HEKS/EPER is the aid organization of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland and has its headquarters in Zurich/Switzerland. HEKS/EPER is active in development cooperation and focuses, amongst others, on land and natural resources governance, fostering sustainable agro-ecological production and inclusive markets. HEKS/EPER has its own coordination offices in 15 priority countries and around 160 projects worldwide. HEKS/EPER is active in DR Congo since 1998 with the aim to contribute to improved living conditions of rural households and providing them with a perspective towards a dignified life and peaceful coexistence.

The start of the assignment is December 2020. The recruitment is subject to the successful approval by the Embassy of the Netherlands of the consortium’s bid to the tender.

Land disputes have proven to be a major destabilizing factor in Eastern DR Congo, and are therefore of key importance for achieving stability in the region. The Great Lakes (GL) Program of the Netherlands, managed by the Dutch Embassy in Kigali, intends to set up a land tenure program for Eastern DRC. The objective of the program is to enhance access to land and improve land tenure security. The program will support titling of smallholder land, pilot innovations and alternative approaches, it will provide support for policy development and develop lobby and advocacy activities in relation to access to land and tenure security. The program team will actively stimulate coordination with other programs and donors. It will assume a leading role in policy engagement on land related issues for the Great Lakes program and its projects.

Together with our consortium partners, we are looking for an:

INTERNATIONAL TEAM LEADER (f/m), 100%, based in Goma, RDC

Your responsibilities:

• Overall management and steering of the project as per accepted project document, under the guidance of the consortium’s steering committee
• Supervising and management of the project team of local and international staff in implementing the project’s activities including support staff
• Ensure the development of the monitoring and results measurement system compliant with the donor’s standards, as well as knowledge management for steering, accountability and learning
• Oversee the set up of a data collections system to support the development of policies and facilitate the decision making
• Advocate to authorities, local leaders and other stakeholders for the adoption of interventions and policies promoted by the project
• Ensure an efficient and effective collaboration with the different partners of the project consortium and stimulate an innovative and constructive learning environment among project team and partners
• Ensure active collaboration and coordination with other relevant programs and projects in the geographic area of implementation, in order to create tangible and demonstrable synergies with other Dutch funded projects
  The team leader will work under the consortium's steering committee and benefit from technical and thematic support from an experienced, multidisciplinary team provided by the consortium partners (remote and on-site support).

Your profile:

• Academic degree (Master or equivalent) in law, human rights, political science, development studies and/or related field
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in land tenure security and access to land, especially on customary and traditional land tenure systems and collective land rights, conflict transformation and peace building especially on transformation of land/resource conflicts and customary conflict resolution systems, policy development, advocacy and project cycle management
• Proven knowledge of contemporary DR Congo land tenure issues as they relate to emerging land policy and legislation and its application in North and South Kivu
• Demonstrated ability to engage in multi-stakeholder negotiations and collaborations on various levels
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with government, local authorities and donors, other donors funded stakeholders and partners
• Experience managing and coordinating a consortium or operating within a consortium of a comparable size (at least EUR 1mio annually)
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to think systemically and innovatively
• Strong managerial skills, including results-oriented management, strategic planning, human resources management, and financial management skills
• Experience in coaching and mentoring a local team with diverse professional backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent English and French language capacities (written and oral)

We offer:

The team leader will work under a HEKS/EPER expatriate contract (1 year with option to renewal until the project’s end). The expected start of the assignment for the project is scheduled for 1 December 2020 depending on the successful approval by the Embassy of the Netherlands of the consortium’s bid to the tender.