About CIVIC

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is an international nonprofit and nongovernmental organization with offices around the world working to improve protection for civilians in conflict zones. Our mission is to support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and work with armed actors and relevant institutions to strengthen their resolve and capacity 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 Chief Operating Officer (COO) will oversee CIVIC’s operations and ensure that the organization’s objectives are effectively and efficiently met, that solutions are identified to achieve required change, and that risks are consistently and promptly addressed.

The COO will lead a team of Directors and Managers of CIVIC’s support functions (including Finance, People and Culture, Grants Management, IS, and IT), supporting them in fulfilling their strategies, promoting organizational culture and vision, working as a team, making sound decisions in the face of challenges and opportunities, and holding them accountable.

The COO is a change agent who spearheads new initiatives and leads organization-wide projects and strategic initiatives. The COO will ensure that strategy translates into actionable plans and effective execution. They will enable the executive team to align on strategic priorities and drive the overall organizational vision. The COO will report to the ED, providing him with regular updates and flagging key concerns and opportunities as early as possible.

This is a hybrid position that can be based in Geneva, Brussels, New York, or Washington, DC.

Key Functions

The Chief Operating Officer’s responsibilities will include:

Overseeing the implementation of organizational operational strategies. The COO works with Directors to oversee the implementation of operational strategies and to identify and address operational issues. The COO supports and holds Directors, as well as the Managers under their supervision, in the implementation of strategies. The COO serves as the focal point for strategic progress, achievements, and lessons learned, regularly updating the ED and advising him on identified areas of concern and opportunity.

Defining, implementing, and continuously improving CIVIC’s policies, processes, and procedures. The COO ensures that CIVIC has a body of policies, processes, and procedures that promote effectiveness, efficiency, excellence, quality control, and compliance to legal, internal, and donor requirements.

Providing direct oversight of CIVIC operations. The COO will directly oversee operations at the global and field levels, including operational relations with partners. The COO ensures that CIVIC operations are compliant to required legal frameworks, including by liaising directly with CIVIC legal counsel.

Identifying, mitigating, and addressing risks. The COO develops and implements systems to identify risks at the global, country, departmental, and project levels. The COO works closely with Directors and Managers to ensure that risks are tracked continuously and consistently and that proactive and reactive mitigation strategies and responses are put into action, zooming in directly when key risks arise. The COO keeps the ED updated on a regular and ad hoc basis on all risks, as far in advance as possible, facilitating the direct involvement of the ED when required and relevant.

Promoting and ensuring coordination, communication, and learning across the organization. The COO promotes coordination and communication across various departments, hierarchies, and geographies of the organization. The COO identifies and oversees these processes on a regular and predetermined basis, as well as on an ad hoc basis when required. In coordination with the ED and all Directors, the COO promotes the culture of a “learning organization” striving for continuous knowledge sharing and performance adaptation and improvement.

Providing direct oversight and resolution of key risks and challenges. The COO will step in directly to mitigate risks and resolve issues when needed, at the departmental and inter-department levels, in the field, and at HQ. The COO must be able to understand, focus in on, and manage key challenges, risks, and organizational change directly.

Identifying and nurturing leadership and management throughout the organization. The COO will support the People and Culture department in providing opportunities for training, offering support for learning from challenges, and providing access to coaching and mentoring programs. Through coaching and advising by her/himself, s/he will ensure that all CIVIC staff have the tools and resources needed to effectively carry out operational objectives. The COO will demonstrate a high level of cultural competence and strive to make CIVIC a truly global organization, embracing diversity of cultures and opinions. S/he will ensure that CIVIC’s DEI values and principles are incorporated and centered in all policies, processes, and practices for recruitment, performance management, compensation, and talent development.

Promoting the efficient and effective use of resources throughout the organization. The COO will identify both strengths and gaps, analyzing alternatives, implementing improvements, and monitoring results. Resource optimization will be a crucial component for the sustainable development of CIVIC.

Ensuring strong collaboration, complementarity, and integration between programs and operations at all levels. The COO will lead and support synergies amongst departments and CIVIC staff. S/he will harness collective intelligence through innovative and inclusive initiatives.

Experience/Qualifications

At least 15 years of proven experience in organizational operations and progressive managerial responsibilities in operations.
Previous successful experience as COO/equivalent or overseeing multiple support departments at organizational level; must include extensive experience with HR and financial management.
Ability to lead global program management exercises with strong change management experience.
Previous successful senior management experience at an international not-for-profit entity.
Proven experience nurturing, coordinating, and operationalizing partnerships with external actors.
Proven experience leading cross-cutting organizational change dossiers.
Proven experience in risk identification and mitigation and in conflict resolution.
Ability to travel regularly, including to conflict zones.
A self-starter with a proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively, using discretion when delegating or taking ownership of decisions and tasks.
Ability to operate in a multicultural environment requiring empathy and flexibility.
Familiarity with the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and how those principles apply in an international, cross-cultural environment.
University degree in a relevant discipline; master’s or higher preferred.
Fluency in English required; proficiency or fluency in other UN official language(s) strongly desired.

Desired Skills

Proven utilization of technology and automation to support efficiency and innovation, with interest in developing the use of AI concepts and tools.
Demonstrated leadership in full cycle project management.
Expert in strategic management with demonstrated progressive strategic involvement.

Additional Details

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.

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.

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