Head of Programme - Chad

Context

International IDEA is managing an 18 months EU funded programme to support to the Democratic transition in Chad and to contribute to SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

The programme seeks to support the democratic transition by supporting the establishment of mechanisms for an inclusive dialogue and consensus-building on the transition process; strengthen stakeholders’ capacity for constitution building; enhance stakeholders’ capacity for electoral reform that will facilitate credible electoral processes, and strengthen citizens awareness on the transitional process and broader democratic governance practices. It is anticipated that Chad’s transition period and processes will provide an opportunity for Chad’s transition to democracy.

The Head of Programme will be responsible for the overall management and oversight and delivery of the programme, coordination of the country programme team and representing the programme at an institutional level with the Government of the Republic of Chad and the EU Delegation.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manages, represents and accounts for International IDEA’s programme in Chad, in line with International IDEA policies and procedures and responding to both EU and International IDEA needs;
• Leads the set up of International IDEA’s Office in Ndjamena;
• Manages and directs a team of staff and consultants to ensure full delivery of agreed programme outputs while fostering a spirit of collaboration, work ethics and team cohesion;
• Ensures adherence to EU and International IDEA regulations in programme planning and implementation;
• Provides timely and insightful reports on political developments in Chad;
• Participates in dialogue processes, and advocacy in the field of democracy, governance and social development;
• Manages the development of publications to support Chad's transition, and contextualises and updates existing International IDEA publications; Oversees the development of simplified and shorter versions of these publications to be disseminated to a broader audience;
• Ensures consistent liaison, coordination consultation and engagement with the EU, key programme partners and other stakeholders;
• Maintains and develops relevant professional contacts and networks of cooperation with those active in relevant fields, including practitioners, policymakers, academics and the international community;
• Plans facilitates, participates in and makes presentations at coordination meetings, seminars, workshops and conferences;
• Represents International IDEA externally as appropriate, including development and maintenance of positive and effective relations with the Government of Chad, the EU, International IDEA Member States, the UN, and other relevant donors and interlocutors;
• Is responsible for the overall programme risk management and actively manages risk in line with organisational policies and procedures;
  • Develops a crisis management plan;
  • Ensures that risks, including those related to operational partners, are documented and mitigated.
  • Develops response plans and procedures for high-risk areas as set out in the International IDEA Crisis Management policy.
  • Plans the provision of resources and assess the level of redundancy in systems as well as prioritizes and covers all practical eventualities.
  • Ensure that all Staff Members are aware of the evacuation plans for office buildings, including exit routes and muster stations. In some cases, these will be coordinated by Landlords, where the Institute is not the sole tenant of a building.
• Ensures communication and cooperation with International IDEA’s global and crosscutting programmes, with the EU and other donors, and complies with EU’s communication and visibility plan;
• Ensures effective support for the convening of steering committee meetings and Serve as the Secretariat for the Steering Committee.
• Ensures that data on project implementation is collected during project implementation and that there are necessary systems in place to ensure that the data collected is accurate, and stored for easy retrieval and use;

General Profile

• Combines in-depth knowledge, acquired through post-graduate academic achievements, excellent skills including managerial skills and relevant experience in their field;
• Leads assigned projects with authority throughout the project life cycle, i.e. from strategic planning and project design, funding and budgeting to project assessment and accountability; leads meetings and discussions, oversees publications and input from external providers;
• Manages and contributes to publications; is recognized as an expert in his/her broad professional community;
• Has the intellectual leadership to integrate innovation into his/her field of expertise;
• Leads a team of contributors to the project, including staff members and consultants;
• Fosters team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model and mentor for colleagues;
• Is expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Anticipates internal challenges and issues and recommends process improvements; Is resilient in a crisis;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates a rights based approach gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting Line

• Director Africa and West Asia Region.

Programmatic Knowledge

• Possesses thorough knowledge and understanding of relevant programmatic issues in Chad and the complexities of democratic transisitons in the Africa and West Region;
• Has in-depth knowledge and extensive work experience in one or more of the following areas: enhancing mechanisms for dialogue and consensus building in transition processes; strengthening stakeholders’ capacity for constitution building; enhancing stakeholders’ capacity for electoral reform, and/or strengthening citizens awareness on institutional reforms in transitional processes, combined with a broad knowledge of related disciplines within the function, in order to approach activities in a holistic manner.

Leadership

• Leads a multi-talented team, sets team priorities and manages resources;
• Acts as a model and resource for colleagues.

Education, Experience and Language Requirements

• Post-graduate qualifications in social science, political science, international law, international development, peace and development studies or related subjects;
• A minimum of ten (10) years relevant experience working in political and diplomatic work at international level and/or in the field of electoral processes, constitution building or political participation and representation in Chad and/or in the Africa and West Asia Region, including substantial experience working in field positions;
• Minimum (5) years’ experience in people management positions, including senior level positions, with direct supervision over complex programmes and teams;
• Proven experience in engaging, cultivating and influencing stakeholders is essential;
• Previous experience of managing EU funded projects will be considered an asset;
• Excellent knowledge in written and oral English and French is required; Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

Terms of Contract:

• Start date - Immediate
• International post
• Fixed term appointment until May 2023
• Salary: EUR 7 031 per month plus benefits.

Applying for this position:

• Applications should be submitted online no later than 23:59 (CEST) 09 January 2022
• 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.