Technical Manager – Skopje At American Bar Association

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is looking for a local Skopje-based Technical Manager to lead an international donor-funded Internet freedom advocacy program in several countries in Eastern Europe.

Successful applicants for this position will have a strong foundation in Internet freedom and freedom of expression advocacy issues; a legal or social science degree; work experience in the region; seven or more years of experience in human rights and freedom of expression issues; and will have experience in managing international development programs, especially those programs requiring coordination with a variety of partners and in multiple countries.

JOB SUMMARY

The Technical Manager will be the lead implementer responsible for compliance with the project timeline and outputs. The Technical Manager will work under the supervision of the DC-based Senior Program Manager, conduct all partner engagement, organize all project activities, and manage day-to-day communications with local partners and stakeholders across the countries. The Technical Manager will monitor activities and lead frequent evaluation check-ins with ABA ROLI staff in Washington, D.C., and the donor.

Responsibilities:

The duties of this post include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Managing the ABA ROLI program, including ensuring program goals are met, resources are utilized in accordance with budgets, and that reporting and monitoring, and evaluation tasks are completed;
2. Providing program oversight, including resource management, coordination with the ABA ROLI DC office, implementer/partner coordination, and on overall strategy;
3. Oversee the design of the program’s training curriculum, and assist in organizing and delivering trainings;
4. Ensuring compliance with donor requirements and ABA policies;
5. Initiating, nurturing, and expanding working relationships with government counterparts, CSOs, academic institutions, and experts involved in the Internet freedom and freedom of expression fields as necessary for the success of program activities;
6. Serving as a point of contact/face of the program with donor representatives in the region;
7. Providing regular oral and written updates to ABA ROLI D.C. program staff and the donor on progress toward goals, challenges, and mitigation strategies for those challenges; Identifying potential implementation challenges and developing and implementing resolutions for those challenges in coordination with teammates and supervisor;
8. Monitoring program and subgrantee budgets in cooperation with Field Finance Manager and Program staff;
9. Ensuring that all aspects of program expenses are within ABA and donor regulations;
10. Providing financial oversight and administrative support for program implementation and program close-out;
11. Be ABA ROLI’s authorized signatory in North Macedonia for its local office;
12. Oversee the North Macedonia office operations;
13. Managing local staff and providing coaching and development as required;
14. Supporting ABA ROLI DC on new business development.

Total engagement: One-year fixed-term local employment agreement contract with potential for another 12 month extension depending on satisfactory performance.

This position will be based in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Qualifications:

1. At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in international development and program management;
2. Legal or social science degree;
3. Solid and thorough understanding of Internet freedom and freedom of expression issues in the Eastern Europe ] region;
4. Experience working with international/ US donor-funded projects;
5. Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with government entities, CSOs, academic institutions, and other relevant stakeholders;
6. Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively in both English and another regional languages
7. A high degree of organization, professionalism, integrity, trustworthiness, and flexibility;
8. Ideally, experience working in a non-profit/association/CSO setting.