About this role
Project Assistant (Early Warning & Early Response) at Search For Common Ground’s International
Conflict and differences are inevitable. Violence is not. We partner with people around the world to ignite shared solutions to destructive conflicts. We work at all levels of society to build sustainable peace through three main avenues: Dialogue+, Media+, and Community+.
Project Assistant (Early Warning & Early Response) Job Type Full Time Qualification BA/BSc/HND Experience 2 years Location Nasarawa Job Field Project and Program Management
Requisition Number: PROJE001184
Context Benue and Nasarawa States are located in Nigeria's Middle Belt, a region with a long history of farmer-herder clashes, ethno-religious violence, and criminal activity such as kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling. Benue State has emerged as one of Nigeria's most acute humanitarian crises: a massacre in Yelewata, Guma LGA in June 2025 claimed more than 150 lives and uprooted over 3,900 people, laying bare the severe breakdown of community protection mechanisms. The state currently shelters upwards of 510,000 internally displaced persons. In Nasarawa State, insecurity is escalating rapidly, driven by a surge in kidnappings, banditry, and farmer-herder tensions, including the high-profile abduction of prominent individuals and the state's growing use as a corridor for illegal arms movement. Earlier EWER programming in the region had measurably curtailed violence by strengthening the link between communities and security actors. However, when programming ended, it left a critical protection gap, one that became tragically evident in the lead-up to the Yelewata massacre. The pattern is consistent: communities on the ground regularly detect early warning signs, but those signals either fail to travel up the chain or are not acted upon swiftly enough by state institutions and security agencies. This project directly responds to that breakdown by reviving community-level peace platforms, establishing or reinforcing State-level Situation Rooms, and creating reliable, trusted referral pathways that connect what communities see on the ground to the authorities with the power to respond.
Position Summary We are seeking experienced Project Assistants (Early Warning and Early Response Assistants) for an 18-month, European Union-funded project. Implemented in partnership with consortium co-applicants, this initiative aims to reduce religious and intergroup violence in Benue and Nasarawa States by strengthening multi-level early warning and rapid response (EWER) systems. The Project Assistant will support the implementation of community-based early warning, conflict prevention, and mitigation activities across both states. The Successful candidate will coordinate community early warning observers, verify and analyze incident reports, facilitate timely information sharing, and assist in producing high-quality monthly reports. Additionally, the Project Assistant will work closely with community-based EWER structures—including community and Local Government Area (LGA) peace committees where they exist—and other key stakeholders to build local capacities for conflict prevention and rapid response. This position reports directly to the Project Officer and collaborates closely with other projects and country office support staff to ensure the seamless execution of activities. Successful candidates will be strategically based in either Benue or Nasarawa State. This 18-month action aims to strengthen conflict prevention, ra