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 a Resident Director with strong democratic development experience and excellent program and staff management skills to oversee the implementation of NDI programming in Armenia and other regional initiatives depending on funding. Responsibilities include donor and partner relations as well as political and democratic analysis and strategic development of programs in a critical post-election period while Armenia faces significant internal and foreign pressures. The Resident Director is also charged with overall financial and human resource oversight. This position will be based in Yerevan, Armenia.

The Resident Director will supervise a team of staff and/or contractors, and oversee a range of programming with political partners and civic organizations. Additionally, the Resident Director is charged with communicating regular political analysis, managing program budgets, and maintaining relationships with international partners and organizations including the Armenian government, political parties, non-governmental entities, the diplomatic community, and donor agencies. The Resident Director will work in close coordination with Washington, D.C.-based staff to design and manage the programmatic, administrative, financial, and logistical aspects of NDI’s operations. The Resident Director reports to the DC-based Senior Advisor for Strategy, Europe and Eurasia.

This position is partially accompanied (adult dependents and children under 5 years old).

Your Purpose and Impact:

• Lead, plan, implement, and provide overall leadership and vision for NDI's programs directed from Yerevan with the support of Yerevan and regionally-based staff, short-term consultants and experts, and in coordination with NDI staff in Washington, DC;
• Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with and serve as a resource, mentor and trainer for civil society representatives, local and national legislators, political party and movement representatives, political leaders, women and youth, and other relevant political actors across the political spectrum and at all levels of seniority;
• Lead NDI/Armenia and potentially regional programs related to political party and parliamentary strengthening, strategic communications, and illicit finance and assist team in public opinion research in support of those programs. Coordinate NDI Armenia’s role and inputs into regional programs, as required;
• In coordination with DC-based colleagues, oversee regular review of programs, identify gaps, and identify adaptations or new interventions, as needed;
• Manage local employees in Armenia, including hiring, performance reviews and and adherence to human resource policies and build staff capacity to play a substantive role in program development and implementation;
• Grow NDI’s network among the international and European donor community and assist in identifying and securing additional funding for NDI programs;
• Provide analysis of political developments in Armenia and other assigned political contexts that may affect program outcomes to the Washington, DC-based staff and the international community on a regular basis;
• Manage the development, review, and timely submission of program-related materials, including proposals and regular reports that measure and evaluate program progress;
• Work closely with NDI Washington’s Security and Operations and Risk Management personnel to assess and coordinate appropriate security and risk management measures for the Institute’s program operations, including physical security, cybersecurity, and health risk management
• Oversee the proper accounting, management, and planning of multiple program budget funds in-country, in coordination with NDI’s Finance and Administration team, including the submission of a monthly financial reconciliation to the Washington DC office;
• Represent NDI and its program and serve as principal liaison between NDI and program donors, regional government officials, legislators and staff, political party leaders, local nongovernmental organizations, other international organizations and implementers, and the media; and

Minimum Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree, preferably in international development, political science, or management
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant work experience in political and electoral processes, democracy and governance programming, political strategic communications, and/or civil society development, to include substantive senior-level experience as a political practitioner, with a political party, parliament or civic group.
• Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex program and political issues.
• Proven experience in international fundraising efforts for democracy programming.
• Demonstrated success in developing innovative and targeted programs to support democratic institutions and actors, preferably in complex environments;
• Ability to adjust programmatic activities based on changing political circumstances and in response to needs articulated by local partners and program stakeholders.
• Strong networking experience and demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior political and civil society leaders as well as members of the donor and diplomatic community.
• Exceptional interpersonal and managerial skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, U.S. and foreign government personnel, members of donor organizations, funders, and policy-makers.
• Proven capacity to meet program goals while managing financial, administrative, and security responsibilities.
• Prior management and implementation of large international development programs funded by the UK government (FCDO) and other donor governments.
• Experience living and working in a country other than home of record.

Desired:

• Demonstrated intimate knowledge of and/or working experience in the Eurasia region, or similar politically complex contexts.
• Experience with Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, G+, etc.) and Excel.

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.