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Cord is an international Non-Governmental Organisation (iNGO) registered in the United Kingdom with operations across several countries in Africa and Asia. With over 55 years of experience in humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding work, Cord supports communities affected by conflict and exclusion.
Cord’s work is grounded in the belief that people can only flourish where constructive relationships exist between governments, civil society, and the private sector. Through dialogue, dispute resolution, and confidence-building, Cord contributes to inclusive development, stronger governance, and the realisation of people’s rights.
Cord operates through a small, committed, and multidisciplinary team and implements multi-donor, multi-partner programmes in close collaboration with local and international stakeholders.
As part of Cord’s global peacebuilding team, the Peacebuilding Specialist has a two-fold role:
First, the role will lead the implementation of project activities in Africa, supporting Child Rights organisations to integrate peacebuilding tools and approaches within child protection programming. This will include training delivery and facilitation on a range of peacebuilding tools such as conflict analysis, conflict sensitivity, non-violent communication, multi-stakeholder engagement/ processes, and the development of communities of practice, alongside sustained coaching and mentoring to support partner organisations to apply learning in practice.
Second, the role will contribute to the implementation of Cord’s Build Peace strategy across the organisation. As required, the Peacebuilding Specialist will provide technical advice, deliver Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes and provide coaching and mentoring through the Peacebuilding Support unit to support Cord’s country offices to integrate peacebuilding approaches across other thematic areas of Cord’s work- economic empowerment, women’s and girls’ empowerment, climate change and environmental governance, strengthening inclusive and resilient societies, and the promotion of fundamental freedoms.
Job title: Peacebuilding Specialist, Africa
Responsible to: Regional Representative, Africa
Key internal relationships:
SF Project Manager; Peacebuilding Specialist, Asia; Multi-Country Project Officers (Africa and Asia); Finance and Administrative Officer; Head of Programme Development and Peacebuilding Support
Key external relationships:
Project officers and staff of the consortium lead; Partner child rights organisations; Consultants and service providers
Location: Nairobi, Kenya, with travel to countries in East and West Africa and potential travel to Asia
Working hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (flexible)
Contract type: Fixed-term until 31 December 2028; start date as soon as possible
Role grade: Grade 9
Salary range: Basic salary: KES 325,498–361,665
Benefits (national staff): Affordable housing levy, pension, NSSF contribution
Benefits (international staff): Housing and travel allowances, pension
Other benefits: 33 days of leave (including public holidays and annual leave); Medical coverage; Training opportunities; Counselling provision; Communication allowance
JOB PURPOSE
Technical Leadership on Peacebuilding Programme Implementation
The Peacebuilding Specialist will lead implementation within the Africa region on the SF project, including technically leading the peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives of the project, ensuring that partners and project teams are equipped to apply peacebuilding approaches effectively in practice. The role focuses on training and equipping Child Rights organisations to apply peacebuilding tools, and approaches within their programme implementation.
Quality of Learning and Adaptive Practice
The Peacebuilding Specialist ensures the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives. This includes establishing appropriate learning, reflection, and feedback processes to assess how peacebuilding approaches are understood, applied, and adapted over time. This role will also work with an academic institution to test and measure impact of this integrated approach to child protection. The role supports adaptive learning, ensuring that training content, technical guidance, and capacity-building approaches are refined in response to feedback, contextual change, and emerging learning from implementation.
Learning, Knowledge Sharing, and Organisational Contribution
The Peacebuilding Specialist leads the documentation and synthesis of learning generated through peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives. This includes developing training resources and capturing lessons learned, and evidence of change related to the application of peacebuilding approaches. The role ensures that learning is systematically shared with the wider project consortium and across Cord, strengthening organisational learning and contributing to the coherence and quality of Cord’s peacebuilding practice.
Programme Development
The Peacebuilding Specialist provides technical inputs to programme development by contributing peacebuilding expertise and learning from project implementation to concept notes, proposals, and programme design, in support of Cord’s Build Peace strategy.
Areas of responsibilities
Technical Leadership on Peacebuilding Capacity Building
Lead the delivery of project activities, equipping child rights organisations to apply peacebuilding tools and approaches within this work. This will include training delivery, coaching and mentoring, developing global communities of practice and writing new training curricula.
Design and oversee a project-wide (West and East Africa) peacebuilding capacity-building plan, informed by needs assessments, to support partners to progressively integrate peacebuilding approaches into child protection programming, including advocacy, community engagement, dialogue processes, and work with duty-bearers.
Support partners and project teams to integrate peacebuilding approaches—such as conflict and context analysis, conflict sensitivity, non-violent communication, multi-stakeholder engagement processes, and communities of practice—into programme strategies, activities, and ways of working.
Provide technical advice, coaching, and mentoring to partners and project teams to strengthen the practical application of peacebuilding approaches within child protection and related thematic work.
Support partners to develop pilot initiatives focused on new approaches to child protection, and work with academic partners to capture the impact of the pilot initiatives.
Quality of Learning and Adaptive Practice
Establish and apply learning, reflection, and feedback mechanisms to assess how peacebuilding approaches are understood, applied, and adapted by partners and project teams over time.
Ensure the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives by reviewing and refining training content, learning pathways, and technical guidance in response to feedback, contextual changes, and emerging learning from implementation.
Promote reflective practice and adaptive learning among partners and project teams, supporting critical analysis of experience and continuous improvement in peacebuilding integration.
Contribute to identifying implementation challenges and opportunities related to peacebuilding integration and recommend practical adjustments to strengthen effectiveness and impact.
Learning, Knowledge Sharing, and Organisational Contribution
Lead the documentation and synthesis of learning generated through peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives, including lessons learned, good practices, challenges, and evidence of change related to the integration of peacebuilding approaches.
Support the development of learning products such as learning briefs, case studies, outcome stories, guidance notes, and internal learning materials.
Ensure that peacebuilding learning is systematically shared within the project consortium and across Cord, contributing to organisational learning and strengthening the coherence and quality of Cord’s peacebuilding practice.
Contribute to internal knowledge-sharing processes, communities of practice, and learning events related to peacebuilding.
Provide targeted technical inputs and training for staff in other Cord offices in Asia or Africa, as required, to strengthen internal understanding and application of peacebuilding approaches.
Programme Development and Strategic Contribution
Provide technical peacebuilding inputs to programme development processes, including concept notes, proposals, and programme design, drawing on learning and evidence generated through project implementation.
Support the integration of peacebuilding approaches into Cord’s thematic areas of work, including child protection, economic empowerment, women’s and girls’ empowerment, climate change and environmental governance, strengthening inclusive and resilient societies, and the promotion of fundamental freedoms, in line with Cord’s Build Peace strategy and organisational priorities.
Contribute to strengthening the technical quality, coherence, and consistency of Cord’s peacebuilding programming across thematic areas, as required.
Safeguarding
Ensure the safety of Programme participants, people who come into contact with the organisation and team members from any harm, abuse, neglect, harassment and exploitation including sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) to achieve the programme’s goals of safeguarding implementation.
Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment.
Practice, promote and endorse the culture of safeguarding among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action.
Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place and encourage others to do so.
Person Specification
Required
Peacebuilding Expertise
At least five years of demonstrated professional experience as a peacebuilding practitioner or technical advisor, with a strong focus on applied peacebuilding.
Strong practical expertise in delivering peacebuilding approaches, including conflict and context analysis, conflict sensitivity, non-violent communication, multi-stakeholder engagement processes, trauma-informed peacebuilding and communities of practice.
Proven ability to integrate peacebuilding approaches into programme design and implementation, particularly within child protection, advocacy, rights-based programming, or community-level interventions.
Demonstrated experience supporting partners and teams to move from peacebuilding theory to practice, including changes in behaviours, relationships, decision-making, and ways of working.
Capacity Building and Technical Support
Substantial experience designing and delivering peacebuilding capacity-building initiatives, including training, coaching, mentoring, and facilitation.
Experience contextualising and applying existing peacebuilding tools, manuals, and frameworks to different countries and organisational contexts.
Strong facilitation and coaching skills, with the ability to support adult learning and reflective practice.
Learning, Quality, and Evidence
Demonstrated experience ensuring the quality and effectiveness of peacebuilding practice, including supporting reflection, learning, and adaptation over time.
Experience documenting and synthesising peacebuilding learning, including lessons learned, good practices, outcome stories, and qualitative evidence of change.
Ability to analyse and communicate peacebuilding learning clearly to diverse audiences, including partners, practitioners, and internal teams.
Education
A postgraduate qualification in peacebuilding, conflict studies, international development, international relations, or a related field, or equivalent and relevant professional experience.
Skills and Abilities
Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to assess conflict dynamics and identify practical entry points for peacebuilding.
Ability to work effectively within multi-country and consortium-based programmes, providing technical leadership while collaborating closely with programme teams.
Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining strong technical focus and quality.
Language
Fluency in written and spoken English is required, as the role involves coordination, reporting, and communication across multiple countries and with international partners; working proficiency in French is strongly preferred.
Values and Conduct
Strong commitment to conflict-sensitive, rights-based, and inclusive approaches.
Commitment to safeguarding, ethical conduct, and do-no-harm principles.
Alignment with Cord’s values and peacebuilding ethos.
Desirable
Thematic and Contextual Experience
Experience integrating peacebuilding approaches into child protection programming is a strong advantage.
Experience applying peacebuilding approaches across other thematic areas such as economic empowerment, women’s and girls’ empowerment, climate change and environmental governance, governance, and fundamental freedoms.
Experience working in Western and Eastern Africa.
Programme and Organisational Contribution
Experience contributing technical peacebuilding inputs to programme design, concept notes, or donor proposals.
Experience supporting organisational learning, communities of practice, or internal capacity building on peacebuilding approaches across multiple country offices.
How to apply
We encourage interested applicants to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position may be filled before the closing date if a suitable candidate is identified.
All applications must be sent to [email protected]. Please submit a motivation letter (maximum of 2 pages) and a detailed CV, addressed to Carlos Gallardo, Regional Representative for Africa. Kindly include “Peacebuilding Specialist – Africa” in the subject line.
The closing date for applications is 30 May 2026, 5:00 PM (Kenya time). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Cord is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.