Program Officer Position at the OGP Support Unit

About the OGP Support Unit:  

The Support Unit supports the Steering Committee to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership. Recognizing the significant growth of OGP and the relatively small size of our team, we work closely with the Steering Committee to outline clear strategic priorities and cultivate high-impact partnerships to achieve these goals.  Each member of the Support Unit team juggles multiple, diverse tasks, ranging from high-level diplomatic outreach to the nuts and bolts of organizing meetings.  While being extremely sensitive to the diplomacy required in a multi-stakeholder initiative, the team strives to remain accessible, nimble and innovative, in keeping with the goals of the Partnership.  As OGP shifts its strategic focus from recruitment to implementation, we are increasing our capacity to provide direct support to OGP participating countries and to facilitate peer learning across the Partnership. 

Position description:

We are looking for a resourceful individual with strong experience and understanding of the governance field, and excellent diplomatic skills, to serve as a Program Officer at the OGP Support Unit. The Program Officer will drive the Support Unit’s work on supporting OGP participating countries to develop and implement high quality, relevant and ambitious OGP action plans. The Program Officer should be extremely detail-oriented, patient, and persistent, as this work will require careful review of technical documents and thoughtful follow-up with busy government officials,

Responsibilities:

• Develop orientation materials and design training workshops (in-person and virtual) for OGP participating countries
• Serve as an initial point of contact for governments or civil society organizations requesting resources or referrals to assist on action plan development
• Provide orientation to new countries on the OGP process and requirements 
• Review and analyze draft action plans, provide guidance as needed, and coordinate targeted support from experts across the Partnership
• Identify, research and draft case studies of both successes and failures from across the Partnership
• Help develop strategies and broker research partnerships to evaluate the impact of OGP commitments

Requirements:

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in political science, international affairs or relevant field
• A minimum of 3-5 years working on governance issues, ideally with a focus on transparency, accountability and open government reform 
• Excellent communications skills, including writing, public speaking and facilitating meetings 
• Experience working with and advising government officials, very politically savvy 
• Familiarity with civil society networks and experts working on governance issues across a range of sectors 
• Willingness to travel up to 25 percent of the year
• Fluency in Spanish highly desirable

Personal Skill-Sets:

• Ability to thrive in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual setting 
• Self-directed and resourceful, but likes working as part of a team; proactive in sharing information to update on both progress and setbacks
• Extremely sound judgment and diplomatic skills, ability to communicate effectively with senior government officials and high-profile civil society leaders
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including relationship building, communication skills, and coaching experience
• Humility and a healthy sense of humor; calm and poised under pressure 
• Extremely detail-oriented and precise, but with the ability to step back and see the big picture
• Flexible and creative in the face of obstacles

Details and How to Apply

• Position based in Washington D.C. or San Francisco (legal status to work in the U.S. is strongly preferred)
• Preferred start date is November 2013
• Compensation commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits package.
• Please submit a cover letter, current CV and recent writing sample toinfo@opengovpartnership.org by October 9, 2013.

Questions

Please address any questions to info@opengovpartnership.org.

Additional Information

The Open Government Partnership, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.