2 Heads of Programs Middle East (m/f/d) in Cologne, Germany

2 Heads of Programs Middle East (m/f/d) (70-80%)

at the head office of forumZFD in Cologne-Ehrenfeld

We are looking for two experts to join our team and to oversee and manage the programs in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel and Palestine, with extensive travel within the region, starting from October 2022.

Our profile

forumZFD supports people involved in violent conflicts on the path to peace and strives to help overcome war and violence.

forumZFD is currently working with peace consultants in Germany and eleven other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Its Academy for Conflict Transformation offers a learning space for professional, international peace work. Through dialogue events, educational work and campaigns, forumZFD actively advocates a civil peace policy.

forumZFD is recognised by the German federal government as a member of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) Consortium. It finances its work through public and private grants, donations and membership fees.

Your tasks

As Head of Program Middle East in the Projects & Programs Department in Cologne, you will be responsible for selected country programs in the region and be part of the management team of forumZFD. As an expert on the region your goal is to support the development of the strategic direction of the programs and initiate the program set up accordingly.

Your main tasks are overseeing staff and financial management of programs. While planning the program set up you will apply a participatory approach, considering the cultural aspects and local context factors. You will link to the already existing management and communication structures within the forumZFD program team – this includes also the documentation and presentation, internal knowledge-management processes and PM&E on program level. You report directly to the Executive Board and represent the forumZFD in relevant committees.

Your tasks in detail:

• You supervise country directors of program offices in the Middle East.
• You are responsible for recruitment and management of international staff deployment and support country directors in local staff management.
• You are responsible for the strategic and conceptual management of the country programs and quality assurance.
• You are responsible for the financial and budget management of the country programs.
• You represent forumZFD vis-à-vis donors, cooperation partners, national and international stakeholders.
• You represent the country programs in public and media.
• You participate in the overall management circle of the organisation.

Your profile

• Master’s degree, preferably in social and societal sciences or comparable qualification
• Proven work experience in peacebuilding or conflict transformation abroad (preferably in the Middle East) or in other international working fields (Development Cooperation or Humanitarian Assistance)
• Sound professional experience in project and program management in an international context/organisation
• Proven experience in managing complex processes (project management, people management and financial controlling)
• Extensive leading skills in (systemic) consulting in a participatory environment
• Strong strategic and reflective skills and practical knowledge in the application of impact-oriented methods
• Ability to work under pressure, self-confidence, ability to deal with conflict, crisis resilience
• Being fluent in English, German is an asset
• Willingness to travel, also abroad and into high risk countries
• Experience in and enjoyment of teamwork, with a good sense of humour

Our offer

We offer an attractive position in a dynamic, constantly evolving organization in the beautiful Cologne district of Ehrenfeld. Here you will contribute your ideas and skills to the team-oriented and cooperative working environment of an internationally active peace organization.

The position we offer is permanent as an 70-80% position (28-32 hours/week).

The remuneration is based on our works agreement on wage structuring. The advertised position is assigned to salary group 5 (head). In all salary groups, the remuneration increases with the length of service within the company.

For more information, see https://www.forumzfd.de/de/arbeiten-der-geschaeftsstelle-koeln.

We offer flexible working hours (core working hours) and opportunities for further training, e.g. at the Academy for Conflict Transformation in the forumZFD. Furthermore, we offer a job ticket as well as an ethical-socially oriented company pension scheme including employer contributions.

You can expect a competent team of committed employees and a workplace in a (family) friendly peace organization with high professional and methodological standards – decided for peace.

Start of assignment

Ideally, you are available to start working on 1st of October 2022.