Project Officer CDA

Project Officer – Connect, Defend, Act!

Do you want to make a meaningful contribution to protecting civic space and supporting human rights defenders? Hivos is looking for a Project Officer to join the Connect, Defend, Act! (CDA) programme. In this role, you will help deliver impactful projects by working closely with partners, supporting effective implementation, and ensuring accountability, learning, and compliance.

Position information:

Region: SWANA

Scope: Occupied Palestinian territory

Reports to: CDA Project Manager

Department:Programs

Location: Ramallah or East Jerusalem

Hours: Full-time (36 hours/4.5 days per week), Monday to Friday

Work modality: work from home

Availability: As soon as possible

Application deadline: 15 August 2026

Grade: Grade 8 step 1: $2,931 gross per month

About Hivos

Hivos is an international human rights and social justice organization founded in 1968, guided by strong humanist values. The organization is committed to promoting freedom, dignity, and equal opportunities, and to ensuring that people can actively participate in decisions that affect their lives and communities. Hivos works in partnership with civil society actors, activists, and communities to amplify diverse voices, strengthen agency, and address structural inequalities. Particular focus is placed on supporting marginalized groups to organize, advocate, and claim their rights.

Through its programs and partnerships, Hivos contributes to building inclusive, equitable, and sustainable societies where people have equal access to rights, resources, and opportunities. More about Hivos at: www.hivos.org

Job context

With support from NORAD, Hivos is implementing a 5-year project called ‘Connect, Defend, Act!’ that started in 2024. To respond to the issue of shrinking civic space and amplify civil society-led action, the “Connect, Defend, Act!” (CDA) project will support civil society actors in Colombia, Indonesia, Malawi and the occupied Palestinian territory in their efforts to defend and expand civic space through three strategic objectives:

• By promoting coalition building among diverse civil society actors, including human rights defenders, rightsholder-led civil society organizations and independent media actors, grounded in civil society-led evidence gathering and knowledge production, and facilitated by context-specific communities of action.
• By contributing to safe and inclusive digital civic spaces for sustained collaboration and action among civil society actors through localized holistic digital security capacity strengthening, knowledge production and active referral to digital protection providers.
• By increasing civil society actors’ flexibility to rapidly respond to changes in civic space through organizational capacity strengthening and the provision of strategic funding for sustainable action.

The project aims to strategically support relevant actors within civil society whose work actively contributes to civic space from the perspective of different sectors and interests, while particularly including groups who are marginalized within civil society, such as women, youth, People with Disabilities, Indigenous People and others.

Purpose of the role

The Project Officer contributes to the implementation and performance of Connect, Defend, Act! (CDA) activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, supporting delivery of agreed results, timelines and budgets. The role supports project planning, partner engagement, capacity strengthening, monitoring, reporting, risk management and learning, while ensuring alignment with donor requirements, Hivos policies, safeguarding standards and conflict-sensitive programming principles. 

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Project Coordination:

• Oversee the day-to-day implementation of project activities in alignment with project goals and objectives.
• Facilitate the formation and strengthening of coalitions among diverse Civil Society Actors, including Human Rights Defenders, rights holder-led organizations, and independent media actors.
• Support the development and implementation of digital security initiatives to enhance the safety and resilience of Civil Society Actors in online spaces.
• Provide support to Civil Society Actors in enhancing their organizational capacity, including governance structures, financial management, and strategic planning.
• Assist in the identification and allocation of strategic funding to support sustainable action by Civil Society Actors, ensuring alignment with project goals and priorities.
• Contribute to the production of evidence-based knowledge products, including research reports, policy briefs, and case studies, to inform advocacy efforts and decision-making.
• Facilitate community engagement and participation in project activities, ensuring the inclusion of marginalized groups such as women, youth, PWDs, and Indigenous People.
• Provide active referral and support to Civil Society Actors in accessing digital protection resources and services, including digital security tools and training.
• Conduct ongoing analysis of the socio-political context in project locations to inform strategic decision-making and adaptation of project approaches.
• Ensure project activities are implemented in a conflict-sensitive manner, taking into account the local context and dynamics to minimize potential harm and maximize positive impact.

