Programme Officer - Addis Ababa

Context

International IDEA’s Africa and West Asia (AWA) programme is based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The AWA programme is establishing an Ethiopia country programme to support the current reform agenda of the Government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia with the overall objective of strengthening democracy in Ethiopia. The programme envisages engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including the Government, democratic instittutions, political parties and civil society to provide platforms for inclusive, evidence-based dialogue in support of the consolidation of democracy.

To achieve that aim, International IDEA is seeking to recruit a Programme Officer who will be responsible for implementing all of the activities that are provided for in the Ethiopia national project. The Programme Officer will be expected to oversee all the project’s substantive aspects as well as the logistical and administrative aspects.      

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manages existing International IDEA programmes related to political processes in Ethiopia;
• Assesses and analyzes the political developments in Ethiopia and consequently makes recommendations for update and revision programme strategy, activities and initiatives;
• Contributes to the development and maintenance of a network of key actors and stakeholders in Ethiopia;
• Liaises with member states, donors, and other partners and stakeholders on programmatic activities.
• Serves as a focal person for the coordination of actions of implementing partners;
• Oversees and manages sub delegation agreements ensuring reporting is in line with International IDEA regulations and requirements;
• Provides advice to partners to ensure dialogue is inclusive, non partisan and fits into the overall reform agenda;
• Develops a detailed work plan for all activities and ensures that activities are implemented in accordance with the workplan and modifies the workplan as necessary throughput project implementation; 
• Drafts and submits progress reports and final reports in line with project requirements and timelines;
• Contributes to the development of concept notes as requested;
• Coordinates with the logistics team to ensure that all of the project’s logistical aspects are completed in accordance with the workplan and in accordance with International IDEA’s rules and donor regulations;
• Coordinates all budgetary issues with the Finance and Administration team, ensuring that all activities are implemented in accordance with the Financial Plan, and in accordance with International IDEA’s rules and procedures;
• Regularly updates the donor on all aspects of the work;
• Performs representational duties as demanded by the position or as delegated, and manages visibility requirements by project donors;

General Profile

• Requires in-depth knowledge, excellent skills and relevant experience in their field;
• Will contribute significantly to assigned projects all along the project life cycle, i.e. from project design and funding to project assessment; will lead meetings and discussions, supervise publications and review input from external providers;
• Has contributed to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in his/her broad professional community;
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
• Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Can be expected to travel to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.
• Can speak and write English and Amharic.

Reporting Line

• Director, Africa and West Asia.

Programmatic Knowledge

• Has in-depth knowledge in own discipline and good understanding of related disciplines to be able to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner.
• Familiar with political context in Ethiopia and has broad governance knowledge in the areas of elections, constitution building and political participation and representation.

Operational Knowledge, skills and experience

• Integrates a results-based approach into the design, management and evaluation of all his/her programmatic activities;
• Contributes to the research of information on donors and partners, preparation of reports and project briefs, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, and all other activities related to resource mobilization and partnership building;
• Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management in past experiences.
• Computers skills, including strong command of Microsoft Office package (including MS Work, Excel and PowerPoint). Basic website management skills is considered an asset.

Leadership

• Acts as a model and resource for more junior colleagues;
• May assume project management responsibilities.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves complex problems; approaches issues with new perspectives; analyses situations from a multitude of intervening factors.

Impact

• Has a clear impact on the programme development and delivery;
• Can also impact other teams and projects in related fields.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises to all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her project; acts and is perceived as an initiator of relevant communication to solve issues;
• Drives projects and assignments through communicative personal energy and engagement;
• Can explain sensitive information with diplomacy and build consensus.

Education and Experience

• University degree in International Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, or a related field; An advanced degree will be considered an asset;
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience working on democracy and governance issues;
• Experience in engaging with national or international actors from governments, political parties, civil society and other stakeholders;
• Experience in providing written and/or verbal technical advice in a relevant field;
• Experience in managing donor funded projects would be an asset.

Terms of Contract:

Salary ETB 33 559 gross per month.

Local post. Fixed term appointment until 31 July 2020. Start - As soon as possible

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Ethiopia.

Applying for this post:

• Applications should be submitted no later than 23:59 (CET) 21 July 2019. Please note that all applications must be made in English.
• Please apply directly by pressing the Send Application button.

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