Assistant Programme Officer, Democracy & Development International IDEA

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Stockholm, Sweden

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance — International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. Its objective is to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. International IDEA acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing knowledge resources, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests. It works together with policy makers, governments, UN organizations and agencies and regional organizations engaged in the field of democracy building.

International IDEA’s notable areas of expertise are: electoral processes, political parties, constitution-building processes, democracy and gender and democracy assessments. International IDEA works worldwide. It is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has offices in Brussels, New York, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Main functions of the post:

To support the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Democracy and Development program in the areas of political design for social and economic progress, citizen empowerment for an inclusive and effective ‘voice’ for development, democratic dimensions of aid, and impact of globalization on democracy and development.

Context:

The Democracy and Development programme is one of the Global Programmes at International IDEA. It is currently engaged in a number of projects such as: democratic accountability in service delivery, political parties’ engagement in socio-economic policy, the democratic implications of development aid, political design for development and trend analysis and innovation on the relationship between democracy and development. The projects are part of IDEA’s Key Impact Area of Democracy and Development.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the immediate supervision of the Senior Programme Manager; the incumbent performs the following duties:

• Supports the Senior Programme Manager and Programme Officer in following up the design, planning, and implementation of the above mentioned programme areas;
• Assists in the development and piloting of a toolkit to assess democratic accountability in service delivery;
• Supports the team in global knowledge generation and organization of dialogue meetings and/or similar activities to generate knowledge and exchange experiences in political design for development;
• Assists in internal and external dissemination of information on the programmes’ activities;
• Assists in knowledge generation, review and quality control of research papers and case studies for dissemination and publication;
• Provides support in developing concept notes and project proposals for fund raising activities;
• Assists with the organization of incoming and outgoing visits, setting up programmes, and producing meeting and mission reports;
• Supports outreach and advocacy activities for the programme’s different areas of work;
• Supports the administrative and operational requirements of the programme as needed;
• Actively integrates the inclusion of a gender perspective in all programming activities and conflict and security together with diversity where relevant;
• Carries out such other duties as assigned by the Senior Programme Manager or any person designated by him/her.

Qualifications and skills

Basic qualification requirements:

Level and type of formal education:

• University degree in Political Science, Law, Social Science, Sociology, Development Studies or other relevant discipline.

Professional experience:

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience working within the field of democracy support or development and preferably within one or more international organizations;
• Relevant field experience in any one of International IDEA's focus regions including Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific or the West Asia and North Africa, and experience in the areas of elections, human rights, democracy and governance would be an asset.

Functional competencies

• High analytical capacity;
• Ability to provide inputs for conceptualising strategies and designing programmes of work;
• Relevant working knowledge of democracy and governance assessment and measurement tools and methodologies;
• Proven experience with web sources;
• Ability to build and maintain broad networks of partners;
• Ability to work both independently, with minimum supervision and in teams;
• Excellent oral communication, public presentation and drafting skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability to operate effectively in a multi-cultural environment and with gender-awareness.

Language skills:

• English: Fluent written and oral;
• Other: Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region such as Spanish, French and/or Arabic would also be an asset.

Computer skills:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, databases, internet and web search tools.

Criteria for Professional Performance

The incumbent of this post is expected to act according to a set of principles when carrying out her/his responsibilities both at Headquarters and in the field and, as appropriate to their role, display the following characteristics:

• Be a Facilitator of Change;
• Get Results/Be Accountable and Proactive;
• Be a Model of Integrity;
• Celebrate Diversity;
• Be a Team Worker;
• Strive for Success and Excellence;
• Plan and Organize.

Terms of contract:

Local Post, Two (2) year fixed term appointment.

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 work in Sweden.

Deadline for applications:

Applications should be submitted no later than 13 May 2012. 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.

Should internet not be an option, applications can be submitted to International IDEA by fax: +46-20 24 22 or by post: International IDEA, SE-103 34, Stockholm, Sweden

Click here to apply!