Resident Program Director – Albania At International Republican Institute

Job Summary

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy, and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion, and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Resident Program Director (RPD) is responsible for all programmatic, personnel, outreach, and accounting matters in their designated country. In consultation with IRI DC and the Albania portfolio manager, the RPD identifies, designs, and implements a long-term strategy for IRI programming in Albania, manages program implementation and budgets, and is responsible for compliance with local laws and regulations governing current funding.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate and graduate degree in political science, international relations, or a related field.
• Eight- to ten-years professional experience in democratic governance and politics, preferably working directly with government officials, political parties and their members, civil society organizations, and/or legislative bodies and officials.
• Professional experience in anti-corruption, transparency, accountability, and good governance is preferred.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) programming.
• Solid knowledge of the politics, economics, history, and culture of the Balkans.
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated management experience, including ability to motivate and manage staff.
• Demonstrated experience working with USG funded projects and familiarity with USG regulations and processes.
• Demonstrated financial management experience in developing and administering program budgets.
• Ability to prepare, present, and negotiate complex and sensitive agreements and/or project proposals with bilateral/multi-lateral agencies and other donor communities.
• Ability to communicate skills and experience to others as a trainer, advisor, or technical consultant
• Sensitivity to working in advisory role with local organizations.
• Ability and demonstrated experience leading and coordinating a team of professionals, especially in a multi-cultural setting, to meet program goals and donor requirements.
• Willingness to live and work in a challenging environment.
• Willingness to travel within the country a significant amount throughout the year.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on political and economic developments and media responses in Albania with concise and cogent analysis that supports business development and reporting requirements.
• Serves as the official senior IRI representative in country, developing credibility and maintaining good relationships with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. and foreign diplomats, donor agencies, host-country government representatives, and program partners.
• Participates in the substantive design of new programs and contributes to the development of new program ideas and business opportunities.
• Oversees the implementation of all program activities, while ensuring consistency with grant work plans and objectives.
• Establishes, maintains, and develops productive working relationship with the DC country portfolio manager, relevant program stakeholders and implementing partners, consultants, and field and HQ staff.
• Oversees all operations related to the IRI field presence and ensures IRI is in compliance with local laws regarding IRI’s legal status in the country and employment of local staff.
• Supervises local field staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development, and evaluation process for these staff. Sets specific goals and provides ongoing performance feedback.
• Mentors local staff in program implementation, business development, and knowledge management.
• Maintains an understanding of donor and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight.
• Understands programs’ technical, financial, and compliance requirements.
• Oversees the implementation of all program activities in the country, ensuring consistency with program descriptions, objectives, and work-plans, reporting weekly to DC.
• Monitors and approves field office budgets and expenses, in collaboration with DC program staff and the Regional Project Accountant, to ensure that expenditures remain within budget allocations.
• Ensures adherence to monitoring and evaluation plans, including the monitoring of programs and evaluation/analysis of program results.
• Provides information and contributes to sections of quarterly, semi-annual, final, and other relevant reports for funders.
• Anticipates potential problems and raises with DC staff and offers solutions where appropriate, but otherwise troubleshoots problems and actively resolves them where appropriate with creative solutions.
• Substantively contributes to business development efforts, including identifying and seeking out potential new or additional sources of funding with real-time costs estimates for proposal budgets, and/or the development of new program ideas, coordinating with DC staff.
• Actively supports IRI’s communication strategy, including IRI’s branding and outreach plans on assigned programs, with drafts summaries and program updates and other outreach materials such as web stories, tweets, etc.
• Performs other duties as assigned.