Institutional & Community Resilience Advisor
About the Employer
Job Description
Institutional and Community Resilience Advisor – Strengthening Social Cohesion and Dispute Resolution (SSCDR)
Duty Station: Colombo
Deadline for applications: 17th September 2026
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working in Sri Lanka since 1956. GIZ is a development partner of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) on topics ranging from private sector development and vocational training to renewable energy promotion, biodiversity conservation, reconciliation, and social cohesion.
The Action “Strengthening Social Cohesion and Dispute Resolution” is a 48-month program financed by the European Union and NDICI–Global Europe. It aims to foster a more tolerant, inclusive, peaceful and cohesive society in Sri Lanka.
The Action is implemented by the British Council, with GIZ GmbH acting as technical partner. GIZ provides policy advisory, institutional strengthening, capacity building and technical support to promote inclusive governance and reconciliation, improve access to factual and evidence-based information, and foster intercommunal economic cooperation and economic inclusion. In doing so, GIZ works with national and local authorities, civil society, academy, media, communities and the private sector, with particular attention to women, youth and marginalized.
The Role:
The objective of the Project is to provide technical, institutional, policy, and operational support to British Council for the delivery of Action Outputs related to Strengthening Social Cohesion and Dispute Resolution, in line with EU policies, national priorities, and British Council implementation modalities.
The advisor is responsible for
- Lead the design and implementation of capacity development initiatives for government and civil society actors, ensuring relevance to programme objectives on inclusion and reconciliation.
- Manage partnerships with key organisations working on historical dialogue and memory, including coordination, contracting, and follow-up on deliverables.
- Support the planning and rollout of the mobile museum initiative, including coordination of activities across new locations and ensuring timely and effective delivery.
- Facilitate the establishment and functioning of local sounding boards to support implementation, stakeholder engagement, and contextual adaptation of activities.
- Engage with government stakeholders at national and sub-national levels to support approvals, coordination, and alignment of programme activities.
- Provide operational and coordination support to partners to ensure smooth delivery of memory-related initiatives, including exhibitions, dialogue platforms, and community engagement processes such as round tables and community projects.
- Support the integration of historical dialogue and memory approaches into broader programme activities and capacity development efforts.
- Monitor progress of partner activities against agreed outputs and timelines, ensuring delivery quality and supporting adjustments where needed.
- Support budget tracking and financial follow-up.
- Contribute to programme monitoring, learning, and reporting processes, including supporting external monitoring missions and evaluations as required.
- Prepare inputs for reporting and coordination with the British Council, ensuring alignment with programme requirements.
- Facilitate cross-component collaboration to ensure coherence
Required qualifications, competencies, and experience
- A degree in Development Studies, Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict Studies, or a related field.
- At least 5 years of professional experience in development programming, with a strong focus on social cohesion, reconciliation, or capacity development.
- Demonstrated experience (at least 3 years) working on historical dialogue, memory culture, or similar initiatives related to reconciliation and inclusive narratives.
- Proven experience in managing partnerships with civil society organisations, government stakeholders, and/or international organisations.
- Experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives across different geographic locations, including planning and delivery of complex programme activities.
- Demonstrated experience engaging with government institutions and supporting approval processes, stakeholder consultations, and coordination mechanisms.
- Experience in designing and delivering capacity-building programmes for diverse stakeholders, including government and civil society actors.
- Familiarity with monitoring, reporting, and learning processes within donor-funded programmes.
- Strong coordination and facilitation skills, with the ability to manage multiple partners and activities simultaneously.
- Excellent communication skills in English, with fluency in Sinhala and Tamil required.
- Ability to travel for programme implementation.
Essential: Applications should include:
- Curriculum Vitae of a maximum of 3 pages (please do not include copies of certificates, testimonials, etc.).
- Details & contacts (Mobile & Email) of two referees who know your professional qualifications and work experience.
When applications are mailed to [email protected], please include “Application for the Institutional and Community Resilience Advisor – SSCDR” as the subject.
Visit: www.giz.de/srilanka
www.facebook.com/GIZSriLanka
