Department: Parliamentary Program 

Job Title: Senior Program Assistant

Reports to: SeniorProgram Officer 

Location of the post: Kyiv, Ukraine

Application Deadline: March 12, 2023 

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) is a non-profit organization working to strengthen democracy worldwide. NDI programs in Ukraine are supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Government of Sweden, Global Affairs Canada, the National Endowment for Democracy and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Position Summary:The National Democratic Institute (NDI) seeks a Senior Program Assistant (SPA) to support its Parliamentary Program. This is a Kyiv based position with a range of complex tasks that will contribute to NDI Parliamentary work with factions and cross-faction groups on consensus building, cross-faction cooperation, capacity building and parliamentary diplomacy. This position requires a high degree of discretion, strong organizational skills, good judgment, and an interest in political analysis. Working proficiency in English is required.

About the Parliamentary Program: With the support of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in close partnership with the European Parliament, NDI is working with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to strengthen and promote cross-faction cooperation, consensus building, coalition building and capacity of parliamentary factions, individual MPs, cross-faction caucuses and parliamentary staff. 

Job Responsibilities:

• •  With general guidance from a supervisor, support the implementation of NDI’s parliamentary program activities  in Ukraine;

• •  Arrange logistics for NDI activities, including workshops, study visits and high level meetings and events;

• •  Contribute to the design and development of all the program activities and events;

• •  Prepare meeting/activities notes, background information, brief papers when needed;

• •  Assist with the day-to-day operations of the program, responding to routine program inquiries;

• •  Contribute to the development of program materials for national and international events;

• •  Cultivate and maintain regular communication with program partners;

• •  Contribute to analysis of political and civic context in Ukraine, which may include monitoring of the national and international media and developing regular political newsletters and analysis papers; 

• •  Provide high quality oral interpretation and written translation from English into Ukrainian and vice versa  as required;

• •  Work with NDI’s Administration and Finance team to prepare payments and reconciliations of program expenditures;

• •  Prepare drafts of contributions to reports under supervisor’s review and edits; and

• •  Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• •  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university required, preferably in Political Science, Social Sciences, International Relations, or related fields; 

• •  Minimum two years  of experience in a related field is required;

• •  Strong knowledge about and interest in politics in Ukraine; 

• •  Ability to provide political analysis of trends in Ukraine;

• •  Developed organizational skills with attention to detail;

• •  Fluency in Ukrainian and advanced written and oral communication skills in English are required;

• •  Increasing ability to work both independently and as a member of a team;

• •  Previous experience of work with Ukrainian Parliament or Government would be an asset;

• •  Working knowledge of Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, and G+), and PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications; 

• •  Ability and willingness to travel in and outside Ukraine, when necessary.

NDI offers a competitive package of remuneration and benefits. Actual salaries will be negotiated with successful applicants based on qualifications and experience.

Submission Guidelines. Suitable and qualified candidates are requested to send a CV and motivation letter as one PDF file in English to the following email address: [email protected]. Please indicate the position (SeniorProgram Assistant - Parliamentary Program) you are applying for in the subject line of the email. Your CV and motivation letter should demonstrate your interest and qualifications for this position. 

Deadline. The deadline for the submission of the required documents is the end of the day of March 12, 2023. 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.