Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is an international nonprofit and non-governmental organization with offices around the world working to improve protection for civilians caught in conflict zones. CIVIC envisions a world in which no civilian is harmed in conflict. Our mission is to support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and strengthen the resolve and capacity of armed actors to prevent and respond to civilian harm. We are advocates who believe that no civilian caught in conflict should be ignored, and advisors who provide practical solutions to preventing and responding to civilian harm. Learn more at civiliansinconflict.org.
About the Position
The Community Engagement Advisor (CEA)will support CIVIC’s community-based protection (CBP) approach globally.The main objective is to provide sound technical protection advice to CIVIC colleagues who are directly working with conflict-affected communities and other relevant civil-society stakeholders for better humanitarian protection outcomes.
The position holder will be able to work on a wide variety of contexts, such as Yemen, Somalia, Mali or Ukraine and its different protection of civilians (POC) challenges.
The CEA is a pro-active humanitarian who knows what it means to work along a CBP approach while applying international protection standards. At the same time the position holder is pragmatic and willing and able to adapt to the various contexts that CIVIC works in as well as the diverse colleagues and partners of the organization. The CEA will work very closely with CIVIC’s protection and community engagement staff at all levels, including the organizations senior protection advisor as well as other relevant staff, such as CIVIC’s military and gender advisors and researchers.
As an advisor with a global scope of work, you will offer direct tactical ad hoc support as well as systematic support to all ofCIVIC’s programs, with a focus on the programs in conflict zones that include a CBP component. Example tasks could range from brainstorming with ‘field’ colleague on how to best discuss problematic self-protection efforts with communities to brainstorming and reviewing new concept notes/proposals or planning documents containing CBP elements.
The CEA is also expected to display initiative and creativity when playing the important role in linking relevant program interventions at the local level with interventions, communications, and advocacy efforts at national/capital and global levels. While provided with in-depth initial onboarding, the CEA needs to be a self-starting learner about how CIVIC works.
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reporting to: Director, Protection of Civilians Division
Travel: Approximately 30%
Key Functions
- Ensure adequate global application of CIVIC’s CBP approach
- Regular exchanges with/direct support to CIVIC protection/community engagement staff on the ground in conflict zones.
- Organize and host regular community of practice calls with relevant staff working on CBP.
- Actively contribute to and facilitate intra-organizational information flows to highlight and effectively integrate our programmatic work with communities into CIVIC’s policy and higher-level advocacy efforts.
- Systematic review of internal reports as well as external advocacy products with aim to ensure compatibility with our CBP approach.
- Update/further develop CIVIC’s global CBP guidance and other internal capacity building/training material on community engagement and CBP.
- Participate in development of CIVIC training/modules for armed actors (together with other advisors)towards better integration of civilian self-protection efforts into armed actor thinking, planning and. conduct.
- Co-lead effort (with senior gender advisor) for more systematic gendered protection analysis when applying CBP approach, e.g., with CIVIC-facilitated community protection groups.
- Support solid protection analysis linked to our work with conflict-affected communities.
- Draft and review talking points for colleagues externally speaking about our work with communities and our CBP approach.
- Stay abreast of what other organizations are doing and thinking with regards to CBP.
- Direct in-person program support (upon country program requests) to implement CBP approach on the ground.
- Collection and analysis of self-protection best practices across all contexts we work. Create and administer internal data base on these best practices.
- Support MEAL efforts to better assess outcomes and impact of our activities along CBP approach.
- Other tasks as necessary in agreement with the senior protection advisor/POC director.
Requirements/Qualifications
- Minimum of 7 years’ experience in humanitarian sector working directly with conflict-affected communities.
- Solid understanding of community-based protection processes and international protection standards.
- Good understanding and adoption of humanitarian principles.
- Fluency in English (spoken and written). Working proficiency in Arabic/French.
- Experience working with people from different cultures, including with colleagues and external interlocutor from a wide variety of backgrounds and with different communication styles.
- Must be proactive, highly motivated, and collaborative.
- Ability to successfully work on multiple projects and deadlines with varying priorities.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain internal and external professional relationships, including with members armed actors.
- Willingness and ability to listen and learn as well as to share, support and educate.
- Work well transversally across different teams’ programs.
- Function as a self-sustaining member of our team.
Additional Details
The application deadline: November 20, 2025
Potential starting date: As soon as possible
Position is contingent upon funding.
Due to the high volume of applications, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
CIVIC seeks to recruit, develop, and retain top talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences in the belief that this is critical to achieving our goals. We strongly encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.
CIVIC is not able to sponsor employees at this point; therefore, please ensure that you can legally work in this location when applying.
Note to Recruiters and Placement Agencies: CIVIC does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by agencies other than its approved partners.
