Regional Peace and Advocacy Coordinator at Mennonite Central Committee

Reports to: East Africa & Sahel Area Directors

Direct reports: None

Job Summary: Regional Peace & Advocacy Coordinator will be responsible for supporting peace and reconciliation initiatives in the East Africa and Sahel (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad & Burkina Faso). The Coordinator will support country offices and partners as they create, implement and monitor innovative projects which contribute toward peace and justice efforts in their contexts. This role requires exceptional communication, program design and training skills as well as a deep understanding of the social and cultural dynamics within East Africa & the Sahel.

Key Responsibilities:

• Innovation, Research & Strategy: 50%
  • Develop peace policies and practices at a regional level, working alongside the peacebuilding coordinator in MCC’s Planning Learning, and Disaster Response department (PLDR), country offices, and ADs to develop and implement strategies to promote peace, reconciliation, and conflict resolution within the region, with a focus on community-level reconciliation, inter-tribal, inter-religious, and inter-ethnic peace work, and peace education.
  • Work closely with country reps, country program peacebuilding coordinators, PLDR’s peacebuilding coordinator, and other peace practioners to identify new techniques of conflict mitigation, with a focus on and addressing peace and justice issues related to climate change. Identify indigenous resources, local talents, skills, and knowledge for peacebuilding.
  • in coordinator with the PLDR peacebuilding coordinator, evaluate existing peace entities such as Peacebuilding Strategic Goals Operationalizing (PSGO) and Mennonite African Peacebuilding Network (MAPN) to determine effectiveness and identify next steps. Consider ways to build peace programming into more existing projects, and explore multi-sector/integrated peacebuilding programming.
  • Support MCC’s African peace institutes: work alongside our partner organizations, African Peace Institute, Great Lakes Institute, Great Lakes Peace Initiative: providing resourcing as requested, and attending the various institutes, as needed.
• Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation & Capacity-Building: 25%
  • In coordination with the PLDR peacebuilding coordinator, resource the East Africa and Sahel country offices by conducting training sessions, workshops, and seminars on conflict resolution, nonviolent communication, and peace-building techniques for partners and MCC staff both in-person and virtually.
  • Meet regularly with the Planning, Learning, Disaster Response Department (PLDR) Peacebuilding Coordinator to develop a common strategy and approach for resourcing MCC program and partners on project development.
  • Work together with the Peacebuilding Coordinator to create trainings in the region, guided by MCC’s program-wide system of project planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. Support partners and MCC staff to identify key peace and justice issues in their context and design tailored peace-building projects. Collaborate with country teams to plan and conduct research and evaluations to assess the effectiveness and impact of their peace programming. Collate findings from country programs to identify regional trends. Present findings to MCC staff and partners as requested. 
  • Support country programs to identify and mitigate safeguarding risks in peacebuilding programming, and implement cultural and age appropriate complaints mechanism.
  • Maintain a strong collaboration with MCC offices in the US and Canada, including those in PLDR to ensure complementarity and supporting MCC-wide efforts around peacebuilding best practices.
• Networking, Partnerships and Advocacy: 25%
  • Establish and maintain strong relationships with local, regional, and international peace-building organizations, fostering partnerships to leverage resources and enhance the impact of peace initiatives.
  • Serve as a connector between country-level project coordinators, working on peace, to share best practices and learnings. Work closely with country reps and peace coordinators to serve as a resource for learning tours from North America and other parts of the world.
  • Collaborate with MCC offices in the US and CA, including invitations to be part of networks, working groups, etc.
  • Raise awareness about peace-building initiatives and advocate for policies that support peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution. Engage with government agencies, NGOs, and MCC advocacy offices in DC, Ottawa and at the UN.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in peace and conflict studies, international relations, sociology, or a related field. A master's degree is preferred.
• Proven experience of 3 to 5 years in peace-building, conflict resolution, or related fields, preferably in a multicultural setting.
• Demonstrated experience with PMER for peacebuilding. Highly comfortable working with logical frameworks, tools and strategies for assessing peacebuilding impact, and communicating about PMER nontechnically with a diversity of stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of conflict dynamics and peace-building principles and practices, including nonviolent communication techniques.
• Ability to travel throughout the region: usually a 10-day trip five times in the year.  
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including community members, government officials, NGOs, and international organizations.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities, with the capacity to plan, implement, and evaluate peace-building programs.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of French is highly desired.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Legally able to work in Nairobi, Kenya and ability to work from home as there is no regional in-person office.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting peace, social justice, and human rights.

Note: This job description is a general outline of the key responsibilities and qualifications required for the role of East Africa & Sahel Regional Peace & Advocacy Coordinator. It is not exhaustive and may be subject to change based on the specific needs of the organization or project.

Would you like to join us?

Interested candidates should submit their CVs and academic records with a cover letter explaining why they are interested in the position, highlighting the personal attributes which make them suited for this role.

Applications should be submitted to easregionrecruitment@mcc.org  and fill this form  by July 28st, 2023, indicating Regional Peace & Advocacy Coordinator in the subject of the email.  

Please note that only applications submitted to this email address will be considered.