Job Opportunity in the Middle East Programme
Forward Thinking is a British NGO working in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and political dialogue in the Middle East and North Africa.
We seek an outstanding candidate to drive the delivery and development of our Middle East Programme. The principle goal of this programme is to build support for an inclusive and sustainable Israeli – Palestinian peace process by engaging influential constituencies that have been excluded from the mainstream peace discourse. This role will primarily focus on our work with Palestinian leaders.
We are looking for a self-starter with excellent project delivery, communication and relationship-building skills. The role will be based in London with frequent travel to the Palestinian Territories once Covid-19 travel restrictions are lifted.
You will be a key part of the Forward Thinking team, reporting immediately to the Middle East Programme Manager and under the overall supervision of the Director of Forward Thinking.
The Role:
The role is diverse and requires the ability to learn fast, take initiative and balance independence with teamwork. As one of only three members of the Middle East team you will be expected lead and deliver on all aspects of our work with Palestinian constituencies – from organising the logistics to the facilitation of high-level meetings. This will include reporting, budget management, research, and building and maintaining relationships with the diverse members of our network. You will have the opportunity to contribute to strategy, policy and learning across Forward Thinking’s projects in the Middle East – Gulf region.
Required technical experience, knowledge and skills:
- Relevant experience of project delivery, proven ability to manage competing priorities and a track record of delivering on ambitious targets.
- Fluency in English and excellent written and spoken communications; demonstrable experience of policy paper drafting, proposal development and/or securing funding highly desirable.
- Demonstrable experience of budget management, and delivering monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approaches.
- Strong working knowledge of the MENA region and / or Israeli-Palestinian context.
- A commitment to, and respect for, facilitating inclusive dialogue with groups holding highly diverse political, religious and ideological views.
- Undergraduate degree in a related field (politics, history, languages, political sciences etc) or relevant experience essential; postgraduate qualification desirable.
- Fluency in written and spoken Arabic highly desirable.
- The ability and willingness to travel to all parts of the Palestinian Territories, including the Gaza Strip, is essential.
Required competencies:
- Excellent relationship building skills, with an ability to navigate the different approaches required to engage political, religious, civil society and governmental stakeholders in an Israeli – Palestinian context; experience working with parliamentarians and policymakers at an international level desirable.
- Strategic thinking, with the skills to initiate and build new partnerships and source funding opportunities.
- Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to write concisely, persuasively and to tailor your writing to a range of different audiences, including stakeholders, policymakers and funders.
- Able to prioritise effectively to tight deadlines and manage logistical and strategic responsibilities concurrently.
- A ‘can-do’ attitude, with excellent problem-solving skills and ability to respond calmly and flexibly in a fast-paced and conflict-affected environment.
Contract type and Salary
This will be a permanent (subject to a period of probation), full time position. Salary will be £24,000 – £30,000 subject to experience.
How to apply
Please write to harry.higginson@forward-thinking.org with your CV and short covering letter (no more than two sides of A4) explaining your interest in the position and why you would be well suited to the role. Please put in the subject line of your email: Middle East Programme Application.
Application period
Applications will be accepted from today until the 6th January 2021 at midnight. Any applications received outside of this period will not be considered.
Interviews and start date
Applicants we would like to invite for interview will be contacting on a rolling basis, with the first round of interviews beginning from mid-January 2021. We intend to appoint by the end of January.
Candidates who we are interested in interviewing will first be asked to take a short aptitude test. This would take place in the week of the 11th of January and will last a few hours. More details will be sent to the candidates who are invited to take part.
After the test, successful candidates would be invited for an in-person interview in London (subject to Covid-19 conditions). Interviews would be held in a Covid-secure environment. An appointment will be made on the basis of these interviews.
Due to the high volume of applications we expect to receive, we will not write individually to unsuccessful candidates. If you do not hear from us by the 20th of January, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.