Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international peacebuilding and conflict transformation organization that works to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from confrontation and violence and toward collaboration. With programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa, we implement programs to bring people together across dividing lines, prevent violence, and foster healthy, safe, and just societies. As an operational peacebuilding organization, Search has over 50 offices worldwide, with approximately 95% of staff local to the country where they work.
Search’s Global Affairs and Partnerships (GAP) team leads Search’s international policy advocacy efforts, drawing on the learning and experiences from our peacebuilding programs and elevating local analysis, insights, and experiences to inform policymakers and trigger policy changes. We engage with policymakers from the U.S., UK, France, UN, EU, and more, providing timely, concrete, and actionable recommendations for preventing violence and promoting peace. Recently, our advocacy has focused on conflicts including Yemen, South Sudan, the DRC, Nigeria, and Central African Republic, and our thematic advocacy has included countering violent extremism, youth empowerment, religious engagement, and more.
The Scoville Fellow would gain unique insight into not only how to influence policy but also how peacebuilding programs are implemented and what lessons can be learned from them to better inform the international system. The fellow would work directly at the intersection of Search’s programs and policy advocacy, drawing on our on the ground experts and analysis to inform their efforts. The fellow would produce policy research and writing, conduct direct advocacy including briefings, and contribute to policy strategies and partnerships. They would work directly with a wide range of staff at all levels and across different functional areas, from communications to monitoring and evaluation. The fellow could contribute to a number of coalitions of which Search is a member, building partnerships across our priority issue areas and collaborating with peers.