Project Manager (m/f/d) in Prishtina, Kosovo At Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V. (Forum Civil Peace Service)

We are looking for a Project Manager based in our country office in Kosovo starting from June 2024.

Who we are

Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V. (forumZFD – Forum Civil Peace Service) supports people involved in violent conflicts on the path to peace and strives to help overcome war and violence.

forumZFD is currently working with peace consultants in Germany, as well as eleven other countries in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. Its Academy for Conflict Transformation offers a learning space for professional, international peace work. Through dialogue events, educational work and campaigns, forumZFD actively advocates civil peace policy.

forumZFD is recognised by the German federal government as a member of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) consortium. It finances its work through public and private grants, donations and membership fees.

forumZFD is seeking a full-time Project Manager based in its country office in Kosovo, who would also be working in close cooperation with colleagues in all forumZFD offices in the region (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia). The overriding thematic area of the programme in the Western Balkans is dealing with the past (DwP), whereas this particular position is within the Regional Project Team on Media and Civil Society Organisations.

Your profile

• Advanced university degree in journalism, public relations, international development, or other relevant fields
• Minimum 5 years of work experience in journalism, PR and/or other relevant fields, including content creation, experience with video/audio and production (preferentially using various forms of social media);
• Work experience in the areas of Dealing with the Past, Transitional Justice, Peacebuilding;
• Formal qualification in civil peace service or comparable knowledge of methods for civil and non-violent conflict management;
• Thorough knowledge of the political and social environment in Kosovo and the Western Balkans;
• Experience in project management, including planning, initiation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and financial controlling in co-operation with civil society organizations, media, networks;
• Experience in third-party fundraising with partners is an asset;
• Distinct experience and ability to work effectively in teams, preferably including experience working in virtual team settings;
• High level of social competence, flexibility, and intercultural sensitivity, including non-violent communication competencies;
• Excellent written and spoken command of English, good knowledge of one or more official languages spoken in Kosovo is an asset;
• Competent in the use of IT office applications and experience in the professional use of social media in the context of peace work;
• Driving licence and driving experience;

Your tasks and responsibilities

As Project Manager you will use your expertise in journalism and social media, as well as a keen knowledge of regional and national contexts in the Western Balkans, to encourage constructive public discourse on topics of the past within Kosovo and throughout the region.

One ongoing task of this position is the coordination of a bi-annual online magazine and production of video podcasts, focusing on Dealing with the Past (DwP) in the Western Balkans.

As Project Manager you will contribute to the Western Balkans Program of forumZFD as part of the country office team in Kosovo and member of the Regional Project Team. Tasks of this position include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

• Actively participate in the Regional Project team Media & CSOs, implementing planned activities with partners, and working with the wider team to design, plan and develop future activities, which contribute to reaching the regional and project goals;
• Network and coordinate with a range of media and civil society organisations to build and maintain effective partnerships within the respective country/region to initiate and implement collaborative peacebuilding activities;
• Manage project implementation (PM&E, steering, and financial controlling);
• Contribute to annual program planning and reporting;
• Actively participate in fundraising efforts with partners toward local, regional and international donors;
• Collaborate and support colleagues within the Kosovo and other country offices, particularly on activities contributing to encouraging constructive public discourse on topics of dealing the past within Kosovo and throughout the region;
• Based in Prishtina, the position entails frequent travel within Kosovo and the region.

Our offer

As a project manager working for forumZFD, you will have the opportunity to contribute your ideas and skills within the innovative field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding.

We offer an attractive positionwith responsibilities for a minimum of two years in a growing organization. We also offer participation in qualification and professional development courses (among others, at forumZFD’s Academy for Conflict Transformation), a project-based preparation, regular coaching and, where appropriate, participation in a language course. As the position is based on the German Development Aid Workers Act (EhfG), it is restricted to those who are citizens of countries outside of forumZFD’s four programme countries in the Western Balkans. The position is renumerated according to the provisions of this law, including comprehensive social security benefits and financial reintegration assistance upon return.

Start of assignment

Ideally, you are available to start working on 1st of June 2024 (to begin preparation courses, followed by at least two years’ work within the project with the option of extension).