The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) has a vacancy for: A Communications & Knowledge Manager for the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) Administrative Unit Starting date: 1 August 2015 Location: The Hague, the Netherlands Appointment: 1.0 FTE = 38 hours Salary: In accordance with the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities (Scale 10) and dependent on knowledge and experience. Position summary ICCT seeks an experienced Communications & Knowledge Manager who will be responsible for ensuring GCTF-wide knowledge gathering/collation, analysis and sharing, such that that the GCTF s Committees and Working Groups know-how, information and experience is delivered and shared with the relevant stakeholders. The Communications & Knowledge Manager will report to the Team Leader of the GCTF Administrative Unit. (S)he will be willing and able to work irregular working hours and undertake regular travel abroad. The position will be for an initial period of 2-2.5 years with the possibility of extension. The T.M.C. Asser Instituut will be the formal employer of all GCTF Administrative Unit s staff and their salaries and benefits will be in accordance with the employment conditions of this institute. Tasks and responsibilities The Communications & Knowledge Manager will be responsible for: 1. Preparing and conducting external (strategic) communications and knowledge management including for the GCTF, as well as internal communications with GCTF Members and partners, including Forum Committees, Working Groups and country focal points 2. Development and maintenance of an internal knowledge management system requiring innovative approaches in knowledge sharing, including contributing to website and portal (re-)development 3. Maintenance and expansion of the GCTF public website and its password-protected Members portal to disseminate information and facilitate sharing of ideas and work among internal teams and external partners 4. Establish and nurturing of communities of practice, and networks including workshops, working groups and special interest communities 5. Promote knowledge transfer through the GCTF s website and portals by, among others, strengthening interactions between knowledge sharing systems such as websites, portals, social media etc. 6. Working closely with the GCTF Co-chairs and the Administrative Unit Team Leader to further developing the GCTF s communications strategy including management of press requests 7. Any other tasks as required. 1
Requirements Experience A Master s Degree or equivalent in public relations, communications, business administration or a related discipline with a natural inclination towards ICT At least 4 years of experience working in communications, web project management and/or knowledge management Previous experience with an organisation s operations and business tools, including content management systems Prior experience in producing communications for professional use Affinity with developing and delivering knowledge sharing programmes and platforms Experience in establishing effective partnerships within and outside an organisation. Skills / Competences Result oriented Excellent analytical, planning and organisational skills Persuasive communication skills (oral, writing) Excellent networking and representation skills Flexible, ability to perform under pressure, high level of integrity Intercultural sensitivity Excellent command of English, and proficiency in other languages (especially Dutch, French and/or Arabic) is a distinct advantage Excellent computer skills including Microsoft office applications, Adobe suites and online content management systems. Contact details Interested candidates eligible to live and work in the Netherlands are requested to submit their curriculum vitae and motivation letter in English via e-mail to ICCT, att. Ms. Jip Geenen (jgeenen@icct.nl), mentioning GCTF Communications & Knowledge Manager in the subject line. Deadline to submit applications is Monday 15 June 2015 by 12.00 noon CET. Interviews will take place thereafter, with the successful candidate preferably starting work on 1 August 2015. ICCT appreciates all expressions of interest but only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Acquisition for this job offer is not appreciated. 2
About ICCT The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism The Hague (ICCT) is an independent international knowledge centre that focuses on policy relevant information creation, collation and dissemination pertaining to the preventative (Prevention Pillar) and international legal aspects (Rule of Law Pillar) of counter-terrorism. The Centre works on themes at the intersection of countering violent extremism and human rights and rule of law related aspects of counter-terrorism, including such domains as de- and counter-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of violent extremist offenders, the role of civil society actors and victims in countering violent extremism, and effective rule of law based approaches in investigating and prosecuting violent extremists. ICCT is a fast-growing organisation, operating in a high-paced, complex and politically sensitive environment. The Centre is supported by a unique partnership comprising three renowned institutions based in The Hague: the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael' and the Centre for Terrorism & Counterterrorism of Campus The Hague / Leiden University. About the GCTF The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) was established in 2011 as a pragmatic, informal and action-oriented platform. Its overarching and long-term goal is to reduce the vulnerability of people everywhere to terrorism by effectively preventing, combating, and prosecuting terrorist acts and countering incitement and recruitment to terrorism. It provides a venue for national counterterrorism (CT) officials and practitioners from 29 member countries, the European Union and non-gctf members, to meet with their counterparts from key countries and agencies in different regions, to share CT experiences, expertise, strategies, capacity needs, and capacity-building programmes. It prioritises civilian capacity building in areas such as rule of law, border management, and countering violent extremism. The United Nations is a close partner of the GCTF and a regular participant in its activities. A core part of the Forum's mission is to support the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy