About CIVIC

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is an international nonprofit organization working to improve protection for civilians caught in conflict. CIVIC collaborates with armed actors, governments, multilateral bodies, and affected communities to develop and implement practical solutions to prevent, mitigate, and respond to civilian harm. Learn more at civiliansinconflict.org.

CIVIC’s approach combines field-based programming, applied research, and humanitarian diplomacy, policy and advocacy engagement, ensuring that protection strategies are grounded in evidence and informed by the lived experiences of civilians. CIVIC operates in some of the world’s most complex conflict environments, including across Africa, where it maintains active programming and partnerships in countries such as Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Benin, Togo, and others.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the wider Great Lakes region are facing one of the most severe and complex protection crises globally. Armed conflict in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, combined with regional military involvement, fragmented peace processes, and the anticipated transition or withdrawal of MONUSCO, continues to expose civilians to extreme and recurrent harm.

At the same time, diplomatic initiatives (Washington, Doha, AU-led efforts, and national dialogue platforms) present fragile but critical opportunities to re-center Protection of Civilians (PoC) and Civilian Harm Mitigation (CHM) within peace, security, and stabilization frameworks.

CIVIC’s Great Lakes Strategic Vision (2026–2027) and Great Lakes Civilian Protection Roadmap (2025–2030) articulate a multi-layered approach that bridges:

• Community-based protection and civilian agency
• Direct engagement with armed actors
• High-level policy influence, humanitarian diplomacy, and peace process engagement

Within this framework, CIVIC is implementing PROCIV – Protecting Civilians through Humanitarian Dialogue and Humanitarian Diplomacy, a multi-country project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, covering DRC, Sudan, and Yemen.

To lead this ambitious and politically sensitive portfolio, CIVIC seeks a Program Manager – Humanitarian Diplomacy Specialist DRC & Great Lakes.

About the Position

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC): Chargé(e) des Finances, des Opérations Bureau de la DRC & Grands-Lacs, Goma 

The Program Manager – Humanitarian Diplomacy Specialist (PM-HDS) is responsible for the end-to-end management of the PROCIV project in the DRC and for leading CIVIC’s humanitarian diplomacy and dialogue-based protection efforts at national and sub-national levels.

The position combines strong program management discipline with political analysis, discretion, and high-level engagement, ensuring that humanitarian dialogue translates into tangible civilian protection outcomes and informs broader peace and stabilization processes in the DRC and the Great Lakes region.

Scope of Responsibility

Under the supervision of the Country Director and in close coordination with the Africa Program Coordinator, the Program Manager will:

• Lead the program management cycle of PROCIV in the DRC
• Drive humanitarian diplomacy and confidential engagement with key actors
• Ensure donor compliance, reporting, and program quality
• Contribute to CIVIC’s strategic positioning on PoC and CHM in the Great Lakes

Location: Goma or Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Reporting to: Country Director, DRC & Great Lakes

Department: Programs

Technical Coordination: Africa Program Coordinator

Contract Type: Full-time, 12-month renewable (subject to funding and performance)

Responsibilities

A. Program Management Cycle & Work Planning

• Lead the design, planning, coordination, and implementation of PROCIV activities in the DRC.
• Translate the project logframe, theory of change, and donor commitments into annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans.
• Ensure alignment between activities, outputs, outcomes, and CIVIC’s Great Lakes Strategy and PoC priorities.
• Coordinate closely with Finance, Operations, Security, and MEL to ensure timely, efficient, and compliant delivery.
• Apply adaptive management, adjusting activities in response to evolving conflict, political, and security dynamics.
• Anticipate operational and contextual risks and propose mitigation and contingency measures.

B. Humanitarian Diplomacy & Strategic Engagement

• Lead CIVIC’s humanitarian diplomacy efforts in the DRC, engaging:
  • national and provincial authorities,
  • security and defense actors,
  • diplomatic missions and UN entities,
  • civil society and community leaders.
• Conduct and oversee confidential consultations with armed actors and authorities to identify practical, protection-oriented measures to reduce civilian harm.
• Facilitate and support community-led humanitarian dialogue initiatives, ensuring civilian voices shape engagement with duty-bearers.
• Translate community protection concerns into actionable policy, operational, and advocacy recommendations.
• Represent CIVIC in high-level meetings, coordination fora, and dialogue platforms related to PoC, humanitarian access, and stabilization.
• Support engagement with regional Great Lakes processes and actors, as relevant to the project.

C. Grant Management, Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure full compliance with Norway MFA requirements and CIVIC internal policies.
• Track project deliverables, indicators, reporting schedules, and contractual obligations.
• Lead the preparation of high-quality narrative reports, in coordination with MEL, Finance, and Operations teams.
• Contribute to donor communications, briefings, and learning exchanges.
• Support donor reviews, audits, and compliance assessments, ensuring timely follow-up on recommendations.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Program Quality

• Work closely with MEL colleagues to ensure robust monitoring of outputs, outcomes, and indicators.
• Use monitoring data, protection analysis, and contextual insights to inform program adaptation and strategic decisions.
• Ensure systematic integration of cross-cutting priorities, including:
  • Protection of Civilians and Civilian Harm Mitigation
  • Gender equality and Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
  • Conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm
• Support the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, protection outcomes, and good practices within CIVIC and with partners.

E. Coordination, Leadership & Team Supervision

• Provide day-to-day supervision and technical guidance to project staff and consultants, as applicable.
• Organize regular team meetings, clarify roles and priorities, and ensure accountability for deliverables.
• Foster a team culture grounded in collaboration, learning, inclusion, integrity, and accountability.
• Coordinate closely with the Africa Program Coordinator to ensure regional coherence and alignment with broader CIVIC advocacy and programming.

 

Qualifications

A. Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in International Relations, Conflict Studies, Political Science, Law, Humanitarian Affairs, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of relevant experience in humanitarian programming, Protection of Civilians, diplomacy, peacebuilding, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian dialogue and engagement with armed actors and authorities.
• Strong background in program and grant management, including donor reporting (experience with MFA donors strongly preferred).
• Experience working in the DRC and/or the Great Lakes region is a strong asset.
• Proven ability to operate with discretion in politically sensitive environments.
• Languages
  • French: Fluent (required)
  • English: Fluent (required)
  • Swahili: Strong asset

B. Key Competencies

• Strong program leadership, political judgment, and discretion
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, and facilitation skills
• Ability to operate effectively in high-risk and complex environments
• Strong writing, synthesis, and communication skills
• Ability to balance operational detail with strategic vision
• Deep commitment to Protection of Civilians and humanitarian principles

Additional Details

Interested candidates should submit:

• Curriculum Vitae (maximum 3 pages) in English
• Cover letter outlining motivation and suitability for the role

Applications will be accepted until February 27, 2026.

Resumes are reviewed on a rolling basis so please apply early. Currently, all job interviews are being held virtually.

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

Candidates must be fully authorized to work in DRC without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

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.