Country Director, DRC & Great Lakes

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 Country Director, DRC & Great Lakes, who will also serve as Senior Coordinator for the Humanitarian Diplomacy Project (PROCIV).

About the Position

The position provides senior strategic, programmatic, and operational leadership for CIVIC’s work in the DRC and Great Lakes region, while ensuring effective coordination of the PROCIV project across DRC, Sudan, and Yemen. The role combines country and regional leadership with multi-country project management, requiring strong political judgment, humanitarian diplomacy

skills, and the ability to operate across highly complex and volatile conflict environments.

Location: Kinshasa or Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (The staff will be linked to Kenya- Nairobi Office until we finalize the registration in DRC)

Reporting to: Director, Africa

Department: Programs

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

Travel: Up to 40% (domestic and international - frequent travel within the DRC, the Great Lakes region, and internationally)

Responsibilities

The position provides senior strategic, programmatic, and operational leadership for CIVIC’s work in the DRC and Great Lakes region, while ensuring effective coordination of the PROCIV project across DRC, Sudan, and Yemen.

The role combines country and regional leadership with multi-country project management, requiring strong political judgment, humanitarian diplomacy skills, and the ability to operate across highly complex and volatile conflict environments.

A. Overall Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Provide overall leadership for CIVIC’s DRC and Great Lakes portfolio, ensuring alignment with CIVIC’s Africa Program Strategy and Global Strategic Plan.
• Lead the development, implementation, and periodic updating of the DRC & Great Lakes Strategy, including strategic planning and fundraising.
• Serve as Senior Coordinator for the PROCIV project, ensuring coherence and strategic alignment across DRC, Sudan, and Yemen.
• Represent CIVIC in high-level engagements with governments, security actors, donors, regional institutions, civil society, and international partners.
• Contribute to organizational learning and strategic positioning of CIVIC as a leading PoC and CHM actor in the Great Lakes and comparable contexts.

B. Programmatic Leadership and Technical Direction

• Provide deep contextual analysis of DRC and Great Lakes conflict dynamics, with a strong focus on civilian harm patterns, armed actor behavior, and protection risks.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and quality assurance of PoC, CHM, community-based protection, and humanitarian diplomacy programming.
• Guide engagement with state and non-state armed actors, communities, and institutions to reduce civilian harm through dialogue, advisory support, and advocacy.
• Ensure that peace processes, stabilization efforts, and security arrangements systematically integrate PoC and CHM standards.
• Strengthen CIVIC’s research, analysis, and advocacy outputs to influence national, regional, and international policy debates.

C. Humanitarian Diplomacy & Multi-Country Project Management (PROCIV)

• Provide overall leadership and coordination of the PROCIV project across DRC, Sudan, and Yemen, ensuring strategic coherence and contextual sensitivity.
• Maintain primary liaison with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and high-quality reporting.
• Support country teams to implement humanitarian dialogue and diplomacy activities aligned with PROCIV objectives.
• Facilitate cross-country learning, adaptation, and exchange of lessons across the three contexts.
• Ensure timely delivery of outputs and outcomes, while adapting programming to evolving conflict dynamics.

D. Financial, Operational, and Team Management

• Provide oversight of financial management, grants, and budgets for DRC & Great Lakes programming and PROCIV, in coordination with operations and finance teams.
• Ensure compliance with CIVIC policies and diverse donor regulations, including Norway MFA requirements.
• Lead recruitment, supervision, and professional development of staff and consultants.
• Ensure effective security risk management, duty of care, and operational continuity in high-risk environments.
• Authorize expenditures and ensure timely, accurate narrative and financial reporting.

Qualifications

A. Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in international security, humanitarian protection, human rights, advocacy, or related fields.
• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong experience in DRC and/or the Great Lakes region; experience in Sudan and/or Yemen is a strong asset.
• Proven senior leadership and management experience in complex, conflict-affected settings.
• Demonstrated success in donor engagement, fundraising, and grant management.
• Strong experience in humanitarian diplomacy, policy influence, and high-level representation.
• Excellent analytical, research, and reporting skills.
• Fluency in French required; Arabic strongly preferred; strong working English required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage teams, budgets, and multiple grants simultaneously.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, subject to security conditions.

B. Key Competencies

• Strategic leadership and sound political judgment
• Strong diplomatic and negotiation skills
• Ability to translate complex conflict dynamics into actionable protection strategies
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Adaptability and resilience in volatile environments
• Commitment to CIVIC’s mission, values, 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 26, 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.