Job Title

Senior Training Officer: Conflict Sensitivity

Reports to

Training and learning Manager, Peacebuilding Issues Programme (PIP)

Management Responsibility

External consultants, Programme Officer possibly

Job location

London

Grade

3.2

Annual Salary

£34,002 per annum, plus excellent benefits

Contract duration

Open ended – depending on funding

International Alert

International Alert is a London-based NGO that works to build sustainable peace in countries and communities affected by violent conflict. We are committed to:

1.        Working together with people who live in areas affected or threatened by armed conflict to make a positive difference for peace;

2.        Improving both the substance and implementation of international policies that affect peacebuilding and the prospects for peace;

3.        Strengthening the peacebuilding sector through increasing its effectiveness and profile.

International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organisation that has worked for over 20 years to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict. Our multifaceted approach focuses both in and across various regions; aiming to shape policies and practices that affect peacebuilding; and helping build skills and capacity through training. Our regional work is based in the African Great Lakes, West Africa, Latin America, Lebanon, the South Caucasus, South Asia and the Philippines. Our thematic projects work at local, regional and international levels, focusing on cross-cutting issues critical to building sustainable peace. These include business and economy, gender, governance, aid and security and justice.

Department Description

The Peacebuilding Issues Programme (PIP) is Alert’s thematic programme, with a current staff of 18. The aim of the programme is to help shape and promote policies and practice that can reduce conflict and build peace. This is in recognition of the fact that, despite substantial progress in recent years, civil society, governments and the broader international community continue to lack the full range of skills, capacity, expertise and understanding required to prevent, resolve and transform conflict effectively. Accordingly, PIP’s objectives are:

·      to understand and raise awareness of the impact of existing efforts to address conflict dynamics and contribute to peace;

·      to develop and promote the methods, tools and skills required for effective peacebuilding;

·      To identify and advocate for changes to institutional systems and structures required to build peace.   

PIP also provides knowledge leadership and coordination functions and supports cross-organisational learning.

The International Alert Training and Learning Team, which sits within PIP, uses training and learning methodologies to equip people directly affected by violent conflict, and those whose policy and practice have an impact on prospects for peace, with the tools to build peace and minimize the negative impacts on conflict. The team designs and delivers bespoke training in conflict and peacebuilding to governments, local civil society in conflict-affected locations, UN missions and donor agencies. It leads processes of capturing and facilitating learning with in Alert and as such actively supports regional programmes and other Alert departments and staff.

Job Purpose

To lead Alert’s conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding training with UN agencies, international NGOs, donors and local community organisations in order to improve their peace building policy and practice. The Senior Training Officer will use experiential training and adult learning methodologies to influence the way agencies and institutions think about and respond to peacebuilding challenges in conflict- affected locations. This strategic post, which sits in Alert’s Training and Learning team, will also help capture learning across the organisation, including from field programmes, allowing us to feed this knowledge into new programme development and training.  Working across regional programmes and thematic areas – including gender, security and economy and peacebuilding – the post holder will develop the training and facilitation capacity of colleagues in order that they increase their effectiveness and impact. The postholder will develop new ideas and secure funding for their implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

This post focuses on three key elements:

1. Spearheading research, consultation, training and advocacy aimed at influencing institution-wide approaches to conflict sensitivity  and peacebuilding by donors, governments and international development agencies;

1. Capturing learning from the organisation and facilitating learning processes within Alert;

1. Managing, fundraising and organizational support.

1. Spearheading research, consultation, training and advocacy  aimed at influencing institution-wide approaches to conflict sensitivity  by key donors, governments and international agencies;

With an emphasis on innovation and tailoring work to specific learning needs and strategic change objectives you will:

• Devise and implement strategies for expanding the range of international institutions for which the Training and Learning Team designs and delivers training programmes;
• Conduct and publish research, and undertake advocacy around institution-wide approaches to conflict-sensitive development, humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding;
• Lead our work within the UK-based Conflict Sensitivity Consortium;
• Design and deliver bespoke training courses on conflict sensitivity and other critical  peacebuilding and conflict issues for donors, agencies and civil society organisations including at field level;

• Use knowledge and experience gained from conflict-affected situations and the policy sphere  to inform the design and delivery of practice-based bespoke training.

2. Capturing learning from the organisation and facilitating learning processes within Alert;

• Work with PIP and Alert’s regional programmes to capture learning from best practice and innovative peace building;
• Develop tools and methodologies for transforming learning derived from programmatic work into new training courses for policy makers and development, humanitarian and peacebuilding practitioners, including Alert’s own staff;
• Contribute to cross-organizational strategies, approaches and initiatives.

3. Management, fundraising and organizational support

• Contribute to the design and implementation of an overall marketing plan for the Training and Learning Team;
• Represent Alert at external meetings and events;
• Identify new funding opportunities for Alert’s training and learning strategy and activities;

• Develop Terms of Reference, funding proposals and budgets for training and consultancies;
• Manage external consultants, intern(s) and potentially a Programme Officer.

Travel requirements

The postholder should be prepared to travel for short periods of up to two or three weeks, for a total of up to three months a year.

Talents

You have a talent for strategic thinking and for transforming experience and knowledge into learning. You are innovative and bring a creative flair to all your training. You understand that people learn differently and you tailor your approach with assurance. You are perceptive and can manage difficult situations – and people – with tact, patience and professionalism.  You have an aptitude for understanding how people respond to different training environments and enjoy the challenge of fostering and supporting change. You have an aptitude for networking and for finding original ways to influence thinking using training and learning methodologies. You foster and model collegial working relationships based upon open communication, respect and sensitivity. You are committed to achieving impact.

Annual Salary

£34,002 per annum, plus excellent benefits

Pension

The post holder is eligible for Alert’s pension rights. Pension contributions are paid into a personal pension of the employee’s choice and are currently equivalent to 10% of gross salary.

Leave entitlement

25 working days per year plus English statutory holidays.

Notice period

During the probation period the he notice period is one months on either side. Thereafter it is two months.

Working hours

Full time staff are expected to work a standard 35 hour week, with some flexibility around start and finish times to be agreed with the line manager. All staff are required to work core hours 10am - 4pm.

Sport’s club membership

Staff can take advantage of subsidised membership of a local sports club, upon successful completion of the probation period.