COME WORK FOR SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND – IT IS A COOL ORGANISATION, DOING GREAT WORK IN SOME OF THE MORE CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS AROUND THE WORLD – COME LEARN AND CONTRIBUTE

Search for Common Ground is one of the largest international NGOs working on peacebuilding and conflict transformation. We have 28 offices around the world with over 400 staff. At the HQ in Washington there is approximately 40 full-time staff. There is always a very healthy intern community, with up to 20-25 interns at any one time. 

Search is full of committed, enthusiastic and talented individuals. It is a fun place to work and an exciting place to learn. Search offers a rich range of opportunities from Brown Bag lunches, fascinating projects to get involved in, coaching and mentoring and Happy Hours where you can get to know your colleagues in a more relaxed setting.

The Institutional Learning Team

The Institutional Learning Team (ILT) sits at the heart of the organisation. The Team comprises a Director, two Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, a Senior Research Associate and a Director of Children and Youth. ILT is a fun team to be part of and undertakes work that spans the full spectrum of work of the organisation. ILT works across every programme at Search for Common Ground (SFCG) either on Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (DM&E) related issues or on learning and cross-fertilisation related themes. The Team is responsible for a) providing leadership on the Design, Monitoring and Evaluation of our programmes b) managing our knowledge and disseminating best practices c) mainstreaming Children and Youth in conflict transformation and d) advancing women and security concerns throughout all our programs.

SFCG aims to enhance organisational effectiveness through our commitment to excellence in DM&E and continuous institutional learning.

To this end, the ILT:

• Uses ‘on-the-job’ coaching to build the organisational capacity in evaluation
• Develops practitioner-focused coaching tools (interactive DM&E modules)
• Conducts research on key DM&E issues
• Develops innovative DM&E tools for our media and non-media work
• Builds DM&E capacity and provides internal training
• Conducts rigorous internal evaluations
• Facilitates the utilisation of evaluation recommendations and lessons learned
• Co-ordinates the biennial evaluations of country programmes
• Manages and implements internal monitoring, evaluation and reflection processes
• Leads in supporting the generation, collection and dissemination of information on best practices
• Supports cross-fertilisation efforts across the organisation

During 2012 we aim to:

• Provide quality technical support and coaching to our programmes
• Maintain and increase quality internal and external evaluation
• Improve the way we share and access information across the organisation
• Design and implement joined-up indicator systems and monitoring tools

Job Description

Supervised by the Director of Institutional Learning, the DM&E Specialist, or the Senior Research Associate, the intern will provide general support in one or more of the following areas of work. We like to provide interns with a manageable portfolio of projects that will depend on matching the intern’s range of skills and interests with the strands of work available.

• Assisting with development and maintenance of the DM&E Learning Portal on web
• Interactive Modules on DM&E: These are interlinked and cross-referenced modules that will provide information to be available as coaching and self-teaching tools:
• • Researching on specific module subjects
  • Drafting modules, including background information, practical guidance, visual aids, examples, activities, etc.
• Conduct research on DM&E as it relates to key peace building thematic areas
• Drafting Common Ground Approach methodology
• Updating and maintaining the ILT internal website
• Finalizing the Operational Statistics process
• • Updating and adding to the current indicators list
  • Working with SFCG staff to develop a web work page for output indicator development.
• Contributing to research and writing of best practices, case studies, and program or thematic brochures

Other potential areas of responsibility include, but are not restricted to:

• Researching key areas, tools, methods for DM&E; and identifying and tracking latest thinking in the evaluation of peace building fields.
• Organising meetings, taking notes, and providing logistical support for the DM&E team

Requirements:

• Education or experience in conflict resolution, international relations, development of governance/public administration fields, social research, or evaluation
• Senior undergraduate or graduate level preferred
• Experience in information gathering and research - book, journal and internet
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills and the ability to draft, edit and proofread
• French language skills and translation ability an advantage
• Good computer skills (including Word, Excel, Internet)
• Prefer 3 days per week commitment 

Preferred Attributes:

• Proactive attitude and ability to work independently and in a team
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Creative and thorough approach to work
• Interest in evaluation of conflict resolution interventions

Please note this is an unpaid internship.

The intern should be able to commit to working for SFCG for a minimum of 3 days per week, for at least a 3-month initial period. The ideal starting period for this internship would be in early to mid May  2012, though there may be some flexibility.

To apply please email your (1) Cover Letter, (2) Resume, (3) Contact Information for two References and (4) a two to three-page writing sample to Carolyne Ashton cashton at sfcg.org as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

In your cover letter, please clearly state why the position is of interest to you, what you can bring to it and what you hope to gain from it.  If applicable, please list any other divisions you have applied to within SFCG.  Also, please include the date you can start work, the length of your availability (in months), and the number of hours per week to which you can commit.

Please apply by May 15, 2012