Program Officer

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI, and demonstrating the core values in their day to day operations.

The Program Officer will assist in the design and implementation of a strategy for IRI’s programs in her/his country of assignment. S/he closely monitors and analyzes political and economic developments in a country of responsibility, develops program ideas, and drafts proposals on a range of democracy and assistance programs. S/he also supports the identification and oversight of program partners and ensures effective communications with funders. The following details the prioritized qualifications to be considered eligible for the position and the primary responsibilities the job will entail day-to-day:

Position Requirements:

· Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, African politics, or related field. Graduate degree preferred.

· Three to five years’ professional experience in democracy promotion, politics, international affairs, public administration, or other relevant field, preferably focused on improving the organizational and advocacy capabilities of civil society organizations and NGOs. Management of television, social media, and digital technology projects a plus.

· Working knowledge of the politics, economics, history and culture of the country and region.

· Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills in English.

· Demonstrated experience working with United States Government funded projects and familiarity with United States Government regulations and processes.

· Program management experience, including basic accounting necessary to draft and oversee a budget.

· Ability to work independently and as a manager of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet program goals.

· Demonstrated ability to develop new program concepts, including country specific contextual analysis, operational approaches and evaluative methods to measure implementation progress.

· Ability and willingness to travel to new and challenging environments.

· Arabic language skills a plus.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

· Oversees the implementation of specific grant(s) and associated grant activities.

· Anticipates, trouble shoots, offers solutions and actively resolves project challenges.

· Maintains an understanding of funder and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight.

· Develops and supports efforts to ensure that grants are completed on time.

· Monitors and ensures proper tracking of program expenditures to ensure projects remain within budget allocations and are implemented timely against a project work-plan.

· Oversees and participates in monitoring and evaluation efforts.

· Monitors, analyzes and reports on political and related developments in a country to provide regional and country analysis and information.

· Writes and reviews high quality quarterly, semi-annual, final and other relevant reports for funders.

· Assists with assessing the feasibility of new funding opportunities and contributes to the substantive design of new programs.

· Establishes, maintains, and develops strong working relationships with relevant stakeholders in Washington and abroad

· Represents IRI at external events and actively supports IRI’s communication strategy including branding and outreach plans.

· Travels as needed for program oversight and implementation.

· Other duties as assigned.