View Vacancy - Conflict Adviser SEO (42/23 ABJ)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Main purpose of job:

FCDO Nigeria is looking for a passionate and conflict adviser to drive FCDO Nigeria Country Business priority on Conflict to support delivery of objectives and goals.

You will help the UK attain a sophisticated understanding of conflict in Nigeria and offer advice on what to do about it.  This will be achieved through both policy development and programme delivery.

The post holder will:

  • possess a sound understanding of Nigeria’s conflicts. 
  • be inquisitive and use your connections to experts from academia, civil society and elsewhere to constantly update and improve your understanding. 
  • make independent decisions, within parameters set by UK policy and objectives, on where and how to best contribute to the team, the wider mission, and the UK’s efforts to reduce conflict.

Roles and responsibilities:

1. Job holder will be responsible for providing conflict analysis and advice to inform UK policies and programmes in Nigeria.  Topics include:

  • conflict prevention and peacebuilding
  • women, peace and security
  • policing, security, and justice sector reform
  • worsening insecurity in the North West
  • violent separatism in the South East
  • enduring problems in the North East and wider Lake Chad Basin (LCB).

2. Conflict advisory lead for the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Nigeria and LCB programmes, and for the wider LCB Block, ensuring that programmatic interventions are based on high-quality evidence of conflict drivers and effective responses.

3. Adviser will work closely with colleagues across the BHC to improve the conflict sensitivity of new and existing programmes by undertaking conflict sensitivity audits and risk assessments.

Applicants should demonstrate experience and expertise in the three technical competencies listed below:

  1. Applied Conflict and Political Analysis and Strategy Development: An adviser can deliver robust conflict and political economy analysis examining drivers of conflict and instability and the sources of resilience at international/regional, national and local level, an adviser can be forward looking and able to monitor changing contexts over time. An adviser can use this analysis to influence policy, strategy, and interventions.
  2. Conflict Sensitivity: An adviser can explain leading practice in conflict sensitivity, analysing relationships between HMG/external interventions and conflict dynamics, and how our interventions can minimise risks of exacerbating conflict whilst maximising peacebuilding effect. An adviser can apply this analysis to design of interventions and support others in developing, implementing, monitoring and adapting conflict sensitive policy, strategy and interventions, including diplomacy, aid programmes and non-ODA activity
  3. Conflict Response: Addressing Conflict, Building Peace, Stability and Security. An adviser is expected to assess and develop the appropriate integrated policy, strategy and interventions response depending on conflict, country and regional context. Including: upstream conflict prevention; early warning, crisis prevention and management; conflict resolution, dialogue and support for inclusive peace processes and transitions to sustainable peace. This includes using the full range of FCDO levers as appropriate.
Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
13 December 2023
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Fixed Term
35 hours per week
24 months
Africa
Nigeria
Abuja
British High Commission
1
USD 3,424.38
monthly
1 January 2024

Learning and development opportunities:

Staff across the Nigeria network are expected to make appropriate time for all L&D activities guided by 70/20/10 where 70% of learning is on the job, 20% is structured learning i.e. with a coach, and 10% is through formal courses. By planning your development in this way, you will be playing your part to build the learning culture of the FCDO and are embodying our key organisational values of: Taking Responsibility, Working Together and Encouraging Innovation.

Investing in the L&D of our people is critical to FCDO delivering on its priorities and goals, embedding new ways of working, and contributing to wider Government Reform. L&D helps strengthen team and employee capability, performance, and behaviours. It supports our employee’s engagement, motivation, and their career development. It underpins our ability to learn, innovate and continuously improve.

L&D covers a range of activities, most done in the flow of work - including taking on new tasks, feedback, peer learning and reflection, coaching, networking, shadowing, mentoring, e-learning, research, videos, conferences, and more formal courses. It requires commitment, time, and for some interventions, money.

Working patterns:

You will join BHC Abuja’s Conflict Team, which is housed within its Governance and Stability Block.  The block comprises four teams covering governance, social development, conflict and Home office policy & operations. The block is spread between Abuja and Lagos and brings together the work of FCDO and the Home Office.

The conflict team is made of both advisers and programme managers from both the UK and Nigeria. It works closely with colleagues across BHC including political officers, the UK’s Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. Other colleagues include the Defence Section and Counter Terrorism and Extremism Network. BHC has a Deputy High Commission in Lagos and offices in Kano, Port Harcourt and Maiduguri. 

Here across the Nigeria network, change is to be expected as part of our day jobs and therefore you will need to be flexible and agile in helping us to deliver our country and business strategies. Our long-term vision is for you to be best placed to support our work on the new Nigerian government in delivering key reforms, and collaborate with the international community and civil society in driving positive change.

The Nigeria network continuously reviews its workforce plans. Some flexibility will be required with potential changes to the substance of this role.

  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Abuja are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Nigeria.
  • All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
  • The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
  1. Obtain the relevant permit
  2. Pay fees for the permit
  3. Make arrangements to relocate
  4. Meet the costs to relocation
  • Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.  
  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link:
  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
  • Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate”.
Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.