Programme Officer (South) – European Endowment for Democracy

The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) has been created to foster and encourage democratisation and deep and sustainable democracy in countries in political transition and in societies struggling for democratisation. It is an independent private law foundation with its seat in Brussels. Its geographic mandate is focused on 15 countries in the European neighbourhood.

EED is looking for a Programme Officer.

Main functions of the post:

• coordinating, administering and monitoring of the EED democracy programmes within the region of EU Southern Neighbourhood and beyond.

• providing input to the development of the EED grant-making and other priorities and strategies in order to implement EED’s mandate and ensure consistency and coherence in programming and policy implementation in compliance with the EED strategic planning mechanisms , in conjunction with the Director of Programmes and other staff/consultants;

• developing funding recommendations for approval in line with EED Secretariat procedures, including presenting and defending submissions to the Executive Committee.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Programme Officer South reports to the Director of Programmes and is under the overall supervision of the Executive Director of the EED and shall be responsible for (in addition to the above-mentioned):

• interpreting, together with the Director of Programmes, relevant political developments and forecasts in countries of the EU Southern Neighbourhood countries, and their impact on EED strategies, programmes and operations; on that basis providing advice on the development of the thematic work of the EED, including to the Executive Director;

• proposing projects to be granted and in doing so cooperating closely with the Director of Operations as well as the Operations and Grants Officers on the financial aspects;

• travelling to the region to monitor existing grantees, identify new funding opportunities for EED and gain an on the-ground perspective on the political situation. The visits include on-site meetings with EED grantees, meetings political actors, civil society partners, other donors active in the country, and political analysts and opinion-makers;

• supervising the preparation and accompanying, if necessary, the Executive Director or Director of Programmes on their visits to the EU Southern Neighbourhood countries;

• maintaining liaison with relevant EU institutions, Brussels based NGOs, and other organisations working in the field related to EED activity to ensure information exchange and synergies;

• providing input for speeches and other relevant activities of the Executive Director and the Director of Programmes;

• performing other tasks for the Director of Programmes as required.

• reviewing and assessing proposals and making assessments and funding recommendations in coordination with the Director of Programmes;

• coaching applicants submitting grant proposals relevant to EEDs mandate to develop applications ready for proposing to the Executive Committee for consideration for funding; carry out outreach to identify potential beneficiaries of EED grants, notably hitherto unsupported political and civic activists;

• co-ordinating the analyses of political developments and forecasts in the EU Southern Neighbourhood countries, formulating relevant input from the field and other documents with a focusing non latest developments in the countries of EED mandate;

Conditions for eligibility:

• preferably be a national or having permanent residence permitof one of the EU/EEA countries or Switzerland;

• be entitled to his/her full rights as a citizen;

• have completed any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws concerning military service;

• produces the appropriate character references as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties;

• be physically fit to perform his/her duties;

• hold, or be in a position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (national or EU PSC at CONFIDENTIAL and/or EU SECRET level).

Essential selection criteria

Level and type of formal education:

• master’s degree in International Affairs, Political or Social Science, Law, International Development or related discipline;

Professional experience:

• at least five years of proven full-time professional experience in democracy-related projects and programmes in government or international organisations or the civil society; at least three years proven experience in the international environment would be an asset;

• substantive understanding of political issues and trends in the EU Southern Neighbourhood as well as EU policies towards the region;

• working experience in democracy-related projects and programmes in government or international organisations or from the civil society;

Functional competencies:

• very good knowledge of grant-making and democracy support procedures;

• good knowledge of the European Institutions and working mechanisms within the EU;

• thorough knowledge of English and Arabic; satisfactory knowledge of other languages relevant to the post would be an asset;

• field work experience that includes several years of working in an EU Southern Neighbourhood country would be an asset;

• ability to keep full confidentiality about all assigned tasks and related documentation as well as capacity to exercise confidentiality, discretion and tact when dealing with diverse groups of people;

• high degree of communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills;

• ability to develop strong working relationships internally and externally at all levels;

• thorough understanding of social media, its purpose and exploitation;

• solid ICT skills;

• high personal and professional culture;

• ability to work in a multi-ethnic and multi-national environment;

• readiness for frequent duty travel;

• provide at least three (3) references as to the suitability for the performance of duties.

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Applications should be submitted no later than 24 August 2015, 12 midnight (Brussels time).

Read more and apply here.