Senior Civil Society Capacity Building Specialist

JOB from Development Transformations

Closing date: 31 Aug 2017

City: Gaziantep

Program Description:

Development Transformations (DT) is seeking applications from qualified candidates for a U.S. Department of State-funded civil society development program in Syria. The position will be based in Gaziantep, Turkey.

The Civil Society in Syria Program (CSSP) is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA) and implemented by Development Transformations. The program aims to increase the ability of civil society organizations, advocacy organizations, and individuals to serve, represent, and advocate for all Syrians and hold local governance structures accountable. It aims to increase citizen participation, help strengthen non-sectarian voices, expand the moderate space, counter violent extremism, and provide increased accountability for local governance structures in the targeted regions of Syria.

Position Summary:

The Senior Civil Society Capacity Building Specialist will be based in Gaziantep, Turkey, and report directly to the Grants Director. The Senior Civil Society Capacity Building Specialist will lead and coordinate the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all capacity building activities of the CSSP. The Senior Civil Society Capacity Building Specialist is responsible for effective and meaningful capacity building of civil society organizations (CSOs), CSSP partners, with a focus on their institutional/organizational and technical/programmatic capacities. CSO Capacity Building Specialist responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead organizational/institutional capacity building component for Syrian civil society organizations in areas such as Leadership, Governance, Administration, HR Systems, Financial Systems, Organizational Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Sustainability and Project Performance Management;
• Lead the identification of strategic needs and approaches to civil society capacity building in the context of CSSP;
• Oversee the administration of organizational capacity assessments of local CSOs (OCA) and the development of customized capacity development plans for each partner organization.
• Work with the Grants Director to develop an “organizational capacity scorecard system” and lead the team of CSSP staff to conduct periodic assessments of partners’ capacity against the baseline to track changes in their managerial and technical capacity over the life of the CSSP Program;
• Work with M&E Specialist to provide appropriate reporting on indicators and targets and to document implementation successes, challenges, and lessons learned and share them with interested parties;
• Measure grantee financial, technical and management capacity and work with the Grants Team to propose grant implementation strategies;
• Provide technical advice and guidance to the CSSP team and grantees on organizational development efforts;
• In collaboration with the Grants Director, manage staff/consultants/trainers hired to deliver high quality training, technical assistance, coaching and mentoring to local civil society organizations, partners of CSSP;
• Ensure gender is integrated into all capacity building tools and methodologies;
• Leverage and enhance existing strengths within CSOs, facilitating opportunities to learn from each other’s effective strategies;
• Deliver technical presentations on capacity building achievements to audiences, including implementing partner(s), civil society, NEA, and other relevant organizations;
• Contribute to overall program strategy and design, development of annual work plans and progress reports;
• Prepare and manage budgets for the CSO capacity building component of CSSP;
• Contribute to the identification of strategic needs and approaches to civil society contribution in countering violent extremism and citizens’ engagement in community affairs and governance;
• Together with Capacity Building Associate(s), maintain active communication with key contacts within organizations to ensure ongoing engagement in programs;
• Supervise and mentor Capacity Building Associate(s) and trainers under the capacity building program component;

· Other duties, as assigned by the Grants Director that are consistent with the overall focus of the assignment.

Key Qualifications:

• Masters degree in Business, Public Administration, Economics, and International Development, development studies, organizational development or other related field;
• Minimum 7 years professional experience, with at least 5 years direct experience managing and implementing international development programs focusing on civil society capacity development;
• Broad experience in assessing technical capacity of civil society organizations, developing customized capacity building plans, and providing individualized training, mentoring, on-site and remote support in various technical areas of need;
• Experience with remote provision of capacity building support to civil society organizations in challenging contexts;
• Experience working with civil society organizations in Syria and/or the Middle East required;
• Solid knowledge of Syria’s socio-political context and challenges which Syrian CSOs face in their operations;
• Demonstrated experience in programs requiring community-level engagement;
• Substantial prior experience working on USAID, DOS, or other USG-funded projects;
• English language fluency, including excellent writing skills; Knowledge of Arabic and/or Kurdish strongly preferred;
• Strong multicultural, interpersonal, and supervision skills and ability to give effective presentations and write technical reports;
• Strong ability to collaborate and coordinate activities with multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their resumes and cover letters. DT strongly encourages qualified female candidates to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

About Development Transformations (DT):

Development Transformations (DT) is an international development company that focuses on improving the capability, capacity, and effectiveness of programs and personnel working in countries undergoing rapid and transformational change. DT offers program design, program management, training, and technical expertise for civilian practitioners on stabilization, transitional governance, and civil society. DT has experience working with multiple USG agencies and a track record managing high-priority prime contracts for the USG in non-permissive countries such as Syria, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Primary clients include USAID, the State Department, and various development organizations.