Global Military Advisor

Position description

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) Center is an international nonprofit and nongovernmental organization with offices around the world working to improve protection for civilians in conflict zones. Our mission is to support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and strengthen the resolve and capacity of armed actors and relevant institutions to prevent and respond to civilian harm. We are advocates who believe that no civilian caught in conflict should be ignored, and advisors who provide practical solutions to preventing and responding to civilian harm. Learn more at civiliansinconflict.org.

About the Position

The Global Military Advisor (GMA) will be in charge of CIVIC’s work with security and defense actors across the world and will lead the work on the development and implementation of global civilian harm tracking and mitigation standards among weapons bearers to prevent and reduce civilian casualties among populations affected by conflict. S/he will provide strategic oversight, accountability, policy coordination, capacity building and technical advice to CIVIC’s leadership and program staff across the globe with the focus on the protection of civilians. The GMA, in close coordination with other technical advisors, especially the Global Protection Advisor (GPA) will be responsible for providing quality control of CIVIC’s training to armed actors, including technical assistance to CIVIC’s leadership and program staff on the implementation of civilian harm mitigation initiatives; supporting CIVIC’s engagement with communities that themselves engage armed actors, CIVIC’s research and advocacy initiatives; and contributing to regular analyses of current events in support of project planning, reporting, and other CIVIC activities. The GMA will also provide training, analysis, and representation for CIVIC’s program.

Job Title: Advisor, Global Military

Department: Programs

Reports to: Director, Programs

Location: Brussels, Belgium (preferred) with at least 40% travel to the field or Geneva, Switzerland

Key Responsibilities

• Define and refine CIVIC’s approach to working with security and defense actors to promote the implementation of protection of civilian standards and policies, including the development of a strategy, a plan of action and a set of concrete deliverables and indicators to measure CIVIC’s success in its work with security and defense actors
• Oversee the provision of, and directly provide, military, technical, and pedagogical expertise pertaining to the engagement and training of armed actors on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts
• Cultivate strong working relationships with senior government, military, and civil society leaders
• In close coordination with GPA, manage the design and implementation of tools, systems, strategies, and other procedures to minimize the harm caused to civilians during operations and foster better protection of civilians
• Develop training modules and review training modules developed by national military advisors to ensure consistency across all of CIVIC’s programs; deliver workshops on the key tenets of civilian harm mitigation and protection of civilians to military and civilian members
• In close coordination with relevant program and country directors, contribute to and, when necessary, leads CIVIC’s advocacy efforts with senior government and military officials to advance programmatic and policy changes related to the protection of civilians
• Manage and coordinate the program portfolio to ensure the highest level of project quality and accountability, while fostering continuity through capacity-building with external partners
• Support the recruitment, management, training, and mentoring of new and existing military advisors in CIVIC
• In close coordination with Development and Communications teams, disseminate findings from CIVIC’s work that are of significance to decision-makers in a position to fund or implement projects
• Work with other global advisors and especially with in-country Senior Military Advisors to promote CIVIC within NGO networks and among government stakeholders to facilitate effective collaboration and partnership-building, as well as to assess training efforts and provide recommendations to these stakeholders to improve civilian protection
• Keep CIVIC’s international, domestic, and other partners informed about progress of projects and plans for the development of new activities
• Conduct monitoring and reporting of activities in support of project requirements
• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to track and report on program and activity efficacyin support of project requirements
• Build strategic relationships and partnerships with key foreign missions and multilateral institutions, such as the European Union, NATO, UK, US, and others

Requirements

• Past operational and pedagogical military experience as a senior officer, Major to Brig. General levels (or equivalent)
• Experience working in an active conflict zone and engaging with armed actors in active combat
• Experience training armed actors, preferably while serving in a military, specifically relating to protection of civilians and/or International Humanitarian law; additional experience working with police forces is also highly desired
• Prior experience working for an INGO/IO desired
• Understanding of and commitment to humanitarian principles
• Integrity, flexibility, cultural awareness, and sensitivity
• Computer literacy including proficiency with Microsoft Office, Dropbox, and Slack
• Fluency in written and spoken English is highly desired; Arabic and/or French skills a plus
• Ability to write high-quality narratives and qualitative reports as well as public-facing products (op-eds, press releases)
• Demonstrated experience networking with government officials
• Strong professional network and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to develop collaborative relationships, especially in a multi-component project
• Superior analytic, communication, and supervisory skills, including training and facilitation skills and demonstrated experience working with multicultural teams

 

Application instructions

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