The Berlin-based NGO DRA e.V. is looking for a head of the international project “Dialogue for Understanding and Justice: Strengthening civil society’s contribution to conflict management, democratic and regional development and the preparation of safe reintegration in eastern Ukraine”.

The position is full-time (40h / week) and based in Berlin. The job will start either on June 16, 2021, or at the earliest possible date.

Background:

The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has been going on since 2014, has led to an enormous humanitarian burden for the five million inhabitants of the region and is having an immense impact on the development of Ukraine in social, political and economic terms. Due to the extent of the conflict and the Russian involvement, it is destabilizing the European architecture of peace and security.

The DRA project “Dialogue for Understanding and Justice: Strengthening civil society’s contribution to conflict management, democratic and regional development and the preparation of safe reintegration in eastern Ukraine” aims to increase the transparency of the conflict, to improve the human rights situation and to strengthen civil society participation in conflict management through the international civil society platform CivilM+. In addition, the project supports sustainable and democratic development in the conflict region with the civil society center “Drukarnia”, which has been active in Sloviansk since 2019.

The project, currently approved until March 2023, builds on a previous project (2018-2020) and includes monitoring of conflict-related developments in the region, and relies on international civil society and intersectoral cooperation.

Main responsibilities: 

• Management of the DRA project “Dialogue for Understanding and Justice: Strengthening civil society’s contribution to conflict management, democratic and regional development and the preparation of safe reintegration in eastern Ukraine”,
• Responsibility for achieving the project goals of preventing escalation, reducing violence, protecting human rights and resolving conflicts by strengthening civil society,
• Coordination of the international project network, political advocacy work, communication with international organizations and other stakeholders in close collaboration with DRA management and the coordination council of CivilM +,
• Guidance of the project team in the conception, organization, implementation, evaluation and documentation of the project measures, including quality assurance,
• Management and development of the team of five employees in Berlin and in “Drukarnia” (Eastern Ukraine), as well as the project partners and service providers, and ensure optimization of project management and capacity planning,
• Participation in the strategic development of the CivilM+ platform and the civil society center “Drukarnia”,
• Controlling and securing the flow of information and communication in the project, the processing of contracts, and communication with the donor,
• Guidance and, if necessary, participation in the design of the multilingual public relations work of the project, coordination of external service providers,
• Management and controlling of the project budget, financial planning, control of expenses, document management and checking, as well as the preparation of financial reports,
• Preparation and review of narrative reports for the sponsor,
• Management of general project-related administrative tasks,
• Travel to the project regions as well as other countries relevant to the achievement of the project goals,
• Coordination of fundraising for follow-up projects, identification of possible funding partners in favor of further development of the DRA project, as well as the network and “Drukarnia”.

Requirements:

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Several years of experience in the areas of conflict management, strengthening civil society and/or human rights work in Eastern Europe and, if possible, in Ukraine,
• Proven experience with international advocacy work and communication with international organizations and political decision-makers in the EU and Eastern Europe,
• Several years experience in international projects and event management (seminars, conferences, specialist events, panel discussions, etc.), as well as in team management,
• Experience in administration of public funds, reliable and careful handling of receipts, documents and figures,
• Experience in applying for funding, further fundraising experience is an advantage,
• Work experience in medium-sized and large organizations (NGOs, foundations, administration, etc.) is welcome.

REGIONAL AND SPECIAL EXPERTISE

• Comprehensive knowledge of Ukrainian civil society and politics, as well as civil society initiatives for conflict management and human rights protection in Eastern Europe, advocacy work at the OSCE, the Council of Europe, international courts,
• Very good understanding of international political actors involved in conflict resolution of the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine: Minsk Process, the role of the OSCE, Normandy Format and the Federal Republic of Germany, reintegration discourses in Ukraine, Ukrainian and international civil society initiatives for conflict management in Donbas, experience working on protracted conflicts in the post-Soviet space,
• Very good understanding of German and EU policy on Eastern Europe, ideally with a focus on Ukraine;
• Experience with dialogue and mediation formats, as well as conflict-sensitive work in crisis areas is desirable.

OTHER KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Very good conceptual, leadership and project design skills,
• High resilience; ability and willingness to quickly familiarize yourself with new tasks and topics,
• Diligence, independence, reliability, taking initiative,
• Strong appearance in public, as well as towards international and national partners, donors, etc.,
• Very good expression and communication skills,
• Very good knowledge of German, English and Russian required, knowledge of Ukrainian is a great advantage,
• Confident handling of common Office programs (especially Excel) and social media,
• Willingness to travel to Donbas, Eastern Europe and other countries relevant to the achievement of the project goals,
• Enjoyment in dealing with people from different cultures, ability to work in a team, international experience and intercultural sensitivity.

The position is initially limited until April 30, 2023 (project completion). An extension will be sought. The position is remunerated with an appropriate NGO salary. DRA e.V. offers a diverse and international working environment, competent colleagues and room for taking initiative and self-realisation.

We look forward to receiving your detailed application in ONE PDF document (no larger than 2MB) to [email protected] with the subject: “Conflict resolution Donbas”.

The application deadline is May 23, 2021. The interviews will take place in Berlin on May 26-27, 2021; online interviews are possible by appointment.

We expressly welcome applications from people with disabilities.

For more information see:

about the DRA www.austausch.org, about the platform CivilM + www.civilmplus.org, about the monitoring www.civilmonitoring.org, about the center “Drukarnia” www.facebook.com/drukarnia.sloviansk.