Project Officer, Homs, Damascus, Syria

Position Summary

In Syria, Search for Common Ground leverages conflict-sensitive entry points to address community grievances, promote social cohesion, advance intercommunal dialogue, and strengthen community resilience. Operating within a broader regional peacebuilding program, the Project Officer will support the day-to-day implementation and field-level coordination of Search's programming in Syria.

Reporting to the Project Manager, the Project Officer is responsible for the overall day-to-day coordination, administrative support, local partnership management, and field tracking of project interventions across target regions in Syria: mostly to Homs, Hama, Tartous and Lattakia. S/he will play an essential role in supporting partner management and project administration, organizing capacity-building events and multi-stakeholder convenings, facilitating routine project monitoring and reporting, and serving as a primary operational bridge between Search, local civil society organizations, national partners, and local community actors.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate the planning, execution, and day-to-day coordination of project activities across target governorates, including workshops, dialogue sessions, and multi-stakeholder convenings.
• Support Project manager to build relationships with key stakeholders: civil society actors, local authorities, religious and community leaders to conduct activities to promote peaceful coexistence and dialog.
• Contribute to provision of technical assistance and capacity strengthening to project team and partners in the area of social cohesion, inter religious and intercommunity dialog, protection and MHPSS. Develop training methodology with support of technical experts from the region.
• Deputize for the Project Manager as needed in key stakeholder convenings, working group meetings, and external coordination forums.
• Integrate ongoing context analysis, gender responsiveness, and strict Do No Harm principles into all field-level interventions.
• Support adaptive management strategies, including hybrid or virtual implementation methods to ensure program continuity during operational or security constraints.
• Support the Project Manager in context monitoring, security assessments, and adherence to field risk mitigation plans.
• Manage day-to-day communications and institutional relationships with local CSOs, community leaders, religious leaders and national partners.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders: civil society actors, local authorities, religious and community leaders.
• Track partner, reporting timelines, deliverables, and technical assistance needs to ensure timely and compliant execution.
• Support capacity-strengthening initiatives for local civil society actors, community stewards, and partner organizations.
• Coordinate with operations and logistics teams to arrange safe, accessible travel, event logistics, and workshop procurement.
• Support disbursement documentation, and routine financial processing in accordance with organizational policies and donor compliance standards.
• Maintain structured project records, including stakeholder contact databases, decision logs, and activity archives.
• Collaborate with the MEAL team to support routine data collection, context monitoring, and project feedback mechanisms.
• Draft high-quality activity reports and contribute to monthly work plans, quarterly progress reports, and strategic updates.
• Maintain active vigilance regarding organizational safeguarding protocols, risk mitigation, and protection standards across all field activities.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, International Relations, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field. A Master's degree is a plus.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project implementation, field coordination, or partner support within civil society, peacebuilding, or social cohesion programs in Syria.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting project activities, event organization within NGOs.
• Strong understanding of the Syrian socio-political environment, civil society landscape, and conflict dynamics across Syria.
• Proven ability to coordinate partner networks, local CSOs, and community stakeholders.
• Understanding of conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm, and community dialogue approaches.
• Experience with community dialog, engaging with religious groups to promote tolerance and social cohesion through sport, art and community initiatives.
• Experience with Protection, MHPSS and civil society support programs and capacity building strengthening.
• Excellent communication skills (written and spoken) in Arabic and English.

Other Details:

• Consultancy contract (until organization registration is finalized).
• Position Location: Damascus or Homs, Syria (with frequent field visits: mostly to Homs, Hama, Tartous and Lattakia).
• Additional Benefits: Laptop, phone allowance, covered travel expenses outside duty station, and professional training opportunities.
• Contract Period: 12 months (renewable based on performance and budget availability within the project timeframe).
• P.S: the position is contingent on funding being secured.

General SFCG Officer Competencies:

• Initiates brainstorming or problem-solving meetings. With time in job, develops skills for analyzing and communicating program successes and failures; reports lessons learned to the team and other members.
• Represents Search at local and international events and meetings for professional organizations, vendors, partners, and funders. Develops skills to independently initiate and maintain relations with vendors, partners, and funders. Articulates Search program/project goals and objectives within Search and to external audiences.
• Demonstrates appreciation for diversity of thought. Builds cross-functional relationships with other functional departments.
• Demonstrates ability to be adaptable and willing to confront and change own ideas and preconceptions with the resiliency and flexibility to make changes based on hearing a diversity of thoughts.
• Drafts team documents, briefing materials, and presentations. Articulates program/project objectives and how they fit into a team's goals and/or Search's mission and adapts to the communications setting.
• Applies standards, identifies areas for standardization, and coordinates across functions from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
• Takes into account the environmental landscape, assesses one's own and others' viewpoints in their environment, and proposes solutions from an ethical perspective.
• Recognizes the options available for solving problems, conducts analyses, and calculates metrics and other technical tools to support informed decision making.
• Conducts Quality Control of team documents, briefing materials, presentations, and systems data. Carefully reviews and checks the accuracy of information in work reports, management information systems, or with other individuals and groups. Checks the accuracy of one's own and others' work. Proactively informs management of potential risks and concerns; suggests resolutions.
• Independently prioritizes time to reach deadlines and reaches end results of assignments with ability to accomplish multiple steps with limited to no supervision. Safeguarding: Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding: Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.