Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding that supports locally led peacebuilding initiatives around the world. Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally driven. Together with local partners and local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes and helps establish processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community.
As a strategic partner of the United Nations, Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has offices around the world. For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org
Interpeace in Libya
Interpeace undertook its very first mission to Libya in September of 2011. In 2012 it conducted an in-depth actor and issue mapping across the country to better assess conditions and response to an Interpeace approach engagement. As a direct result of that mapping Interpeace developed a programme aimed at establishing an infrastructure for peace in Libya with a pilot phase in the South West based in and around Sebha. The pilot aimed at helping communities from across the South identify impediments to peace in the region. By mid-2014, the programme had been able to make significant progress with 500 Libyans consulted capturing a broad array of perspectives on impediments to peace and opportunities for stability in the South. With the eruption of civil war late 2014 that phase was paused temporarily. In 2015 Interpeace initiated a peacemapping project which sought to highlight the numerous but less visible resilient communities that have remained relatively stable despite the conflict. The project’s key belief was that understanding the conditions and coping mechanisms these communities developed to deal with conflict and extracting lessons learned from them could compliment national and international dialogue initiatives in the country and contribute to the overall peacebuilding and reconciliation agenda for Libya. The lessons learned from the peacemapping initiative formed the foundation for the “Community Resilience and Cohesion: A Bottom-up Approach to Peacebuilding in Libya” project from June 2017 through August 2019. This first phase of the program targeted Eighteen communities across Libya through a series of capacity building workshops on conflict management and analysis, and community facilitation skills for a selected groups of change agents with the goal of strengthening intra- and intercommunity cohesion in the country. The new phase of the project: “Strengthening Local Cohesion in Libya: A Pathway to Lasting Peace” will continue its work on supporting Libyan local communities to build up lasting peace through strengthening their capacities and providing them with the needed tools and technics enabling them to manage internal challenges, build consensus on priority areas with other communities, and connect these processes with the national level dialogue agenda.
Position within the Organization **
The Project Officer is a member of the Programme Management Unit which manages and implements all of Interpeace’s active and ongoing programmes around the world. The Programme Management Unit is led from the Headquarters office in Geneva, although team members are based in various locations including in Eastern and Central Africa, West Africa, Europe and the MENA region.
Purpose and General Overview
Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Benghazi Project Officer will be responsible for Interpeace’s Benghazi office, providing assistance for the development & implementation of the program activities in the East of Libya
This post is a local position and involves some travel to the field inside Libya and to Tripoli, and Tunis Interpeace offices.
Duties and Responsibilities **
Strategic Engagement:
- Support the establishment of Interpeace Office in Benghazi
- Advances practical relationship building with change agents from the communities covered by the programme in the East of Libya, while creating networks and connections necessary for programme expansion to new communities;**
- Develops and strengthens relationships with local civil society organizations, local community leaders, elders, municipal councils, local commanders, and any actors who might impact Interpeace’s programmatic engagement on the ground;
- In collaboration with the Program Manager and MENA Regional Representative establishes local, regional, and national strategic relations and alliances with partner communities, civil society, and INGOs working in common cause with Interpeace objectives;
Programme Management and Development:
- Support the planning and managing program activities in the East in close coordination with relevant program partners and stakeholders including government authorities, national and international agencies, NGOs/CSOs, working groups etc
- Working closely with the Programme Manager and Senior Programme Officer, assists with the timely implementation of programme activities through providing advice on the selection of participants in consultations, and trainings, and actively facilitates workshops where needed;
- Assists the Program Manager and Senior Program Officer in liaising with local government officials and community leaders with the aim of fostering closer working relationships in the implementation of program activities in the East of Libya
- Supports in the identification of new change agents in the targeted communities in the East
- Supports the logistics arrangements of community-based activities, workshops, focus group discussions, trainings, research and other program activities as requested
- Maintains programmatic accountability for program activities including data collection for evaluation, record keeping of activities, collects and documents community-based activity reports, photos, attendance lists, and monitors program social and other media mentions
- Supports travel arrangements of activities participants through providing name lists, passport copies, and participation/confirmation lists to Admin Assistant to make hotel and flight bookings in a timely manner, circulating follow-up documents to activities participants, and distributing road costs and DSA **
- Conducts regular visits to targeted communities to provide recommendations for effective and efficient implementation of the activities
- Provides technical input for the effective implementation of the program through assisting in the developing and implementing of work plans, procurement plans & M&E plans
Representation:
- Represents Interpeace in strategic meetings, conferences, forums and other public events held in Benghazi , and contributes towards consolidating and raising the profile of Interpeace;
- Acts as Interpeace’s legal representative and represents the programme in meetings with Libyan officials in the East with a view to advocating for the programme and ensuring institutional buy-in;
- Acts as a signatory for the bank account in Benghazi
The Project Officer is to remain flexible and perform other duties as required for the effective running of the program. The Project Assistant will also demonstrate a commitment to the values and working principles of Interpeace both within the Interpeace team and in the broader regional and international community.
Requirements:
- University degree with fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic
- At least 3 years’ experience in international development or related field, previous experience in Local NGO or an INGO desirable
- Experience in programme and financial management
- Strong networking skills
- Excellent skills in Microsoft Office
- Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills
- Ability to organize work efficiently and deliver assignments in a timely manner often under time constraints with excellent attention to detail
- Ability to work effectively remotely as a team member and with minimal supervision
Interpeace Competencies
- Collaboration and Weaving
- Communication
- Drive for results
- Adaptability and Continuous Learning
- Respect for Diversity
Interpeace values diversity among its staff and aims to achieve gender equality both through gender parity at all levels of the organisation and to promote a gender dimension in all its work. We welcome applications from women and men, and those with disabilities.
