Project Manager – in Davao/Philippines (all genders)

in Davao, Philippines

OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CANDIDATES

Join our team working for peace and conflict transformation in Southeast Asia starting on 15 March 2026. 

Who we are

Founded in 1996, forumZFD1, an international non-profit organisation, is currently active in 13 countries in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. Civil society actors who are committed to peace and non-violence in conflicts form the focus of the organisation's work. forumZFD advises and supports them, collaborates on projects and campaigns together for sustainable peace policies.

forumZFD is a government-recognised member of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) consortium and a signatory of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative.

About the role

In this role, you will provide strategic leadership to a multidisciplinary project team of local and international staff, overseeing the implementation of diverse projects in Davao focusing on: 1) media and peacebuilding, 2) inclusive history education, 3) peace and conflict in the social sciences, and 4) transforming local conflicts through non-violent, gender-transformative, and inclusive approaches.

A significant part of your work will involve collaborating with higher education institutions in Mindanao to advance peace education. You will also work with community partners in the Davao region to implement conflict transformation initiatives, complementing indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms. Additionally, you and your team will support local and regional partners in their efforts toward peace advocacy.

You will join a committed team to co-develop meaningful, context-sensitive approaches grounded in forumZFD's values of non-violence, human rights, gender sensitivity and building a more just and peaceful future.

Your tasks and responsibilities/Key responsibilities

• Provide overall (staff and financial) management and leadership of the Davao project, leading a team of up to three international and national project officers and one financial administrator.
• Design and organise activities (e.g. workshops, trainings and training series, consultations, conferences, open forums, round tables, and the development of teaching materials) in close cooperation with local partners.
• Observe, analyse and assesscurrent regional and local conflict dynamics.
• Ensure compliance with internal planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (PMEL) systems, including high-quality reporting, and contribute to their further development.
• Reflect on and document experiences and lessons learned from project activities for internal learning.
• Contribute to the fundraising and public relations activities of forumZFD.
• Support the development and alignment of forumZFD regional/country programme strategies in accordance with forumZFD strategies and lead the design of the projects.
• Participate in organisational development processes of forumZFD in the Philippines and across programmes (e.g. participating in thematic working groups).

Your profile

• Completed university degree in a relevant field (e.g. Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Science, Social Work) or equivalent professional experience in civil conflict transformation.
• A robust experience in human resource management, financial controlling and reporting system.
• Minimum of three years of international experience in development cooperation and peacebuilding abroad (desirably in the Philippines or in another country in Southeast Asia).
• Extensive experience in working in – if possible more than one – of the following fields: peace education, civil society/community-based peacebuilding, indigenous communities or natural resource-based conflicts, transitional justice.
• Affinity with the accompaniment of complex (dialogue) processes including creative and sensitive trial and implementation of new approaches.
• Experience in impact-oriented project planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PMEL).
• Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills, ability to work in complex and conflict-affected contexts, and comfort with ambiguity.
• Physical and psychological resilience, willingness to travel frequently in regions with security considerations.
• Fluency in English (project language) both spoken and written, willingness to learn a new language.

Start of assignment

We offer an attractive position with important responsibilities in a growing, mission-driven organisation. Working for forumZFD, you will work within the innovative field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding through contributing your ideas and skills.

Ideally, you are available to start working on 15 March 2026.

Your application

Please apply online  (motivation letter, CV and contact details of 2-3 persons who may provide personal references) by February 8, 2026.

Interviews are provisionally planned for the week of 18 February. In case of any questions, please feel free to contact Sven.reuter@propeace.de.

Please find further information about our organisation and our work online at www.propeace.de/en. This and other vacancy announcements can be viewed at www.propeace.de/en/jobs.

We are looking forward to receiving your application!