Integrate gender and inclusive considerations and mainstream equality principles throughout project activities to promote inclusivity and address gender-based inequalities. Provide specialist technical assistance and advice to support the development and implementation of the Connect, Defend, Act! Project.

• Ensure all reports are of high quality and completed in a timely manner.
• Support the Project Manager with the planning and implementation of project activities including setting annual and / or periodic workplans budgets and activity schedules
• Ensure that all activities are in line with the funding agreement and comply with donor and Hivos requirements.
• Ensure that activities are well linked to the project log frame and budget for ease of reference and reporting.
• Provide support with the budgeting for activities and provide budget execution reports when required.
• Prepare terms of references and/or specifications for project requests for quotations (RFQs) and proposals (RFPs) in line with Hivos policies and processes
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor regulations, and project guidelines throughout the implementation process.

Stakeholder engagement, technical assistance, advice and support to CDA partners:

• Identify key stakeholders and local civil society organizations with which to engage.
• Promote and represent the CDA project with key stakeholders.
• Provide technical assistance, advice and support to stakeholders to build capacity in safeguarding and engagement.
• Support the capacity building of Civil Society Actors through training sessions, workshops, and knowledge sharing initiatives.
• Coordinate with project partners, stakeholders, and beneficiaries to ensure smooth implementation and collaboration.
• Identify potential risks and challenges to project implementation and work with the project team to develop mitigation strategies, in coordination with management.

Networking & CDA regional learning network support and management:

• Manage and coordinate regional network meetings and program partner learning exchanges
• Represent CDA at national, regional and international forums.
• Engage in working groups, task forces and other technical committees.

Monitoring and evaluation, learning and support:

• Ensure accurate and timely documentation of project activities, including reports, meeting minutes, and other relevant documentation.
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of project activities, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Ensure that the project risk management plan is monitored and updated on a timely basis
• Maintain all project disaggregated data collated through trainings/workshops/meetings for analysis and reporting purposes
• Support the identification of impact stories for communication products.

Other tasks:

• Collaborate with other technical units across Hivos.
• Supports fundraising efforts and other non-program related tasks as may be requested.
• Regularly attend non-project SWANA and global meetings as requested.
• Other tasks as requested by Project Manager and Regional Director.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Political Studies, Development, Social Sciences, Programme Management, or a related field.

Knowledge & Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in project management and/or coordination, preferably with an international or donor-funded organization.
• At least 5 years of experience working with Civil Society Actors and knowledge of civic space issues in the occupied Palestinian territory.
• Proven experience in coordinating and building partnerships with donors, governments, development partners, and civil society organizations.
• Demonstrated understanding of the cultural context of the occupied Palestinian territory and international human rights principles and standards.
• Applied knowledge of national, regional, and international frameworks related to human rights, gender equality, social inclusion, youth development, and regional development challenges.
• Fluent in English and Arabic (written and spoken).
• Willingness and ability to travel, when required.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills, with the ability to facilitate collaboration across organizations.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, and representation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare high-quality donor reports.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary and diverse teams.
• Ability to navigate complex cultural, political, and religious environments.
• Proactive and positive attitude.
• Strong team player with a collaborative mindset.
• Well-organized, trustworthy, and reliable.
• Demonstrates initiative and works with a high degree of autonomy.

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with very dedicated staff.  We offer a one-year contract, renewable depending on performance.

IF YOU WISH TO APPLY

Please click the "Apply" button located at the top right-hand corner of this page on this platform.

Please submit the following documents in English no later than August 13th, 2026: résumé/CV (maximum two pages, PDF format), and a letter of interest (maximum one page, PDF format).

Background checks for final candidates

If you get selected for the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references will be asked from your previous employers, and a safeguarding vetting will be done, in accordance with the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme's requirements, which Hivos has endorsed.

Police clearance may be required (where the position requires it, and national laws allow it). Exceptions will only be made if there is prohibition of local legislation or when the candidate is unable to obtain police clearance due to activities on LGTB+ and Human Rights.  https://www.hivos.org/who-we-are/our-organization/integrity/

Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record of results in their CV and to use their cover letter to clearly and concisely address the requirements of the role elaborated above.

Equal Opportunities & Reasonable Accommodation 

Hivos is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diverse candidates - such as women and LGBTQIA+ people, persons with disabilities, and persons from negatively racialized groups - to apply.