Department(s): Political Parties 

Job Title: Senior Program Officer

Reports to: Resident Senior Program Manager

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Application Deadline: November 6, 2022

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) is a non-profit organization working to strengthen democracy worldwide. NDI programs are supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UK, Sweden, Canada, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and other donors. NDI and its partners have been working in Ukraine since 1992.

Position Summary:  The National Democratic Institute (NDI) seeks a Senior/Program Officer (S/PO) to support the political parties program in Ukraine. The S/PO will be responsible for providing analytical, programmatic and administrative support to NDI’s party work under the supervision of the Resident Senior Program Manager, and ultimately the Resident Country Director. These positions require a high degree of discretion, strong organizational skills, good judgment, and an interest in political analysis. Fluency in English is required.

Job Responsibilities:

     •   Contribute to the development and design of political party program activities in cooperation with the Senior Program Manager for Political Party Program and external political party experts.

     •   Plan and implement program activities in consultation with political party partners.

     •   Serve as primary support to the Senior Program Manager through close oversight of daily operations of the program in all aspects.

     •   Follow and provide analysis on the political situation in the country.

     •   Contribute to the development of the strategic documents – concept papers, project proposals, work plans, M&E plans, and reports.

     •   Develop briefing materials for staff, external consultants and partners in the program.

     •   Develop and maintain relationships and communication with program partners among political parties, NGOs and government institutions as needed.

     •   Supervise program assistants work on  program activities such as forums, consultations, trainings, workshops and meetings as well administrative support to program activities, including data entry, arranging appointments, travel, preparing correspondence, and records maintenance.

     •   Coordinate the organization of NDI expert visits to Ukraine and study trips of program partners to other countries.   

     •   Represent NDI at meetings and other events with partners in coordination with the Senior Program Manager. 

     •   Provide programmatic assistance to DC staff members as needed. 

     •   Maintain regular and efficient internal communication on the program developments within the Political Parties  team and with other program teams. 

Analytical: 

     •   Contribute to the regular weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports, and provide input to annual and semi-annual reports.

     •   Provide advice on program strategy changes and work plan adjustments arising from internal and external factors.

     •   Ensure timely monitoring and evaluation of program activities and collect data for M&E purposes. 

Administrative and staff management: 

     •   Develop monthly program and activity budgets.

     •   Ensure compliance of program expenses within the budget, procurement regulations and financial procedures. 

     •   Provide necessary training and guidance to the program assistants and interns on programmatic and administrative tasks. 

     •   Provide oversight and guidance to program assistants on financial reporting. 

Qualifications/Requirements: 

     •   Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Political Science, International Affairs, Public Administration or related subject. 

     •   At least 4 years of experience in political party development, political systems/processes, political campaigning and/or direct work with local or national elected officials.

     •   Excellent understanding of the political landscape in Ukraine and an ability to quickly access emerging political developments and make recommendations for responding 

     •   Ability to navigate complex, sensitive and fluid political dynamics. 

     •   Experience with developing, designing and/or delivering educational or training programs.  

     •   Strong interpersonal, communication and networking skills, and a demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships with high level principals such as elected officials, political party leaders and or donors.

     •   Experience in all aspects of program cycle, including design, coordination, operations, monitoring and evaluation is desirable.

     •   Experience working to promote inclusion, especially of women and other marginalized  communities is desirable.

     •   Strong writing skills with the ability to present clear and concise analysis.

     •   Demonstrated success working in a team environment.

     •   Fluency in Ukrainian and English.

     •   Excellent written and oral communication skills required.

     •   Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office Programs, Google suite).

Submission Guidelines: Suitable and qualified candidates are requested to send a CV and motivation letter in English to the following email address: [email protected], with the subject line (Ref: Senior/Program Officer - S/PO). Your CV and motivation letter should demonstrate your interest and qualifications for this position, and be submitted as a single PDF file. 

Deadline: The deadline for submitting applications is November 6, 2022. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the written assessment, and finalists only will be invited for an interview.

NDI welcomes and supports a diverse, inclusive work environment. As such, our commitment is to promote equal employment opportunities for all applicants seeking employment and employees. NDI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to any grounds such as age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, etc.