Deputy Country Director / Head of Programs at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) supports citizens’ rights to participate in free and fair elections. Our independent expertise strengthens electoral systems and builds local capacity to deliver sustainable solutions. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries – from developing democracies, to mature democracies.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Deputy Country Director / Head of Programs

Position Number: 21:139
Location: Abuja
Division: Program Management
Status: Local National Employee

Description

• IFES is currently recruiting for a Deputy Country Director/Head of Programs (DCD/HOP) for its work in Nigeria, under a USAID-funded program in Nigeria, entitled Supporting Electoral Accountability & Transparency (SEAT).
• The SEAT program is designed to build the capacity of the Nigerian election administration at the national and state levels to better inform, engage Nigerian citizens on electoral and political processes, and engage in international observation to promote the transparency of Nigerian elections.

Primary Function / Purpose

• The DCD/HOP will serve as the Head of Programs, act as alter ego to the COP and serves as the principal point of contact in Nigeria for procedural and substantive matters in the absence of the COP.
• The DCOP will be responsible for the day-to-day technical activities and implementation of the activity.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance to election institutions in all aspects of the electoral process as identified and included in the program description.
• Assist the Country Director in ensuring timely execution and oversight of project management functions, particularly with regard to administration and human resource.
• Lead capacity building and institutional strengthening efforts with election management bodies;
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with key interlocutors, including but not limited to the electoral commission, civil society, donors, as well as democracy and governance implementers;
• Provide strategic support and assistance in integrating the technical elements of the program with other project partners
• Liaise with other election assistance implementers, and the donor and diplomatic community to coordinate activities and maximize the impact of collective technical assistance efforts;
• Produce high-level analyses and outputs, such as articles, briefings, programmatic reports on key electoral and policy issues in Nigeria;
• Lead IFES’ programmatic reporting, including quarterly and annual programmatic reports to the donor;
• Strategize and contribute to IFES Nigeria technical and programmatic field assessments;
• Facilitate roundtable discussions with election management bodies (EMBs), international advisors and other relevant bodies on electoral framework and implementation issues as required
• Evaluate strategies and activities on an ongoing basis to ensure maximum impact, proactively identifying appropriate next steps;
• When called upon by Country Director, represent IFES at meetings and events, including conferences with stakeholders;
• In conjunction with IFES Nigeria staff, support the organization of workshops, trainings and meetings related to the electoral process in line with the overall framework of the SEAT project;
• Provide extensive review of technical outputs from SEAT partners in contribution to the overall objectives of the program;
• Collaborate closely with short-term consultants to ensure IFES work is carried out in a timely, coordinated, and professional manner;
• Other relevant tasks as requested by Country Director.

Position Scope:

• Manage and perform highly technical work requiring ingenuity and capacity to evaluate and respond to new and changing issues.
• Support the Country Director in the technical implementation of IFES programming as it related to electoral technical assistance.
• Oversee varied activities and processes to support effective project implementation, reporting and compliance.

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.
• Participate in the development and implementation of strategies to track and mitigate risk and its potential impact.

Relationships:

• Maintain collaborative working relationship 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 in the absence of the Country Director.

Supervision Exercised:

• Oversee international and national electoral consultants and field experts in order to complete the project’s work plan and participate in project monitoring and evaluation.

Education and Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in relevant fields such as Social Sciences, Law, Development Studies, etc.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development     activities managing sectors and/or subsectors of election interventions.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills and experienced in managing teams.
• Experience relevant to accomplishment of the cross-cutting objectives including gender, youth and marginalized populations.
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Experience working on policy, democracy and governance programs;
• Excellent knowledge of political issues and elections;
• Excellent knowledge of Nigeria’s civil society, election management bodies, policy landscape and stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to quickly build and consolidate relationships;
• Strong leadership, problem solving, coordination, and consensus building skills is a must;
• Experience with diverse donors, including USAID;
• Proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel.

Skills and Specifications:

• Extensive knowledge of all technical aspects of the electoral process;
• Demonstrated experience and exceptional training and facilitation skills; BRIDGE accreditation preferred
• Exceptional communication skills with strong ability to deliberate complex political issues and build consensus;
• Extensive knowledge of the political environment and players in Nigeria;
• Ability to remain highly organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines;
• Ability to initiate, conceptualize and complete complex tasks with limited supervision;
• Excellent writing and reporting skills;
• Willingness to adhere to all principles of confidentiality and impartiality;
• Previous experience working in international organizations and in a politically sensitive and challenging environment;
• Ability to show initiative, good judgment, and resourcefulness.

Language Skills:

• Fluency in written and spoken English required. Proficiency in at least one other language in use within assigned project location is strongly preferred.

Travel:

• Travel may be required up to 15% 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.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.