Syria Program Development Consultant

Project: Resilience and Rehabilitation in Syria

Start Date: 01 October 2025 or earlier

End Date: December 31, 2025 with possibility for extension

Time: 20-40 hours per working week

About CVT

The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) aims to heal the wounds of torture on individuals, their families, and their communities, and to end torture worldwide. Our work focuses on providing healing care for survivors, advocating for justice and human rights, advancing research, and supporting the resilience of civil society partners and human rights defenders who courageously build and expand movements for change. CVT is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization headquartered in Minnesota, USA with offices in Africa and the Middle East. CVT’s Regional Office, registered under the name The Center for Victims of Trauma, supports new and innovative programming.

Summary

CVT is currently pursuing operational registration in Syria in order to expand its initiatives to support and complement Syrian-led healing and justice initiatives. Using a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and human rights-based approach, CVT’s current work includes supporting Syrian civil society organizations; providing rehabilitation and resilience services for those impacted by human rights violations, including survivors of torture and detention, and families of the missing; and advocating for justice alongside and in support of rights holders. The Syria Program Advisor (Consultancy) will provide guidance to the start-up and development of CVT’s programming and operations inside Syria. This will include providing contextual updates, monitoring and reporting on relevant developments, liaising with Syrian civil society organizations, generating feedback on potential programming, supporting registration and related efforts, and coordinating staff travel.

Objectives

Contextual Mapping: Continuously monitor, analyze, and report developments related to healing and justice in Syria.

• Contribute to the review and analysis of project materials and services to ensure contextual relevance
• Provide guidance and expertise to ensure the project reflects a responsive, locally sensitive, and up-to-date understanding of needs and gaps
• Provide mapping of partners, locations, projects, and donors

Strategic Guidance: Apply expert insights, practical guidance, and lived experiences to inform program design and implementation, helping ensure activities are relevant and effective

• Identify and propose new opportunities that are aligned with CVT’s mission, avoiding duplication and targeting unaddressed needs
• Conduct advisory sessions with the program team to share findings and recommendations
• Contribute input for proposals, including project and budget design
• Participate in and advise on situational assessments
• Participate in risk assessments and advise on relevant risk management measures

Stakeholder Networking: Identify, pursue, and maintain connections with (potential) project stakeholders throughout Syria, including formal and informal civil society groups, local and national authorities, and international agencies

• Cultivate relationships with and connect the project to civil society organizations, grassroots movements, victims’ associations, associations of rights holders, activists, regional and international agencies, legal advisors, and other key stakeholders
• Identify opportunities to strengthen stakeholder connections to CVT programming, and recommend new strategic partners
• Identify opportunities to promote documentation and knowledge-sharing between CVT and other stakeholders
• Meet regularly with (prospective) project partners, including through regular check-ins, consultations, and feedback sessions.
• Meet regularly with other experts to identify urgent and emergent issues relevant to the program goals and objectives, and report findings and recommendations to the program team
• Serve as a focal point for operational issues that might arise, including liaising with coordinating bodies and government offices

Key Deliverables

• Regular advisory sessions for CVT program team
• Consultations with program stakeholders
• Contributions to program materials

Qualifications, Experience, Competencies, and Expectations

This position is open to Syrian nationals only; the successful candidate will be expected to be based in and/or spend significant amounts of time in Syria.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience working with Syrian activists and human rights defenders as well as new and established grassroots groups, associations, and civil society organizations
• Experience in liaising/coordinating with stakeholders like partnership networks and government officials
• Familiarity with the extent and direct impacts of human rights violations on Syrian individuals, families, and communities
• A strong track record of working directly with Syrian witnesses and victims of human rights violations and/or atrocity crimes using a trauma-informed approach
• Functional English skills (can respond to basics emails, understand and provide some input in meetings conducted in English
• Working knowledge of other languages spoken in Syria (e.g. Kurdish) is welcome
• A positive reputation with local civil society, with demonstrated neutrality and openness to different perspectives, positions, and backgrounds
• Awareness of relevant approaches and frameworks for trauma-informed principles and survivor-centered healing and justice work
• Familiarity with or understanding of resilience and rehabilitation (healing) approaches to support survivor well-being
• Familiarity with and ability to gain access to relevant stakeholders in Syria
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to human rights, including relevant approaches to ethical engagement and conflict sensitivity
• Comfortable with remote consultancies that require both independent and collaborative work
• Strong diplomatic and communication skills
• Ability to proactively and creatively drive project work forward
• Ability to work autonomously with limited supervision

Qualities & Competencies:

The successful candidate should have full awareness and understanding of potential challenges related to nongovernmental operations in Syria throughout the current transition, including fluid security conditions, shifting policies, and/or new or dynamic bureaucratic procedures. The consultant is expected to maintain political neutrality and refrain from any activity that could compromise their safety or the impartiality of the organization.

 

How to apply

CVT recognizes that formal education may be disrupted by years of systematic oppression, conflict, and displacement. We also recognize that valuable experiences may come from volunteer work and informal activism. Finally, we know that human rights violations and their impacts – in particular detention – have denied access to education and work for many talented and motivated individuals. We welcome applications from individuals interested in, passionate about, and well positioned to collaboratively advance the work of CVT.

Applications may be submitted in English or Arabic.

Application Requirements:

• Resume or experience letter, outlining your relevant experiences and/or qualifications. Please also include names, titles, and contact information for two (2) references.
• Brief Cover Letter introducing yourself and your reasons for wanting to consult with CVT in Syria.
• Financial Proposal outlining your consultancy rate in US dollars and hours available per week

Timeline:

• Applications must be received no later than 31 August 2025. Application review and preliminary interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis during that time

Submissions:

• Submit your application to crobinson@cvt.org with the subject line “Syria Program Consultant”