Chief of Party – Central Europe Program

This position will be based in Hungary or Poland.
About International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES): Together we build democracies that deliver for all. Our independent expertise strengthens electoral institutions/systems and builds local capacity to deliver sustainable solutions. As the global leader in democracy promotion, we advance good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance; empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle. We believe that trusted electoral institutions deliver credible elections, effective governing institutions are accountable to the people they serve, all people safely participate in civic and political life on an equal basis and technology, information and data positively serve elections and democracy. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries – from developing to mature democracies.
The greatest assets of IFES are our team members. IFES offers competitive benefits and pay, as well as the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment. Every member of the IFES team is responsible for carrying out the mission of IFES and integrating IFES values into their work every day: Commitment to Excellence, Effective Communication, High Quality Decision-Making, Accountability, Teamwork and Collaboration.
We center the rights of marginalized people in the work we do and strongly encourage Black, Indigenous and other people of color; racial, ethnic and religious minorities; women; persons with disabilities; youth; people from working class backgrounds; and LGBTQ people to apply.
PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE: **

IFES is currently recruiting for a full-time Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated 5-year, USAID-funded Central Europe Program. The program will seek to build renewed support for democratic norms and resilience to foreign corrosive influence in the political systems of the countries of the region. The program will increase the capacity of non-governmental stakeholders, including civil society, social movements, media, political parties, labor, and other democratic actors to engage in oversight of governments and private sector entities, combat corruption, counter disinformation efforts, and operate freely.

The COP will provide overall program direction to meet technical objectives and will oversee management of financial resources. They will lead staff and partners in work planning; activity design; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. The COP will represent IFES and the program to USAID and Government counterparts, as well as CSOs, private sector actors, and other stakeholders. This position will be based in Hungary or Poland and is contingent upon award.

IFES COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement:
Job Responsibilities:

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure timely execution of project activities within the allocated budget, and strategic development and implementation.
• Serve as the IFES representative to Heads of Missions, Embassy staff and donors.
• Supervise in-country staff and consultants and provide feedback on performance.
• Lead cross-sectoral collaboration.
• Oversee project reporting and communications.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, donors and partners.
• Oversee program management, administration, finances, budgeting, and reporting.
• Oversee procurements and sub-awards in accordance with IFES policies and USAID rules and regulations.
• Other duties as assigned.

POSITION SCOPE:**

• Provide strategic vision on anti-corruption reform and engagement to promote trust and accountability.
• Plan and coordinate technical activities to meet program goals within prescribed timeframes and funding parameters, while maintaining compliance with USAID regulations and IFES policies.
• Provide overall guidance and mentoring to program staff to support development of strategies, budgets, work plans, MEL plans and reporting.
• Ensure the functional integration of all program components and collaboration with USAID and other anti-corruption programs, government counterparts, CSOs, private sector actors, and other stakeholders.**

DECISION MAKING/PROBLEM SOLVING:**

• Identify risk factors with potential to disrupt achievement of program/project goals. Analyze issues, problems or opportunities and propose appropriate courses of action, based on knowledge of professional principles and best practices.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of strategies to track and mitigate risk and its potential impact.**

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:**

• In coordination with the Finance and Administration Manager, ensure compliance of project budgeting, financial management and reporting.
• Oversee and approve local and international procurement and grants awards in accordance with IFES policies and USAID rules and regulations.
• Authority to regularly make purchases and incur expenses, subject to established controls and procedures.

RELATIONSHIPS:**

• Maintain collaborative working relationships with senior-level stakeholders within and outside IFES to ensure timely and successful achievement of project goals and objectives.
• Represent IFES with external contacts at professional and government levels.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:**

• Oversee in-country project staff and participate in project reporting and monitoring and evaluation.
• Foster a work-place culture of inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, integrity, and ethical standards.
• Promote staff professional development to build capacity and strengthen professional competencies.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:**

Education:

• Advanced university degree in international politics, international development, law, public policy, or related field*.**

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in managing international development activities in the areas of anti-corruption and/or governance.
• A record of successful performance in anti-corruption, government transparency, or other programming related to government accountability.
• Demonstrated experience working with and empowering local partners and traditionally marginalized groups.
• Demonstrated record of achieving results through sustainable efforts involving local and regional organizations and actors; innovative and experimental programmatic approaches; applied and iterative technical learning; flexible and adaptive programming; and the mainstreaming of safety, security, diversity, and inclusion considerations into technical and operational project management.
• Demonstrated experience of working with and connecting beneficiaries and partners in a variety of formats and locations and cross-regionally including online, in-person, inside and outside of the country.
• A strong record of managing or operating in multi-stakeholder settings.

Related Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated leadership and staff management experience.
• Project administration and financial management skills.
• Knowledge and experience in research methodologies and best practices for program monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Experience with financial tracking, and forecasting for USAID-funded projects.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheets.
• Knowledge of USAID and non-US financial regulations and contract compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and consistently meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to develop and manage effective relationships.
• Commitment to locally-led development solutions.
• Strong communicator, both verbally and in writing.
• Proven capacity to work well with minimal supervision.
• Experience in managing relationships with international donor community.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluency in written and spoken English required.

TRAVEL: Regional travel may be required up to 50% of time.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:
**

Standard office work environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Please apply on the IFES website: https://www.ifes.org/work-us/careers under “Field Employment”.

“All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment/promotions and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

IFES takes affirmative action with respect to the employment and promotion of women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans. IFES will also take affirmative action on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

IFES is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor”