Team Leader
Damascus, Syria
Global Programs – Middle East and North Africa /
Full Time - International /
Remote
This position is based in Damascus and is an unaccompanied post. It is contingent upon donor funding. While on-the-ground operations are being finalized, the position will initially be remote.
The contract period is one year, renewable contingent upon funding and performance.
Compensation Band: TBD
*Please note: Hiring for this position is contingent upon final funding approval. Contracting is subject to confirmation of project award and scope.
Search for Common Ground
In a world often divided, Search for Common Ground stands for the power of bringing diverse people together to find solutions. By meeting this moment with Search, you join a powerful global peace movement that believes in the profound impact of courageous multipartiality - that all voices should be heard and respected in shaping a better, more connected world, and a collaborative vision is essential for lasting peace.
Search for Common Ground takes a dynamic approach by developing solutions tailored to the needs of communities. We engage with leaders and elected officials to advance dialogue and collaboration. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are Peacebuilders. We have been doing this work for over 40 years, and we have developed a deep understanding of what peace looks like, enabling us to quantify our impact and design more effective programming. Peace moves at the speed of trust, so we invest for the long haul. When we're no longer needed, we leave, leaving behind people and institutions with the ability to manage future conflicts.
Position Summary
We're seeking a dynamic and experienced Team Leader with a strong track record in program oversight, stakeholder engagement, and team management. If you excel at leading diverse teams, building strategic partnerships, and ensuring donor compliance, this is a unique opportunity to drive impactful, locally led programming in Syria. S/he will ensure high-quality delivery, strong coordination, and full compliance with donor requirements, while working with the Country Director and HQ to manage risks, adapt to evolving dynamics, and contribute to program design and resource mobilization.
Reporting to the Country Director and working closely with both existing and new partners, the Team Leader will provide overall strategic and technical leadership for a multi-year peacebuilding initiative. Building on Search for Common Ground's long-established presence and trusted networks in Syria, the Team Leader will supervise the project management team, ensure program quality and effective implementation, and serve as the primary liaison with donors, local actors, and other stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Oversight
- Leading adaptive program design and implementation across governorates, aligned with the triple nexus approach.
- Ensuring integration of conflict sensitivity, gender equity, Do No Harm, and inclusion across all activities.
- Overseeing program quality through technical support, standardization, and capacity building.
- Driving collaboration with national partners and authorities to advance localization goals.
- Coordinating closely with field teams and partners to ensure timely, effective delivery.
- Engaging donors and stakeholders to position Search as a trusted partner in peacebuilding.
- Identifying and addressing operational risks and barriers to implementation and participation.
Internal Coordination & Partnership Management
- Facilitate effective collaboration with partners to maximize synergies and collective impact.
- Convene and lead regular partnership meetings, ensuring decisions are documented and followed up.
- Ensure fluid and open communication between partners at all levels (technical, operational, and strategic) and support the resolution of disagreements or misalignments in implementation or planning.
Team Leadership & Capacity Development
- Supervises and mentors a diverse team of national and international staff across locations.
- Support staff development and ensure a collaborative, safe, and productive work environment.
- Foster a culture of accountability, learning, and adaptive management within the team.
In this position, you are expected to demonstrate Search’s core competencies:
- Inspires and supports team development while resolving challenges within a clear strategic vision.
- Builds strong, collaborative relationships with partners and key stakeholders.
- Balances routine operations with continuous improvement and innovation.
- Adapts to changing contexts with creative, solution-oriented approaches.
- Promotes consistent standards across functions, fostering global collaboration.
- Models ethical behavior, reduces ambiguity, and sets a high standard for conduct.
- Navigates complexity with clear decision-making and adaptive leadership.
- Seeks creative, compliant solutions within complex, international frameworks.
- Coaches and mentors others, sharing knowledge to strengthen team capacity.
- Serves as a trusted expert, offering technical guidance and practical solutions.
- Leads collaborative problem-solving and innovation across the consortium.
- Engages teams in strategic discussions to support ongoing growth and development.
- Upholds and promotes safeguarding principles, demonstrating accountability and awareness in all actions.
Education and Experience
- BS/BA with a minimum of 13 years of progressive experience managing large-scale programs in conflict-affected or fragile contexts, including Syria.
- Strong background in project management, ideally in peacebuilding, international development, or political science.
- Exceptional interpersonal and collaborative skills, with the ability to effectively engage and communicate with partners, stakeholders, and counterparts at all levels.
- Fluency in English, with the ability to produce high-quality reports and presentations for diverse audiences.
Preferred Education and Experience
- Master's degree in Peacebuilding, International Development, Project Management, Social Sciences, or a related field.
- Prior experience in a senior leadership role, such as Program Director or Chief of Party on donor-funded contracts, is highly preferred.
- Fluency in Arabic is a strong asset.
Type and Nature of Contacts
- Routinely coordinates with colleagues and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact. Has multiple and regular high-level external donor and partner contacts.
- Represents, as assigned, the program and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
- Leads the program team, directly supervises key program leaders, and oversees the CMU while coordinating closely with the technical working group.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
- This position is based in Syria, where security conditions are highly volatile and may pose significant risks, requiring strict adherence to safety protocols.
- Must be able to travel internationally at least 20%.
Supervisory and Budget Responsibility
- Expected to directly supervise 3–5 senior managers, provide strategic oversight to implementing partners and consultants, and lead multiple functional areas, including the management of associated budgets.
Posting closing period: 15 July 2025
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position may be filled before the closing date. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
Search is an equal employment employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable law.
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.
Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.
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Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.
Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.
Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.
Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.
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Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web www.sfcg.org para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables. Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta aquí y nuestra política de privacidad aquí.