around the globe and it places particular emphasis on working closely with the United Nations and other relevant multilateral bodies. The GCTF maintains an inclusive, even-handed, and transparent approach to its work while continuing to be an informal, action-oriented, and flexible platform committed to ensuring that it attracts the most capable and experienced CT policymakers and experts to the table. By doing so, it operates consistent with and complementary to the United Nations and other international and regional organisations. The 30 founding members of the GCTF are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additionally, some 39 non-member states have participated in one or more GCTF activities. Experts from a number of such bodies have worked closely with the GCTF and participated in its activities, including the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Council of Europe, the Economic Community of West African States, The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Organisation of American States, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 3
Thematic and regional focus areas While the official GCTF structure is based on a set of two regional capacity-building working groups and four thematic working groups, the GCTF now covers a wide range of overarching and interrelated issues: Addressing the "foreign terrorist fighters" problem Promoting criminal justice responses to terrorism grounded in human rights and the rule of law Supporting victims of terrorism Taking action against kidnapping for ransom and other sources of terrorism funding Supporting multi-sectorial approaches to countering violent extremism, including community engagement and community-oriented policing Rehabilitating and reintegrating violent extremist offenders Supporting efforts to address instability in the Sahel and other key regions Inspiring and supporting new international centres and initiatives to address critical challenges Developing a worldwide network of civilian CT practitioners Catalysing implementation of the United Nations framework for countering terrorism Structure The GCTF consists of a strategic-level Coordinating Committee, co-chaired by Turkey and the United States; four thematic and two regional expert-driven Working Groups; and a small Administrative Unit. The current Working Groups and their co-chairs are: Countering Violent Extremism (United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom), Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law (Egypt and United States), Detention and Reintegration (Australia and Indonesia), Foreign Terrorist Fighters (Morocco and the Netherlands), Horn of Africa Region Capacity Building (European Union and Turkey), and Sahel Region Capacity Building (Algeria and Canada). Impact In just over three years, the GCTF has made important progress in various ways. Major achievements include: The GCTF has developed a series of good practice documents on a range of civilian CT issues: o The Hague Marrakesh memorandum on good practices for a more effective response to the Foreign Terrorist Fighter phenomenon; o The Abu Dhabi memorandum on good practices for education and countering violent extremism o The Hague memorandum on good practices for the judiciary in adjudicating terrorism offenses o The Madrid memorandum on good practices for assistance to victims of terrorism o The Ankara memorandum on good practices for a multi-sectorial approach to countering violent extremism o The good practices on community engagement and community policing as tools to counter violent extremism o The Rabat memorandum on good practices for effective counterterrorism practices in the criminal justice sector o The Rome memorandum on good practices for rehabilitation and rehabilitation of violent extremist offenders o The Algiers memorandum on preventing and denying the benefits of kidnapping for ransom by terrorists The mobilization of more than $230 million to support CT-related strengthening of criminal justice systems, with a particular focus on countries in transition. The launch of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) in November 4
2014 in Geneva, the first-ever public-private global fund to support local, grass-roots efforts to counter violent extremism in all its forms; The creation of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in Malta, dedicated to providing criminal justice officials from across North, West, and East Africa with human rightscompliant training to address terrorism and related security challenges within a rule of law framework. The December 2012 launch in Abu Dhabi of Hedayah, the first-ever international centre for training, dialogue, research, and collaboration on countering violent extremism. The GCTF has served as a platform for discussion of topical but sensitive issues. About the Administrative Unit The GCTF started off with a small Administrative Unit providing a coordination and support function and enabling members to drive the agenda of the Forum s activities. The Unit has been very efficient and successful, preparing framework documents and supporting a diversity of workshops and meetings. The United States has been financing and hosting the Unit, and has provided its staff together with Coordinating Committee co-chair Turkey. In 2014 the Coordinating Committee reviewed the structure and operation of the Administrative Unit, its size, composition, functions and source of funding. Members indicated the desire for enhanced capabilities and support both administrative and substantive from the Unit. Members noted the need to increase local ownership of activities, empowering members and implementing partners to take on leadership roles to further drill down and implement existing Good Practices documents. Strengthening the cooperation with the UN and regional organizations and developing a strategic communication approach were also considered important priorities. The Coordinating Committee decided at the Sixth Meeting on 22 September 2014 to consider a modest expansion of the GCTF Administrative Unit. Such an expansion will ensure the long-term sustainability of the GCTF and help meeting the increasing demands from GCTF members for enhanced capabilities and support from the Unit. The Unit is expected to remain flexible and open to new initiatives, further building on the Forum s accomplishments, consolidating and coordinating its work to find synergies across thematic and regional working groups. 5