Programme Officer- Pacific

Context

International IDEA’s mission is to advance democracy worldwide, as a universal human aspiration and an enabler of sustainable development, by supporting the building, strengthening and safeguarding of democratic political institutions and processes at all levels.

International IDEA has the prospect of implementing a Pacific-wide project with an ambitious target start date in Q4-2021. The project intends to provide foundations for longer term peaceful democratic development in Pacific countries (with Melanesia as possible priority region) through research-based actions, inclusive and participatory decision-making as well as people-to-people collaboration. To implement the project effectively, International IDEA requires a Programme Officer for an approximate period of 8 months (with possible extension).

The Programme Officer will be responsible for the overall direction of the Project, in coordination with International IDEA’s Asia and the Pacific Regional Office. S/he will lead and coordinate the inception of the Project, the planning, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting of all related activities, as identified in the Project Description of Action (DoA) and in annual workplans, ensuring compliance with both the donor’s and International IDEA’s regulations and coherence of the overall Project.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads and coordinates the Project, its planning, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting of all related activities;

• Leads the development and delivery of the political economy analysis, monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy, communications and visibility strategy and of all papers relevant to the Project; works to ensure the implementation of the Project’s communication and visibility plans;

• Ensures consistent and regular liaison, coordination, consultation, and engagement both with other areas of work within International IDEA’s Global and Regional Programmes, and with external implementation partners, and other relevant key national and international project partners, target groups, stakeholders and international development organisations;

• Manages and provides direction, support, and feedback to project partners on aspects of programming, ensuring that donor’s rules and requirements are met, and that effective capacity building is provided to the Project’s target groups throughout its lifecycle;

• Facilitates the Project’s Steering Committee meetings and other management and governance meetings; represents the Project and provides presentations at relevant coordination and programmatic meetings;

• Reports to, works closely and maintains regular communication with the Senior Programme Manager at International IDEA’s Asia & the Pacific Regional Office;

• Manages the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) component of the Project, supporting their adherence with International IDEA’s M&E results framework and with the donor’s and International IDEA’s regulations and procedures;

• Ensures strategic and timely communication and management of project-related progress, reporting to International IDEA’s Asia & the Pacific Regional Office for the submission of regular programmatic reports to the donor and the production of monthly newsletters to Project stakeholders;

• Is accountable for the Project’s finances and grant management, and ensures that financial planning supports the delivery of the Project’s results and demonstrates value for money;

• Oversees the Project risk assessment and management, actively manages risks and regularly updates the risk management strategy in line with International IDEA’s policies and procedures;

• Documents lessons learned, stories, case studies and evidence related to the delivery of the Project’s results, linking to broader policy engagement, communication, publicity, and visibility efforts both locally and internationally;

• Coordinates with project support staff to ensure full delivery of agreed project outputs, fostering a spirit of collaboration, support and team cohesion; encourages their professional development, particularly in the areas of planning, monitoring and reporting.

General Profile

• Combines in-depth knowledge, acquired through academic achievements; excellent skills including managerial skills and experience in fields relevant to the Project;
• Provides high-quality contributions to assigned tasks, including relevant policy analysis and assessments;
• Has the capacity to work with minimum supervision and in collaboration with other programmes and external partners and stakeholders;
• Manages assigned tasks throughout the Project’s lifecycle, i.e. from its inception, planning and activities design, funding and budgeting, to project assessment and accountability; leads meetings and discussions, supervises drafting of reports and publications and input from external providers;
• Has the intellectual leadership to integrate innovation into his/her field of expertise;
• Coordinates with the team of contributors to the Project, including national staff members and international consultants;
• Fosters team-based activities; collaborates with other offices and programmes of the Institute;
• Acts as a model and mentor for colleagues;
• Is expected to travel to any geographical area involved in the implementation of the Project’s activities;
• Follows and adheres to internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional and project guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates a rights-based approach, as well as a gender and diversity perspective, in all project activities.

Reporting Line

• Senior Programme Manager, Asia and the Pacific Region

Education and Experience

• University degree in Social Science, Political Science, Law or other relevant discipline;
• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in project management (in a leading role), preferably in the areas of democracy and governance and/or parliamentary support, in the Pacific, including solid experience in the management of project teams;
• Excellent understanding of programming, monitoring and evaluation approaches and procedures is essential;
• Good working knowledge and practical experience in working with members of parliaments, parliamentary secretariats and committees, and experience in the development and production of parliamentary resources, tools and programming, including knowledge of parliamentary needs assessment methodologies and approaches is highly desirable;
• Knowledge and working experience on mainstreaming gender in governance and democracy and parliamentary support is considered an advantage;
• Experience with donor-funded projects and requirements, as well as familiarity with their processes and systems is considered an asset;
• Fluency in written and oral English is required; Any other language in the Pacific, particularly Melanesia, would be an asset.

Terms of Contract:

• International Post
• Fixed-term appointment until 31st July 2022
• Remuneration – EUR 4 581 NET per month + benefits

Applying for this position:

• Applications should be submitted no later than 23:59 (CET) on 22nd November 2021.
• Please note that all applications must be made in English.

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture, and nationality.