National Peace Expert (NPE) / Local Peace Advisor at Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS): (Deadline 10 May 2023)

National Peace Expert (NPE) / Local Peace Advisor at Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS): (Deadline 10 May 2023)

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

NATIONAL PEACE EXPERT / LOCAL PEACE ADVISOR

Location:                                          PIASS/CRASPD Huye, Southern Province of Rwanda

Application Deadline:                     May 10, 2023

Call for Interviews:                         May 15, 2023

Starting Date:                                  June 1, 2023                             

Duration of Initial Contract:         1 year (renewable)

Background                                                        

Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS) is a Christian institution of higher learning privately owned by five Rwandan Protestant Churches, opened in 2010 in Huye, Southern Province of Rwanda. The Center for Research and Action towards Sustainable Peace and Development (CRASPD) was established in 2015 by the Faculty of Development Studies (FDS) of PIASS to share the Faculty’s expertise with the community through outreach programs involving students, faculty, and staff together. CRASPD is offering advisory and training services for civil society and local government actors to improve local communities’ wellbeing and support their peaceful coexistence.

The announced position for a National Peace Expert (NPE) / Local Peace Advisor (LoPA) is supported by the GIZ – Civil Peace Service (CPS) program.

Globally, the Civil Peace Service (CPS) has proven a successful instrument for civil society based peacebuilding within the framework of German development cooperation. The core task of the CPS is sending international peace advisers to support local partner organizations, where they work in close collaboration with national peace experts. Practical experience with CPS projects has now been gained across four continents over a period of 20 years. The Regional Civil Peace Service Burundi – Eastern DRC – Rwanda aims at strengthening local peace potentials for social cohesion, the resilience of youth against manipulation and calls for violence. CPS also works to increase organizational capacities and cooperation between the partner organizations.  The regional GIZ CPS program currently supports several local partner organizations in Rwanda, Burundi and in Eastern DRC in the areas of peace education, nonviolent conflict transformation, psychosocial support for citizens affected by sexualized and gender based violence, the empowerment of youth and vulnerable people, Dealing with the Past, conflict-sensitive journalism, and Critical Thinking.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Coordinator of CRASPD, the National Peace Expert (NPE)/ Local Peace Advisor (LoPA) will:

• Facilitate collaboration and communication between PIASS and giz CPS including reporting towards PIASS and giz CPS,

• Actively participate in communication and cooperation processes of the giz CPS regional team and in professional group meetings and other giz CPS events
• Participate in CRASPD team meetings and regular team communication as well as PIASS events
• Conduct research projects and systematize planning, monitoring and evaluation processes in both the university and its projects in local communities, in line with administrative policies and procedures of PIASS, and giz CPS
• Contribute to drafting proposals and budgets for funding, and to financial as well as narrative reporting for projects and programs conducted by CRASPD PIASS
• Support the reflection group “Umoja” of GIZ Civil Peace Service, in collaboration with its member partner organizations in Rwanda, DR Congo and Burundi.
• Facilitate / co-facilitate CRASPD workshops, trainings and consultancy processes and the administrative tasks related to them
• Participate in teaching, mentoring and capacity development for students, especially of the Faculty of Development Studies and its Peace & Conflict Studies program, as well as for the PIASS students’ associations

Competencies

The candidate is expected to have the following competencies:

• Proven ability to work independently and in challenging environments

• Proven organizational, coordination and inter-cultural communication skills, and
• Ability to work in a team and share knowledge and experience

Required Educational Background, Skills, and Experiences:

Education:

• University degree, at least MA or MSci, in Social Sciences, preferably in Development or Peace and Conflict Studies

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of work and/or volunteering experience in acknowledged organizations, preferably in the area of Peacebuilding and Violence Prevention

• Knowledge of regional/ national conflict contexts and of conflict transformation strategies is an asset
• Experience in facilitating workshops of the Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) and/or another approach to nonviolent conflict transformation is an asset
• Experience in using computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and online platforms (MS teams, zoom)

• Experience in networking with government institutions and non-governmental organizations within the context of the countries of the African Great Lakes Region

Language:

• Fluency in English, French and Kinyarwanda required

An application must be submitted electronically [email protected] by  May 10, 2023. Please submit all application documents in one PDF document which comprises 1) motivation letter in English, 2) CV in English and 3) copies of university degrees. Reference letters and work certificates will be requested after shortlisting. We regret that we will exclusively contact candidates who have been shortlisted. 

Done at Huye on April 13, 2023

Prof .Dr.  Penine UWIMBABAZI

Vice Chancellor, PIASS