Programme Officer- Sweden At International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Context

Responding to increasing challenges to democracy and a shrinking democratic space around the world, including in more established democracies, International IDEA’s Democracy Assessment team, through its Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Programme (established in 2016 as part of International IDEA’s Global Programmes), seeks to contribute to the global debate on democracy and inform the development and implementation of strategies and policies that build, advance and safeguard democracy worldwide.

Since its launch, the GSoD programme has completed 3 two-year programme cycles, which have been organized around a variety of different knowledge products, including International IDEA’s flagship Global State of Democracy Report, an annually updated statistical dataset on democratic quality, now covering 165 countries in the world (GSoD Indices) and shorter thematic policy briefs on current issues in the democracy debate (GSoD In Focus).

The flagship GSoD Report, published in 2017, 2019 and 2021, provides evidence, data, balanced and impartial democratic quality and trend analysis at global and regional levels, as well as thematic and country case studies geared specifically to international, regional and national policy makers and civil society organizations working on democracy and governance-related issues. The third edition of the GSoD Report will be launched in November 2021.

The Democracy Assessment team is now recruiting a Programme Officer with strong analysis and writing skills to contribute to the GSoD programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Conducts research and analysis and writes chapters, policy papers, briefs, country profiles/case studies, reports, op-eds and media articles on democratic trends and current challenges and opportunities for democracy in one or several regions of expertise, as part of the GSoD and other International IDEA knowledge products, using the GSoD Indices as well as other quantitative and qualitative data sources;
Builds, grows and maintains collegial and collaborative working relationships with assigned regional offices and other teams within Global Programmes in ways that support and facilitate co-authored outputs and joint fundraising;
Contributes to the conceptualization and implementation of the fourth edition of the International IDEA-wide Global State of Democracy publication by leading and managing GSoD project components/chapters/regional reports;
Leads planning, research and data analysis, coordination of internal and external outputs, editing and quality control for GSoD. Develops and implements outreach and dissemination strategies for the relevant global, regional and thematic papers and budget, activity and results monitoring of these components;
Acts as a primary focal point for communications work, acting as the primary liaison between the Communications and DA teams; oversees the implementation of the team’s communications strategy and updates it, as necessary; coordinates communication activities, including managing the social media calendar, overseeing the organization of product launches and events, and overseeing the development and implementation of other communications plans and products, as needed;
Coordinates, provides inputs for representational and outreach activities on GSoD analysis and data (speeches, presentations, workshops) for internal and external audiences with the aim of raising awareness of the analysis, the indices and encourage use;
Contributes to strategic planning for the DA team as a whole as well as to individual projects, including helping to define objectives and outputs.

General Profile

Requires in-depth knowledge, excellent skills and relevant experience in their field;
Will contribute significantly to assigned projects all along the project life cycle, i.e. from project design and funding to project assessment; will lead meetings and discussions, supervise publications and review input from external providers;
Has contributed to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in his/her broad professional community; Has extensive and varied writing and editing skills;
Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
Acts as a model or mentor for less experienced colleagues;
Can be expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
Integrates a gender and inclusion perspective in all activities.

Reporting Line

Head of Programme – Democracy Assessment

Programmatic Knowledge

Has good knowledge of democracy issues, political science and democracy measurements and good understanding of related disciplines to be able to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner;
Strong and diverse research and analysis skills, ideally in a multidisciplinary setting, and including qualitative and quantitative methods;
Demonstrated knowledge of democracy in comparative research and data collection;

Operational Knowledge, skills and experience

Integrates a results-based approach into the design, management and evaluation of all his/her programmatic activities;
Has excellent attention to detail and good organizational and time management skills;
Has a good understanding of relevant programmatic issues in the geographical regions where International IDEA has regional offices or programmes and where his/her work is implemented;
Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Liaises to all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her project; acts and is perceived as an initiator of relevant communication to solve issues;
Builds cooperative and collaborative working relationships, either across teams and/or across organizations;
Can coordinate and work with inputs and feedback from multiple stakeholders
Drives projects and assignments through communicative personal energy and engagement;
Can explain sensitive information with diplomacy, and build consensus.
Fluency in written and oral English is required; Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region (Arabic, French, Spanish) would be an asset.

Education and Experience

University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science or related field;
A minimum of five (5) years professional experience, preferably within the context of an international organization or NGO, working in the field of democracy or human rights;
Experience developing and implementing projects in the field of democracy assistance or advocacy;
Experience in the field of democracy analysis and assessment, including in at least one region (preferably the Middle East or Asia/the Pacific) and/or specific topic;
Experience in conducting qualitative comparative research, data collection and analysis; Experience with quantitative research a considerable asset;
Knowledge of and experience in using R would be an asset;
Experience in supporting or leading communications work, including event planning and management and publicity (via mainstream and social media);
Experience working in Africa and West Asia, Asia and the Pacific, and/or North America is an added advantage.

Terms of Contract: