Team Lead: Resilient Civil Society - Serbia at National Democratic Institute for International Affairs – Beograd

About Us

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government. Help support democracy worldwide by joining our team!

About the Role

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) seeks an impact-oriented Team Leader with a proven track record implementing innovative civil society and governance programming for implementation of the “Building Democratic Resilience and Promoting Inclusive Dialogue (BRIDGE)” initiative tendered by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The BRIGE initiative seeks to equip civil society actors and empowered citizens to effectively contribute to democratic processes by enhancing accountability, influencing policy and constructively engaging with more open governmental actors through restored and meaningful dialogue and institutional cooperation.

Responsibilities involve facilitating strategic implementation of the program, including partner development and coordination of donor and partner relations. The preferred candidate will be familiar with the Western Balkans and Serbia in particular, action oriented, dedicated to delivering against donor commitments, and well-versed in building resilient civil society.

The Team Leader will have overall responsibility for the successful implementation of the BRIDGE program together with the Deputy Team Leader, and is charged with conducting regular political analysis and cultivating relationships with local partners and organizations. The Team Leader will work in close coordination with Washington, D.C.-based staff and regionally-based colleagues to manage the programmatic aspects of the BRIDGE program.

This is an accompanied post and contingent on donor funding and the selected candidate is subject to donor approval. The anticipated start is in August 2026.

Your Purpose and Impact:

• In consultation with colleagues and implementing partner, lead, plan, implement, set programmatic strategy and direct the implementation of the BRIDGE initiative, ensuring activities meet donor commitments and build resilient civil society in Serbia.
• Serve as principal liaison between NDI and the Swiss Embassy, civil society partners, and relevant government officials as appropriate, and ensure close cooperation with relevant Swiss-supported projects
• Develop systems and processes to identify and analyze impact and specific areas in need of adaptation or adjustment, based on changing political circumstances. Identify program lessons learned and/or challenges.
• Establish regular reporting practices, in line with Swiss Embassy and NDI requirements, to ensure monitoring and measurement of program results and effective use of donor resources.
• Establish platforms, including cross-sectoral, for knowledge exchange and coordination around civil society, local government, democratic resilience, and cybersecurity initiatives to ensure that NDI’s efforts are complementary to those conducted by other implementers, the international community, and the Government of Serbia as appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience in civil society and democratic resilience programming with at least 7 years leading resilient civil society programs in particular. A strong preference for an experienced thought leader in the field.
• Exceptional interpersonal and managerial skills and familiarity with "do-no-harm" and Conflict Sensitive Program Management (CSPM) to effectively interact with all levels of staff, members of donor organizations, funders, and local policy-makers.
• Familiarity with tools and techniques needed for resilient civil society, including in cybersecurity and countering authoritarian influence
• Strong understanding of evidence-based programming and ability to incorporate qualitative and quantitative research into program design and implementation.
• At least 5 years of experience in the Western Balkans with at least 1 year preferred in Serbia.
• Substantive senior-level experience in change management and strategic planning, facilitating coordination and collaboration among political, civil society, and media actors, with a concerted focus on ensuring the inclusion of marginalized groups including ethnic and religious minorities, women, and youth.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior political and civil society leaders as well as members of the diplomatic community.
• Undergraduate degree, preferably in international development, political science/governance, public administration, journalism/media, or related fields.
• Spoken and written fluency in English.

Desired:

• Demonstrated understanding of the Serbian context, including its political, social, and economic dimensions, or deep understanding of the social cohesion and democratic resilience challenges faced by Serbia and other Balkan countries.
• Prior management and implementation of large international development programs funded by SDC and other European government donors.
• Working knowledge of Serbian language.

Fully Accompanied – A staff member on overseas assignment may bring his/her dependents to the country of assignment and NDI will provide the travel, housing and education allowances to accommodate the presence of accompanied dependents.

What We Offer:

We offer an environment committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as a core part of our culture. We strive to foster empowerment and belonging as these values are central to our mission and to our impact. We believe that diversity in thought helps us solve the complex problems we face around the globe. Additionally, we offer a comprehensive benefits and allowance package based on the country of residency.

Additional Information:

NDI is an equal opportunity employer (EEO). As such, NDI makes employment decisions and provides equal employment opportunity without regard to an applicant’s or employee’s race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state and local laws. As an equal opportunity employer, NDI encourages individuals with disabilities, including disabled veterans or veterans with service-connected disabilities, to apply.

If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please notify NDI’s Human Resources department at Human_Resources_team@ndi.org. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.