Project Manager (m/f/d) in Butuan City, Philippines

Start of assignment

Ideally, you are available to start working on May 1, 2022 (preparation courses, followed by at least two years’ work within the project with the option of extension).

Who we are

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 as well as eleven other countries in Europe, the Middle East and South East 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 civil peace policy.

forumZFD is recognized 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.

Background

The island of Mindanao in the Philippines is the theatre of various, intersecting, violent conflicts. One is the conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a group seeking self-determination for the Muslim inhabitants of Mindanao and the Philippine Government. At present, a peace agreement between the MILF and the Government is being implemented. Another is the decades-long communist insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP), which seeks to transform Philippine society and overthrow the government. Both these major political conflicts intersect with more localized violent conflicts stemming from natural resource extraction, clan feuds, land disputes, among others, shaping the conditions on Mindanao.

Your responsibilities

The Caraga region hosts a number of grassroots level peace organisations and initiatives. forumZFD plans to expand our accompaniment and support role to these groups to enhance their aims for peacebuilding in their communities.

As Project Manager (Advocacy) you will lead in developing and implementing an advocacy strategy to promote these peacebuilding initiatives and strengthen the peace constituencies in place, through identifying entry points, networking with Philippine and international civil society, and engaging with key actors, including the political sphere.

This is a new project of forumZFD, the Project Manager – Advocacy will have a major influence on the design and direction it will take. You will report to, and work very closely with the Country Director, and coordinate with other team members in the Butuan City project office where the where the role is based, as well as with Programme Officers, and the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PM&E) Coordinator.

Your tasks in detail:

• Design, with the supervision of the Country Director, the advocacy strategy to support peacebuilding efforts in local communities, and coordinate with team members within forumZFD to align possible activities with the advocacy strategy.
• Network with Philippine and international civil society organisations and other impartial actors.
• Support the expansion of a peace constituency in the Philippines, in particular through supporting the work of the Caraga project team of forumZFD.
• Build and cultivate constructive relationships with key actors, including the Government of the Philippines.
• Design and organise public and closed advocacy events and similar activities (e.g. workshops, trainings and training series, consultations, conferences/open fora/round tables, art exhibitions, etc.).
• Contribute to the national and international discourse on different peace initiatives through written work, preparing public statements, attending conferences and other advocacy events.
• Observe and analyse current regional and local conflict dynamics.
• Implement internal planning, monitoring, and evaluation (PM&E) systems.
• Reflect on and document experiences and “lessons learned” out of activities and projects, for internal documentation and evaluation.
• Contribute to the fundraising and public relations activities of forumZFD.
• Manage the project staff and the finances of the project.

Your profile

• Completed university degree (at least bachelor’s), e.g. Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Studies, Area Studies, Social Sciences.
• Qualification as specialist in methods of nonviolent/civil conflict transformation (or similar knowledge)
• Extensive knowledge of the Philippines, in particular its social, political, and economic history, and present conditions including conflict contexts, knowledge of other peace processes in intra-state armed conflicts.
• Experiences in impact-orientated project planning, monitoring and evaluation, Systemic Conflict Analysis, Do no Harm, (knowledge in Outcome Mapping, Reflecting on Peace Practice (RPP), or similar methods desirable).
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, ability to work in teams and intercultural sensitivity for working on highly sensitive and often confidential issues with tact.
• Ability to cope with ambiguity and the psychological strains of living in a conflict-affected area, isolation, and under pressure in a complex, politically volatile environment.
• Physical and psychological resilience, good time management including management of healthy work-life balance.
• Several years of international experience in development cooperation and/or peace-building abroad (desirably in the Philippines or in another country in Southeast Asia, or in a country with a similar profile to the Philippines).
• Willingness to travel frequently and adjust to flexible working hours (weekends, workload peaks).
• Fluency in English (project language) both spoken and written, willingness to learn a new language.
• Knowledge of Tagalog and/or Bisaya is a distinct advantage.
• Sound knowledge of common computer applications and social media, knowledge of Open Office.
• Willingness to travel partly through areas in which safety rules have to be observed due to security risks, is expected.
• This role is an international contract and so is open to non-Filipino nationals.
• The location of this position is not suitable for applicants with school-age children.

Our offer

We offer an attractive position with responsibilities for a minimum of two years in a growing organization. As the position is based on the German Development Aid Workers Act (EhfG), the position is remunerated according to the provisions of this law, including comprehensive social security benefits and financial reintegration assistance upon return. We also offer participation in qualification and professional development courses (among others, at forumZFD’s Academy for Conflict Transformation), a project-based preparation, regular coaching and, where appropriate, participation in a language course.

As a project manager working for forumZFD, you will work within the innovative field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding through contributing your ideas and skills.