22125 - Assistant Program Officer/Program Officer, Europe
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the globe. With an annual appropriation from Congress, NED makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of nongovernmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 100 countries. Governed by an independent Board of Directors, NED holds a unique role as America’s leading foundation for freedom, empowering the institution to be nimble, innovative, and risk-taking in support of democratic activists, civil society organizations, independent media, and the NED family core institutes (the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Solidarity Center). We seek a motivated, energetic, organized, and resourceful Assistant Program Officer/Program Officer who is a mission-oriented team player, and who would be excited to join a growing and fast-paced Europe, Regional Programs team. This position is based in Washington, D.C.
Position Summary:
The Assistant Program Officer (APO) or Program Officer (PO) will work with the regional director and senior program staff to manage the Endowment’s grant programs in the Europe region, with emphasis on Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, and potentially Central Europe, as well as other countries in Europe as needed.
Responsibilities:
- Work with a diverse range of local civil society groups and media, who focus on accountability and governance, rule of law, civic education, and other areas. Build and maintain relationships with like-minded organizations, including other donors, NED partners, and regional organizations.
- Monitor the implementation of NED-approved projects and evaluate the effectiveness and the institutional growth of NED grantees by analyzing grantee reports, providing feedback on implemented activities, maintaining continuous communication over the grant cycle, and conducting regular field visits.
- Produce written materials and presentations to provide funding recommendations to NED leadership.
- Monitor political developments in the countries relevant to the portfolio to inform NED strategies and programming, including reading various US- and regional-based publications, meeting with regional political analysts and other partners, keeping abreast of the changing political environment, and actively coordinating with other Europe team members on their country portfolios.
- Travel to monitor existing grantees, identify new funding opportunities, and understand the political situation and political actors. The visits include meetings with NED grantees, core institutes, potential civil society partners, other donors, and political analysts and opinion-makers.
- Think creatively about how to improve the team’s effectiveness, grantee-reporting guidelines, and other processes.
- Liaise with other NED teams; participate in various working groups and other initiatives to improve NED’s thematic expertise and overall functioning and effectiveness.
- The level of responsibility and independence in assigned tasks will increase with experience.
Qualifications:
Knowledge/Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs, Political Science, International Development, or a related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
- 2+ years of experience for APO and 4+ years of experience for PO.
- 1+ years of living or working in the region for APO, 2+ years of living and working in the region for PO.
- Experience in democracy-related projects and programs required
- Significant experience in nonprofit work.
- Experience in financial monitoring and reporting.
- Knowledge of program evaluation techniques.
Other Qualifications:
- In-depth understanding of political issues and trends in Europe.
- Familiarity with civil society issues and knowledge of civil society organizations and individual activists in the region.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
- Professional fluency in Bosnian, Serbian, or Croatian is required.
- Ability to travel to Europe.
- Authorized to work in the United States.
Competencies:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Exceptional analytical and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to maintain professionalism under pressure.
- A high degree of organization and initiative.
- Demonstrated ability to work as a team player, including coordination and facilitation skills.
This position is part of the NED Bargaining Unit.
To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, desired salary, and contact information for three professional references, of which one should be a supervisor. Please, no phone call inquiries.
The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics covered by applicable law. The NED is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for all qualified individuals and bases all employment decisions on qualifications, merit, and business need. The NED believes that diversity and inclusion amongst our team members are critical to our success as an organization operating globally and seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.
For more information, please visit our website at http://www.ned.org/careers or careers@ned.org.