The National Democratic Institute (NDI) seeks a Program Manager with political and organizational expertise to support NDI’s democratic governance programs. The Democratic Governance Team’s mission is to support the regional teams in the design, implementation and evaluation of democratic governance programs, including legislative strengthening, open government, executive branch transitions, local government, and anti-corruption, as well as engage in research and partnership building at the global level.
This position is focused on planning, monitoring, and implementation of NDI’s participation in the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a bipartisan effort aimed at supporting effective, independent and responsive legislative institutions through peer-to-peer exchange and learning. The position does not have direct reports.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Contribute to HDP planning, design, and evaluation —
- Manage workplan discussions and processes for workplan drafting and submission in collaboration with HDP core project staff; draft, or oversee reports submitted to program donors and partners; edit work of program assistants, specifically related to program reports, workplanning documents, and other materials as required by program donors and partners;
- Manage the collaboration and working relationship with regional, functional, and administrative teams in order to effectively strategize, organize, and execute HDP programs; lead and/or coordinate HDP proposal process and timeline for proposal submissions;
- Monitor program organization and execution, ensure compliance with donor regulations, and share results with program partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate the management and advancement of NDI’s work with HDP programming to inform democratic governance innovation and overall program approaches —
- Serve as the primary point of contact and act as lead organizer for NDI’s HDP annual activities; provide expert consultations to regional team(s) on HDP programming and activities, as well as resources for program design and implementation;
- Propose and implement methodologies based on experiences/learning from the HDP experience to feed into democratic governance within NDI programming, and promote innovative ideas throughout NDI;
- Represent NDI at meetings with HDP’s donors, partners, organizational counterparts, U.S. and foreign embassies, and other stakeholders; develop and manage contacts within these communities;
- Write blog posts and other public communications describing NDI’s work with HDP, and/or important trends in the program’s democracy support;
- Draft talking points and other briefing materials for NDI leadership, including directors and the organization’s president and vice president;
- Support HDP Program Director and Democratic Governance Director by providing effective management on all aspects of the HDP program;
- Create and monitor program budgets; oversee appropriate application of allowable costs; ensure that costs stay within budget limits; anticipate and successfully address costs and overages, and implement solutions to budget variances; guide other staff regarding structures and mechanisms.
- Ensure compliance with all donor and U.S. government requirements.
- Lead and/or coordinate program implementation of HDP activities in Washington, DC and internationally; this may include duties such as —
- Organize delegation visits, study missions, conferences and other exchange or training events;
- Act as liaison and/or lead coordinator with external program partners;
- Lead coordinator with other functional, regional and administrative teams at NDI headquarters, as well as NDI field offices on issues related to HDP programming.
- Manage responses to inquiries posed by NDI regional teams and others related to knowledge-sharing and product-development on issues related to democratic governance.
- Dependent on ongoing international travel restrictions under COVID-19 — travel internationally as required to assess new opportunities; participate in, implement and/or evaluate current projects; and meet with key program contacts, political leaders, and others.
Required Skills and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, international relations, law, international development or related subject;
- A minimum of eight to ten years relevant work experience in international development, public policy, international affairs, politics, government, communications or a related field;
- Foundational knowledge on parliamentary procedure and legislative development, including the role of legislators, staff, institutional offices and agencies; parliamentary rules and procedures; constituent relations and communications; legislative oversight and budgeting fundamentals; and other issues related to parliamentary development;
- Excellent analytic skills for interpreting complex program and political issues and identifying tools, resources and program ideas appropriate to a particular context or subject matter within the democratic governance space;
- Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, U.S. and foreign government personnel and members of donor organizations;
- Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks simultaneously;
- High degree of organization, initiative and attention to detail;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English to effectively present information, respond to questions, and prepare written reports in a professional and timely manner;
- Basic information and communications technology skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, and database programs; and
- Ability and willingness to travel internationally.
Experience and Skills Strongly Preferred:
- Graduate degree in political science, international relations, law, international development or related subject;
- Legislative experience, particularly as legislative staff;
- Knowledge of or experience working with global parliamentary networks and organizations;
- Experience living or working outside the U.S.;
- Experience working on a project team, including in roles requiring independent management of projects and/or other team personnel
- Experience in program design, strategic planning, and project management;
- Experience designing and writing project proposals and work plans;
- Experience developing and managing budgets and knowledge of basic budget and accounting procedures;
- Foreign-language skills; and
- Experience with Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, G+, etc.)
Comments:
This is a union position to be represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2.
Candidates must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. NDI does not provide sponsorship.
NDI welcomes and supports a diverse, inclusive work environment. As such, our commitment is to promote equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and NDI employees. NDI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at NDI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and qualified individuals who have limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or medical related condition.
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