Jobs in peace building: What (and where) are they?

Religious extremism and terrorism continues to hamper development efforts in the Middle East and North Africa, instability and violence rage on in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Israel and the Palestinian territories, as do border conflicts such as Russia’s controversial move into Ukraine. Meanwhile, peace talks forge ahead in Colombia and Cuba. There’s no shortage of need for peace builders — those who want to work toward lasting peace in countries prone to violent conflict before, during or after it breaks out. This happens in a variety of different ways across a spectrum of sectors — but industry insiders admit peace building is a competitive field to break into, albeit rewarding once established. The sector involves a range of activities meant to reduce conflict, strengthen institutions and lay the foundation for sustainable development. Devex asked donors, implementers and recruiters what skills are in demand, who is hiring and how you can best break into this broad yet exclusive field. What does a job in peace building look like? Peace building involves many different interventions designed to prevent the start or resumption of violent conflict, which means jobs in the sector are found across a wide spectrum of actors and operations. Peace builders might support implementation of peace agreements, promote reconciliation or economic revitalization for employment generation, help to re-establish public administration and basic services, strengthen dialogue between communities and government institutions or support justice reforms and contribute to truth commissions and anticorruption efforts, according to Patrice Chiwota, a senior peace building adviser at the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. Multilaterals, governments, NGOs and research institutes all engage in peace building. Many roles fall under its umbrella, with positions on both the operational and program side. In the field, peace builders can take the form of election observers, disarmament experts, program facilitators of community dialogue, peace process advisors or program creators and evaluators with general titles such as “project consultant” or “evaluation specialist.” The program side requires accountants to monitor program budgets, researchers to study a country’s vulnerability to conflict and communications professionals to tell the story of peace-building projects. It’s also important to consider in which sector you want to work, and in which capacity — either implementing in a foreign country or a research position at headquarters. The options are many, but the goal of rebuilding a social fabric and establishing and rebuilding relationships to prevent conflict from returning should influence all work, a staff member of the U.S. Agency for International Development told Devex. What makes a successful peace builder? There are many skills that form a skilled peace builder, according to Emily Mallozzi, membership and outreach manager at the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Peace building entails conflict resolution skills such as facilitation, listening, mediating and advocacy for conflict resolution. But backgrounds in communications, technology and business are also in demand, she suggested — and this is where she currently sees a talent gap. “Recruiters are looking for people who can communicate the story of peace to attract the average person, and those who can use technology for peace such as developing apps to collect data and solve problems,” Mallozzi said. But the necessary skills hinge on the specific role within peace building that interests you. A background in political science, conflict management and mitigation, negotiation and mediation is important for the field, whereas experience managing budgets, program management and analysis on how an intervention will affect communities torn apart by violence are important for the programmatic side. To be an election observer, for example, many missions require previous experience volunteering at polling stations. You will need experience in mediation, program design and project management to get a job rebuilding community trust. Monitoring a program requires experience in design and implementation of evaluations. And a strong political analysis and research background is necessary to analyze the vulnerability of a state to violent conflict. Because peace building requires a focus on local ownership and capacity building, all jobs on the operations side require sensitivity to local context, cultural awareness and experience abroad, excellent interpersonal relation and communication skills and compassion. Language skills — namely French, Spanish and Arabic — are an added bonus, Mallozzi said. What does the road to a career in peace building look like? The toughest part, industry professionals said, is starting out. It’s a competitive field and does take time to build skills — even for those with a master’s degree. Because there are very few undergraduate degrees in peace building, with most students attaining an undergraduate degree in international relations, it’s important to think about acquiring necessary skills through a graduate degree or professional skills courses, Mallozzi said. The Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University and U.S. Institute for Peace and Alliance for Peacebuilding offer certificate courses for those with a degree who seek more professional skills. George Mason University, American University, Eastern Mennonite University and Brandeis University are among those that offer quality graduate programs in peace building, Mallozzi said. When it comes to the request for field experience, it’s better to tackle this requirement on your own. “Join the Peace Corps, look into international fellowships, work for an NGO abroad ... take the initiative and build your experience,” Mallozzi said. Consider starting with an internship, even if it’s unpaid, as many lead to paid positions, suggested one USAID staff member. Setting up informational interviews and getting what practical experience you can — even if domestically based — can help shape your understanding. Consider working for organizations that help refugees settle in the U.S. to learn what happens when people experience conflict, or volunteering with domestic campaigns to understand the electoral process. Joining built-in networks like the Alliance for Peace or Peace and Collaborative Development Network are worthwhile, Mallozzi suggested. “The peace building core is not that big, so networking is critical,” she said. “Your circle will build quickly because many people know each other.” Where are the jobs? Job boards like Devex, Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for Peace or Alliance for Peace list positions under a “peace building” search — but the job titles don’t always include peace building. Key terms to look out for include: election observer, restorative justice; strengthening/facilitating dialogue; community trust building; reconciliation; mediation; conflict resolution; peace and conflict; post-conflict; conflict mitigation, peace process; and human rights. The U.N. remains a major employer of peace builders, with 16 peacekeeping operations worldwide that facilitate elections and political process, assist in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants and strengthen legal systems. The U.N. Department of Political Affairs works to prevent and resolve conflict with analysis to support mediation, elections and peacekeeping missions while the U.N. Development Program works in various areas, such as sharing innovative approaches to crisis prevention, early warning and conflict resolution. A look at the aforementioned jobs board shows other organizations actively hiring include: The U.S. Institute of Peace, Nuru International, Search for Common Ground, Saferworld, USAID, Life & Peace Institute, Council for Foreign Relations, FHI 360, Pact International, Chemonics, Creative Associates International, Management Systems International, Catholic Relief Services, The Carter Center, Mercy Corps, World Vision and the Office of International Migration. What will the field look like moving forward? Many factors look poised to shift trends in peace building in the near future. The U.N. has increasingly been called upon to play a broader role — “a new dimension outside of its current mandate” — with a political focus, Chiwota said. “We do a little more than just aid, we have risk and can do politically sensitive things, such as politically integrating rebel groups and training security and police to appreciate human rights,” he said. The U.N. is looking to do more of this conflict prevention within a context of peace building, which is “not really in the mandate but it’s on the table and under review,” Chiwota said, and is engaging staff in areas like conflict-sensitive programming and political missions. Two other major trends now, he said, are working in both Kenya and Somalia to reintegrate Somalian refugees and dealing with the changing nature of conflict from “war to upheaval,” like activity in the Middle East. The role of peace building and democracy in sustainable development is only gaining importance and will be discussed in Alliance for Peacebuilding’s 2015 conference, Mallozzi said. Education’s role in peace building and countering violent extremism related to youth are also “a big focus right now,” she said. Looking forward, Syria and Israel and the Palestinian territories continue to remain priorities, but eyes are shifting to Latin America amid the budding peace process in Colombia and potentially impending lifting of sanctions on Cuba. Check the Devex jobs board for position in peace building. Want to learn more? Check out the Youth Will website and tweet #YouthWill. Youth Will is an online conversation hosted by Devex in partnership with Chemonics, The Commonwealth Secretariat, The MasterCard Foundation and UN-Habitat to explore the power that youth around the globe hold to change their own futures and those of their peers.