About CIVIC
Center for Civilians in Conflict’s mission is to improve protection for civilians caught in conflicts around the world. We call on and advise international organizations, governments, militaries, and armed non-state actors to adopt and implement policies, tools, and training to prevent civilian harm. When civilians are harmed, we advocate for the provision of amends and post-harm assistance. We bring the voices of civilians themselves to those making decisions affecting their lives. Learn more at civiliansinconflict.org.

About the Position
CIVIC is seeking highly qualified applicants for the position of Country Director, Ukraine who will be an integral part of the CIVIC program team reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with other staff members at HQ.

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) has been present in Ukraine since 2017, building the capacity of conflict-affected communities in Donbas, the Ukrainian government, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and civil society to strengthen the protection of civilians (POC). Over the past seven years, CIVIC’s team has supported the establishment of one of only a few civilian casualty tracking and mitigation cells in the world, delivered training and policy support to AFU to strengthen POC in military operations, supported the drafting of a National Strategy for the Protection of Civilians validated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, published critical research to document the challenges of civilians in eastern Ukraine and the impact of hybrid warfare on civilians, and facilitated civil-military dialogues to strengthen trust between the Ukrainian military and civilians.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, CIVIC has adapted to the new reality on the ground and implemented a response that focuses on civil-military engagement and community-based protection. Our response efforts are structured around three main pillars: 1) Strengthening Communities’ Preparedness and Resilience to Current and Future Protection Threats; 2) Building Effective Civil-Military Coordination Systems, and 3) Research, Documentation, and Advocacy on civilian harm in Ukraine’s high intensity, hybrid war.

Key Functions
The Country Director has overall responsibility for supervising the implementation of the CIVIC-Ukraine program and management of the offices and staff to achieve CIVIC’s mission and the objectives established in the grants. As CIVIC continues to expand its activities in Ukraine, developing a unique mix of community-based protection activities, government and armed forces capacity building, and advocacy and research on civilian protection, CIVIC is looking for a strong leader, manager, and advocate who is eager to improve the fate of conflict-affected civilians in Ukraine, and will steer the growth of the CIVIC Ukraine program.

Key Activity Areas
The Country Director (CD) is the main representative of CIVIC in Ukraine. S/he is responsible for strategic leadership, program expansion and implementation, support functions, security management, and staff development. The CD also provides critical contributions to resource mobilization. S/he reports to the Executive Director.

Overall Management and Leadership

• Further design, define, and implement CIVIC’s strategy in Ukraine; identify protection needs, trends, and political developments in the country to anticipate potential new initiatives.
• Provide strategic vision and direction for overall program design and proposal development; program implementation and reporting; grant management; financial planning; human resource planning and management; working closely with the country team to accomplish the strategic goals.
• Manage key project personnel including recruitment, onboarding, and supporting their ongoing professional development.
• Represent CIVIC in formal and informal meetings with government and security officials, international organizations, donors, international and local media contacts, and national civil society groups pertinent to CIVIC project activities.
• If/when required, generate funding opportunities from donors in collaboration with national staff and headquarters in alignment with the country office's strategic plan.
• Keep international and national partners and others informed about the progress of projects, plans for the development of new programs/projects/activities, and donor involvement in the overall program.
• Manage financial resources and provide oversight for grants to ensure compliance with donor and CIVIC requirements (with assistance from the country operations manager).

Programmatic

• Steer the development and implementation of CIVIC’s activities in Ukraine; more specifically, in collaboration with the Deputy Country Director, pilot the development of new activities or build upon existing activities in Kyiv, Poltava, Dnipro, and Odessa Oblasts, among others, and provide strategic, programmatic, and technical guidance for the development of CIVIC’s community-based protection, military engagement, and research/advocacy activities.
• Provide technical input to the government, military and security forces, local and international civil society partners, and international donor agencies pertinent to CIVIC project activities.
• Oversee research design, dissemination of information gathered, and advocacy to advance programmatic and policy changes.
• Disseminate findings from CIVIC’s work that are of importance to decision-makers in a position to fund or implement projects in Ukraine.
• Oversee and coordinate the program portfolio to ensure the highest level of project quality, effectiveness, and accountability, while fostering continuity through building local capacity.
• In collaboration with the Deputy Country Director, ensure the implementation of high standards of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks.

Operations Management

• Manage the overall program and support functions related to reviews, management structures, security management, development and maintenance of operational procedures for individual projects, and support functions in collaboration with the Senior Program Manager.
• Ensure that activities and support functions comply with national and international laws and regulations.
• Ensure good communication within the CIVIC Ukraine team, implementing and supporting program plans.
• Ensure that structures are in place to support the CIVIC Ukraine team to comply with operational systems and donor requirements while meeting the country program’s strategic goals.
• Supervise budget management and expenditures, in collaboration with the Deputy Country Director and the HQ Finance team, ensuring budgets are spent according to donor proposals and regulations; ensure spending within the program is in line with approved budgets.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience, including 5 years in managerial positions, in international security, human rights, humanitarian assistance, protection of civilians, advocacy, and/or other related programs including demonstrated experience in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Minimum master’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Country knowledge and experience working in Ukraine.
• Passion for CIVIC’s subject matter and willingness to take on responsibilities and duties as a senior member of our team.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills that effectively motivate staff and support team building; demonstrated ability to manage a professional team in a multi-cultural environment.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake high-level representation and advocacy.
• Demonstrated capacity to mobilize program funding including donor cultivation and program development.
• Demonstrated ability and experience working with security and defense forces in active conflict zone; strong knowledge of military systems required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including an ability to effectively lead a team, communicate a vision, make timely and transparent decisions, and manage conflict.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and create budgets and monitor financial status.
• Excellent oral and written English language skills, including the ability to quickly synthesize complex technical and programmatic issues into concise communications; proficiency in Ukrainian is considered a major asset.
• Knowledge and experience managing compliance with diverse donors (Canada, FCDO, Germany, EU, etc.).
• Well-established and practiced organizational and planning skills.
• Computer literacy, including the use of the internet, word processing, and spreadsheets.
• Experience with staff security and safety issues is desirable.
• Ability and willingness to travel within Ukraine and periodically internationally.

Application Deadline: September 15, 2024

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine (must be willing to travel to all areas in Ukraine currently controlled by the government of Ukraine)

Travel: Up to 30% required (domestic and international)

Staff Reporting: Approx. 15 full-time staff in country plus local and international consultants; total annual budget of at least $2 million USD per year

Initial Contract: Full-time, 24 months with possibility of extension subject to funding

This position is open to international applicants. Resumes are reviewed on a rolling basis so please apply early.

CIVIC seeks to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool in the belief that employees from diverse backgrounds are critical to achieving our goals. We strongly encourage applications from persons with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Note to Recruiters and Placement Agencies: CIVIC does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. CIVIC does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by any agency other than its approved partners.