Sr. Program Associate – Center for Global Impact

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 Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The International Republican Institute’s Center for Global Impact (CGI) is designed to help IRI learn, innovate, and lead in global democratic development programming. Comprised of experts specializing in a range of technical areas and program staff who oversee global and cross-cutting initiatives, the Center leads the Institute’s efforts to contribute to thought leadership, respond to emerging global challenges and trends, facilitate global initiatives, and serve as an incubator for new ideas and cutting-edge approaches. The CGI Senior Program Associate is a position for program work at IRI and provides administrative and programmatic support for current and developing programs. The Senior Program Associate will support the Center’s programming focused on countering foreign authoritarian influence. Foreign authoritarian actors like China, Russia and Iran are taking an increasingly aggressive approach to exerting influence in democracies around the world, efforts recently expanded under the cover of COVID-19 responses. Utilizing economic leverage, information operations, and an expanding digital toolkit, these repressive states are bolstering autocrats and contributing to the erosion of democracy. To aid vulnerable countries in the fight for freedom, IRI’s CFAI project designs and implements programs that equip civil society, the media, government officials, political parties and the private sector with the knowledge and tools to expose and counter foreign authoritarian influence (https://www.iri.org/cfai).

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate degree, preferably in political science, international relations or related field.
• 1-3 years of relevant professional work experience.
• Experience with program management, implementation, and basic accounting necessary to draft and oversee a budget.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet program goals.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.
• Excellent writing, research and communication skills.
• International experience preferred, but not required.
• Experience and/or interest in countering foreign authoritarian influence.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Provides general project management support including developing and tracking work plans, monitoring deadlines and deliverables, and other relevant project-related elements.
• Maintains an understanding of funder and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight.
• Tracks and follows-up on pending procurement requests, approvals and monitoring once approved.
• Maintains budget trackers and liaises with accounting staff to manage and update project budget pipelines based on expected and planned expenses.
• Drafts quarterly, semi-annual, final and other relevant reports for funders.
• Compiles and facilitates submission of contract packages.
• Serves as main point of contact for procurement solicitations and compiles submitted materials to facilitate the evaluation process.
• Maintains project site and documents.
• Provides logistical support for meetings and events.
• Liaises with vendors and contractors to support project goals and deliverables.
• Supports CGI’s communication strategy including branding and outreach plans on projects assigned, including drafting and updating program summaries and other outreach materials, drafts web stories, tweets, etc.
• Contributes to the grant proposal process, including the development of new program ideas. Contributes directly to proposal documents, including proposal budgets, as needed.
• Reviews grant products, both for proofreading/grammar/style as well as for content.
• Supports other staff in CGI to reach programmatic objectives and deliverables.
• Travels as needed for program support and implementation.
• Participates in cross-functional teams and initiatives, as needed.
• Maintains an understanding and awareness of thematic issues related to countering foreign authoritarian influence
• Performs other duties as assigned.