Project officer/ technical advisor for the West Africa/ Sahel region

BICC is an independent, non-profit organization that has been dealing with a wide range of global issues in the field of peace and conflict research for more than 20 years. BICC stands for critical, problem-oriented, policy relevant research and conducts also advisory and capacity development projects on behalf of government and civil society partners, international development agencies and scientific foundations.

On behalf of the German Foreign Office, BICC is implementing capacity development and technical advisory projects in the areas of small arms and light weapons control and the demobilization and reintegration of armed combatants.

To support future and ongoing projects BICC is recruiting a

Project officer/ technical advisor for the West Africa/ Sahel region

Full-time position / Initial contract period: until end of 2017 / Starting date: as soon as possible

Following an initial period of work in Bonn, the project officer/technical advisor will be seconded to West Africa, either to Abuja (Nigeria) or to Lomé (Togo), tentatively in early 2017.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Provide technical advice to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) secretariat, relevant UN agencies and government counterparts with respect to the fight against small arms proliferation and control over government stockpiles of arms and ammunition
• Support ECOWAS, relevant UN agencies and government counterparts in regional and international cooperation, for instance in the framework of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms
• Liaise with UN agencies, international organizations and other state- and non-state organizations
• Organize and carry out training activities and field assessments in cooperation with government counterparts and other partners

Qualifications:

• University degree (Master or equivalent) in social sciences or economics or related to peace and conflict research and/or development cooperation
• Experience and/or proven interest in the area of small arms and light weapons control
• Work experience in international cooperation in a post-conflict country, preferably in West Africa. Previous experience in a national military or police force and/or working on security sector development, DDR, or on civil–military relations is an asset
• Fitness for service in tropical countries and the willingness to be deployed to West Africa for several months
• Experience in developing assistance proposals is an asset
• Very good knowledge of English and French is mandatory; knowledge of German and/or Arabic is an asset. Please indicate your degree of knowledge according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

What we offer:

• Full time contract for an initial period until the end of 2017 with the possibility of extension
• The employment will be subject to the German Social Security System. Therefore, the successful applicant will be required to take residence in Germany
• Payment follows the collective wage agreement for the public service of the German Federal States (TV-L), plus social benefits according to German public sector rules

We put great emphasis on the further training of our staff and offer candidates the chance to work in an international research institute at the nexus of research and policy advice that provides the interdisciplinary team with opportunities to network with policymakers and in the international academic context. The BICC team is recruited from a variety of countries; the working language is English.

BICC supports the work-life balance of its staff through a highly flexible work time system and is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications by severely disabled persons.

HOW TO APPLY:

How to apply:

Please send your application to Mrs. Susanna Balkenhol (application@bicc.de) solely by email by 4 December 2016. It should include a cover letter, CV and certificates, as well as the names and addresses (including email) of two possible references and consist of one pdf, max. 5 MB.

Mrs Balkenhol will also be available for questions. Please use the Europass CV (europass.cedefop.europa.eu) and indicate “14.16” in the reference line.

Date of publication: 11 November 2016

**bicc ** Internationales Konversionszentrum Bonn \ Bonn International Center for Conversion GmbH
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