Director, Protection of Civilians (PoC) Division (Geneva)

Overview

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) Center is an international nonprofit and nongovernmental organization with offices around the world working to improve protection for civilians in conflict zones.

Our mission is to support communities affected by conflict in their quest for protection and strengthen the resolve and capacity of armed actors and relevant institutions to prevent and respond to civilian harm.

We are advocates who believe that no civilian caught in conflict should be ignored, and advisors who provide practical solutions to preventing and responding to civilian harm.

Learn more at civiliansinconflict. org.

About the Position

Location

Geneva (Switzerland). Candidates must be fully authorized to work without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

Travel

As required.

Reporting to

Director, Global & Field Programs.

Staff reporting

Yes.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic, Technical and Programmatic Leadership
• Provide high‑level technical advice and oversight to field programs, ensuring alignment with evolving Po C standards, operational realities, and emerging protection challenges.
• Lead the strategic planning and evolution of the Po C Division, identifying new thematic priorities, partnerships, and areas of organizational growth.
• Supervision and Technical Management
• Directly supervise the team of technical advisors (Gender & Children, MEAL, Community‑Based Protection, Military Engagement, Research and other thematic advisors), ensuring high‑quality technical support across the organization.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, professional development, and integration of technical expertise across programs, policy, and humanitarian diplomacy.
• Organizational Positioning and External Representation
• Strengthen CIVIC's global positioning as a leading organization on Protection of Civilians through technical leadership, policy engagement, strategic partnerships, and external representation.
• Represent CIVIC in high‑level engagements with donors, governments, multilateral organizations, security actors, academic institutions, and policy forums.
• Technical Support, Organizational Learning and Capacity Strengthening
• Lead organization‑wide capacity strengthening initiatives and promote continuous learning on CIVIC's thematic priorities.
• Support country teams throughout the programme cycle, including strategy development, proposal design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive learning.
• Promote effective knowledge management by capturing lessons learned, documenting good practices, and strengthening organizational learning.
• Bridge Between Programs, Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy
• Ensure a continuous two‑way feedback loop between field operations and headquarters by translating policy and normative developments into practical operational guidance, while ensuring field evidence and operational learning inform CIVIC's research, policy development, humanitarian diplomacy, and multilateral engagement.
• Identify cross‑cutting protection trends emerging from country programs and translate them into organizational priorities, policy products, advocacy initiatives, and technical guidance.
• Innovation and Thought Leadership
• Drive innovation in Protection of Civilians by exploring emerging issues such as civilian harm mitigation, community‑led protection, new technologies, artificial intelligence, misinformation, and evolving conflict dynamics.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration across humanitarian, peacebuilding, development, defense, and security sectors to advance innovative and practical approaches to civilian protection.
• Serve as CIVIC's technical lead on Protection of Civilians, guiding programmatic strategy, design, implementation, and learning across country programs.
• Key Qualifications
• Minimum 10 years of progressively senior experience in humanitarian protection, protection of civilians, civilian‑military engagement, peacebuilding, security sector engagement, or related fields.
• Master's degree in International Relations, Humanitarian Affairs, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Law, Human Rights, Political Science, Security Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy, or another relevant field required.

An advanced degree or equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

• Deep expertise in Protection of Civilians, including operational approaches, community-based protection, civilian harm mitigation, and relevant international norms and best practices.
• Proven experience engaging state and non‑state armed actors, security institutions, and government authorities to promote the protection of civilians, international humanitarian law, and improved civilian outcomes in conflict settings.
• Demonstrated experience providing strategic, technical, and programmatic support to field operations throughout the programme cycle, including strategy development, programme design, implementation, and learning.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary and multicultural technical teams, fostering collaboration, innovation, and professional development.
• Strong experience in research, policy development, humanitarian diplomacy, and multilateral engagement, with the ability to translate field evidence into policy influence and operational guidance.
• Proven track record of strategic thinking, innovation, organisational learning, and external representation at senior level.
• Strong understanding of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, UN Protection of Civilians frameworks, civilian harm mitigation, and other relevant international policy and normative frameworks.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills, with experience engaging governments, donors, multilateral organisations, security actors, and civil society.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to business development, including technical input to proposals, donor engagement, and programme growth.
• Fluency in English and French required; additional languages are an asset.
• Valid authorization to work in Geneva at the time of this application without the need for current or future visa sponsorship. Nationals preferred.
• Application Information

Application Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Equal Opportunity Statement

CIVIC is an Equal Opportunities Employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

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