Facilitation of National and Sub-National Events:

• Facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations, roundtables, validation workshops, and technical working groups.
• Support strategic dialogues with traditional leaders, civil society, state authorities, and community actors.
• Moderate national policy-level sessions that feed into DDR strategy development and legal reforms.

Community Engagement and Reintegration Dialogue:

• Facilitate community-based reintegration and reconciliation dialogues with returnees, victims, and host communities.
• Guide sessions that identify barriers, solutions, and action points for peaceful reintegration and local peacebuilding.
• Support trauma-informed facilitation practices, ensuring safety and inclusivity of vulnerable groups (e.g. women, youth, survivors).

Training and Knowledge Co-Creation:

• Deliver participatory training and learning sessions for enumerators, government officials, security personnel, and civil society actors.
• Use adult learning principles, simulation techniques, role play, and interactive formats to enhance learning outcomes.
• Facilitate consensus-building sessions during DDR design and implementation planning.

Coordination and Pre/Post Event Support:

• Work with the project team to co-design facilitation plans, agendas, and workshop methodologies.
• Contribute to pre-event participant preparation and briefing.
• Support documentation of proceedings, synthesis of lessons, and development of post-event outcome reports.

Deliverables

• Facilitation Workplans: Agenda, methodology, and facilitation tools for assigned sessions 
• Event Facilitation Reports: Summary of process, group dynamics, decisions, and recommendations 
• Participation Briefs: Feedback summaries and key participant reflections
• Capacity Building Sessions: Delivery of structured training / facilitation for target groups.

Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• A Degree in Peacebuilding, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Communications, or related field.
• Advanced training or certification in facilitation, participatory learning, or conflict transformation is an added asset.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in professional facilitation or dialogue process design.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating DDR, peacebuilding, or community reintegration dialogues in fragile or post-conflict contexts.
• Familiarity with conflict-sensitive, gender-sensitive, and trauma-informed facilitation techniques.

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent communication, neutrality, and audience engagement skills.
• Ability to manage power dynamics and foster trust in high-stakes and emotionally charged sessions.
• Fluency in English required; knowledge of local Nigerian languages (e.g., Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo) is highly desirable.
• Strong documentation and synthesis capabilities.

Application Closing Date
10th May, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their updated CV (highlighting relevant facilitation assignments), brief cover letter outlining approach to facilitation in fragile contexts ,sample facilitation agenda or report ,daily rateand indication of availability to: nigeria@international-alert.org using the position as the subject of the email.