Mines Advisory Group
Capacity Development Advisor (Ukraine / Azerbaijan).
The starting salary package for this position is £49,474.50 GBP per annum (approx. $62,872 USD) including all allowances.
About MAG
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is an international humanitarian organisation based in Manchester, UK, and working in 32 countries. We remove landmines and unexploded ordnance to release safe and productive land for communities, and work to reduce the threat of armed violence by supporting governments to safely manage weapons and ammunition. In 1997, MAG was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for our work campaigning for the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
MAG in Eastern Europe, building on strong local capacities in both Ukraine and Azerbaijan, is gradually building a portfolio of partners inside these countries with whom the organisation is starting to put in place effective capacity development. MAG is seeking an experienced Capacity Development Advisor to deliver sustainable and effective national capacity development, supporting national authorities and partners to improve their abilities in mine action activities.
About the role
MAG in Eastern Europe, building on strong local capacities in both Ukraine and Azerbaijan, is gradually building a portfolio of partners inside these countries with whom the organisation is starting to put in place effective capacity development. MAG is seeking an experienced Capacity Development Advisor to deliver sustainable and effective national capacity development, supporting national authorities and partners to improve their abilities in mine action activities.
This role reports directly to the Country Director (CD) of Ukraine and has a secondary reporting line to the Country Director (Azerbaijan). It will focus on two primary areas within the Eastern Europe region.
About the Ukraine programme
Since the Russian invasion of 24th February 2022, Ukraine has been subjected to heavy artillery bombardment, missile, and air strikes, as well as the use of landmines and cluster munitions. The scale of the conflict and the use of high impact and indiscriminate weapons requires an urgent and extensive response. MAG responded to the crisis in 2022 and now employs nearly 200 staff in our Ukraine programme, in a range of operational and support/administrative activities with further scale-up planned during 2024. The programme has a representation office in Kyiv, and operational offices in Mykolaiv (also covering accessible areas of Kherson) and now in Kharkiv.
In Ukraine, the CDA will oversee ongoing work with a prominent local NGO, the Ukrainian Deminers Association (UDA). Additionally, they will work on identifying another local demining NGO to initiate capacity development efforts in the near future.
About the Azerbaijan programme
In December 2021, MAG established a programme in Azerbaijan funded by the US State Department’s Office for Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) and the Canadian government’s Peace and Stabilisation Operations Program. The widespread use of landmines and UXO during conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia has created a renewed and urgent need to improve the country’s humanitarian mine action response.
Now funded by the US Dept of State and the EU, the current projects involve MAG working to improve our national partner NGO’s ability to deliver high-quality humanitarian mine action activities to address new and legacy contamination, and in turn make affected regions safer for vulnerable communities and internally displaced people.
In Azerbaijan, the role will focus on strengthening relationships with both an established partner and a newer partner who currently has limited capacity to secure international donor funds. This will involve building upon initial capacity assessments and conducting comprehensive evaluations across various support services and mine action staff for operational tasks. The role will ensure coordination and support are aligned with national standards and regulations.
The Capacity Development Advisor (CDA) is expected to allocate 70% of their time to working with Ukraine and 30% with Azerbaijan. Initially, the role will involve an on-site deployment in Azerbaijan for the first 1-2 months, followed by remote support for 4-5 months, and concluding with another in-country visit, the duration of which will be determined based on programme needs. The remaining time will be dedicated to working with Ukrainian NGOs and possibly the Ukraine National Mine Action Centre.
About you
You should have experience working and living abroad, preferably in sensitive conflict or post-conflict settings, and possess the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. You should be able to demonstrate a track record of fostering constructive relationships with key stakeholders including government counterparts, other implementing partners, international donor organisations, UN bodies, civil society, and private sector representatives.
Our preferred candidate demonstrates a proactive approach, adaptability to address evolving needs, and thrives within a multicultural team environment. You should be able to demonstrate your experience of Capacity Development within other similar organisations and have proficiency in English, alongside outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities.
The postholder should be willing and able to live and work in a remote and insecure environment with extremely restricted movement.
How to apply
Further information and how to apply
For the further information on the role, the application pack and details of how to apply, please visit the MAG website at www.maginternational.org/vacancies-at-MAG by the closing date of 1st July 2024.
MAG will support the successful applicant with any visa or work permit required, including application, administration and costs, however applicants will need to be able to obtain these within a reasonable time period to be considered for the role, due to programme needs.
Please note that as part of MAG’s commitment to safeguarding, this post is subject to background checks before an offer of employment is confirmed. For more information on MAG’s approach to safeguarding here and background checks here. You can also find more information in the candidate information pack, available on our website.
MAG is committed to the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. If you think you would be suited to one of our roles we would welcome your application regardless of your background. We strive to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment where all employees feel respected and supported in fulfilling their potential.
Deadline: 1-Jul-24