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NDI Resident Senior Program Manager for Women's Political Participation

7:15:00 PM

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is seeking to hire a Resident Women’s Political Participation Resident Senior Program Manager to assist with its local governance and political development programs in Afghanistan. The Senior Manager will be based in Kabul, supervised by the Institute’s Resident Senior Directory in Afghanistan, and supported by Kabul and Washington, D.C.-based staff. This position is available in December 2012. A commitment of at least one year is expected for this position.
Background
NDI established an office in Afghanistan in March 2002 and has since conducted extensive programs to support political participation and the development of democratic governance institutions. The Institute has helped to prepare candidates, political parties, polling agents, women and domestic monitors to participate in the country’s 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010 elections.
Over the past five years, NDI has been conducting programs to assist the country’s provincial councils, strengthening the capacity of local government to address citizen needs and function effectively in the country’s development processes. Through this work, the Institute provides comprehensive training on monitoring and evaluation, facilitates site visits to local development projects, and helps councilors to engage government executives and international institutions on local development processes. This work is implemented through NDI’s eight regional offices in Afghanistan – in Balkh, Bamiyan, Herat, Kandahar, Khost, Kunduz and Nangarhar as well as its primary office in Kabul. NDI also works with Afghanistan’s Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) to ensure continuous support for the country’s local governance mechanisms.
In addition, NDI is implementing programs to strengthen political party development and assist parties in conducting citizen outreach on the policy development process. The Institute is also supporting the efforts of the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan, the country’s principal domestic monitoring organization, in monitoring the work of parliament and promoting electoral reform.
NDI’s previous and ongoing programs in Afghanistan involve components dedicated to promoting women’s political participation. In the lead up to the 2009 provincial council elections and the 2010 parliamentary polls, NDI conducted campaign schools and training sessions for hundreds of female candidates throughout the country. Following these elections, the Institute ran orientation programs specifically tailored for the newly elected women representatives. NDI also engaged unsuccessful female candidates in activities to promote their continued participation in Afghan public life.
Outside election cycles, NDI trained women political party members who have gone on to train both women and men within their parties on the basics of democracy, party structures, and citizen outreach. The Institute also carried out leadership training for women in political parties and coalitions. Currently, NDI facilitates forums for women parliamentary members and is working to strengthen the roles of women in parliament and provincial councils. NDI’s in-country staff include a Kabul-based team focused on women and political participation efforts, and female staff members in its regional offices to support female elected officials and political activists at the local level.
NDI’s current programs are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Governments of Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with the resident senior director and senior staff to increase the participation of women within NDI’s political development and sub-national governance assistance programs – such efforts would include technical assistance to female provincial councils, parliamentarians, political party members and political activists;
  • Work closely with the NDI Afghanistan resident director for local governance and the resident director for political processes to ensure the implementation of the gender component in their respective programs.
  • Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with program stakeholders, including political parties, government and election authorities, civil society groups and members of the international community working on women’s participation programs;
  • Provide technical assistance to elected representatives and political parties on approaches to increase women’s participation in Afghan political life;
  • Facilitate information and skills exchange among networks of women political leaders, political party members, civil society leaders and international resource persons;
  • Conduct and coordinate training activities, workshops and other events, including the preparation of modules and training materials as well as the coordination of travel, accommodations and other logistical needs;
  • Draft reports to NDI Washington that detail program activities and monitor and measure program results and political developments; and
  • Manage and reconcile program expenses.

Experience Required
  • A minimum of ten (10) years of experience working on women’s political participation issues in the field of democracy and governance, either through work with political parties, governance or civic groups;
  • Bachelors degree required. Graduate degree in law, public policy, international relations, political science or related field preferred;
  • Experience living and working in an international setting required; prior experience in conflict or post-conflict settings strongly preferred.
  • Experience in results-oriented program design, strategic planning, and program evaluation;
  • Experience in organizing and facilitating individual and group consultations and communicating skills and experience to others as a trainer, advisor, or consultant;
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, U.S. and foreign government personnel, members of donor organizations, and policy-makers;
  • Proven experience managing staff members and promoting staff development in a multi-cultural work environment;
  • High degree of organization and initiative;
  • Proven capacity to meet program goals while managing financial, administrative, and security responsibilities;
  • Superior oral and written communications skills to effectively present information in a clear and persuasive manner in English; knowledge of Dari and/or Pashtu a plus;
  • Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex program and political issues;
  • Experience in implementing large USAID-funded international development programs strongly preferred; and
  • Working knowledge of PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications.
How to apply: 

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