IFES is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization. As the global leader in democracy promotion, IFES advances good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials; empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 135 countries, from developing democracies to mature democracies.

Since 1994, IFES has played a significant role in promoting electoral, administrative and legal reform in Ukraine.  In cooperation with partners in Ukrainian civil society and the Central Election Commission (CEC), IFES is working to foster dialogue on electoral reform, build the capacity of local NGOs, institutionalize best practices in training election officials, and ensure more equal representation in the electoral process for disadvantaged populations, especially women and persons with disabilities.

Under the parliamentary, presidential, and local election laws, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine is responsible for providing training to members of lower-level election commissions. Specialized Training Unit was established in 2013 to strengthen CEC secretariat capacity to create training plans, develop standardized curricula and materials, design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems. During the last electoral events, the Training Unit in collaboration with IFES planned, organized, and carried out a cascade training program for election commissioners throughout the country.

In continuation of institutional development, in May 2016 the CEC and IFES established the Joint CEC-IFES Administrative Center for Trainings of Election Process Participants (Training Center). IFES is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Senior Administrative Assistant for the Training Center. The Senior Administrative Assistant will play a key role in supporting the work related to the training and capacity building of election officials. 

This position is expected to begin on February 1, 2022, and will continue beyond March 31, 2023, with possible extension and career growth.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direction of the Director of Training Center (TC), the Senior Administrative Assistant will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide assistance and all logistical support to the TC in the preparation and conducting workshops and training activities;
• Be a liaison between the TC staff and IFES program and administrative staff; assist in basic procurement for the program events and day-to-day activities within the implemented programs, in full accordance with the internal rules and procedures;
• Draft and edit documents including promotional/background materials, reports, and correspondence in both English and Ukrainian;
• Assist in the preparation and conducting of conferences, meetings, trainings, and other public events;
• Develop and maintain good relationships with stakeholders and partners; keep the database with the main working contacts and events;
• Coordinate trainers’ teams within the TC initiatives;
• Plan and expedite travel and accommodation arrangements for the TC staff throughout Ukraine;
• Maintain files and collect monitoring & evaluation data for activities related to programs implementation; 
• Translate written documents and provide verbal interpretation for the TC staff as required;
• Conduct research into best practices for electoral training;
• Maintain a database of trained electoral officials and key stakeholders;
• Oversee the direct work of new Training Center administrative staff/consultants to be involved in IFES’ initiatives;
• Provide administrative support and contribute to the Working Groups to be established within the CEC that are connected to the activities of the Training Center / IFES.
• Other duties as assigned.

SKILLS and SPECIFICATIONS

• The ability to remain organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines;
• Ability to complete tasks with supervision;
• Ability to work with databases;
• Excellent communication skills to be able to work with TC and IFES Ukraine program and administrative staff to identify and resolve issues;
• Willingness to adhere to all principles of confidentiality;
• Must value operating in a collaborative and cooperative environment;
• Ability to show initiative, good judgment, and resourcefulness;
• Travel may be required.

 EDUCATION and QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field required;
• 1-3 years of relevant experience;
• Prior experience organizing events and logistics;
• Knowledge of political issues and elections preferred;
• Excellent English and Ukrainian language writing skills;
• Knowledge of platforms (ZOOM, Teams) and MS Office tools will be an advantage
• Working-level computer skills and proficiency.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Proficiency in English, Ukrainian, and Russian languages required. 

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and Letter of Interest, with “Application for TC Senior Administrative Assistant” in the subject line to Kateryna Polishchuk  [email protected], copying Olesia Liesnikova [email protected] no later than January 23, 2022, 23.59 Kyiv time.

All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment/promotions and will not be discriminated against based on disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. IFES encourages people with disabilities and from other diverse backgrounds to apply.