Associate Programme Officer - Political Participation and Representation

Through the Political Participation and Representation impact area, International IDEA will support the integrity of institutions and processes of political participation and representation. The focus will be on (a) the integrity of political parties and legislatures (inclusive, responsive, accountable political parties and legislatures); (b) new forms of citizen engagement in public decision-making; and (c) the influence of money in politics. Examples of themes within this impact area include political parties; money in politics (including from illicit and criminal sources); gender and inclusion in political participation and representation (with a special focus on women and youth); political participation and ICTs; parliamentary strengthening; citizen participation, including through supporting reform-oriented citizen-led assessments of democracy at the national and local levels; and democratic accountability in service delivery, which will contribute to create an enabling environment for the SDGs.

The PPR programme is part of the Global Programme at International IDEA’s Head Office and works in close collaboration with other International IDEA regional and country offices and thematic teams.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assists the PPR programme in three programming areas 1) citizen engagement in public decision-making, 2) money in politics, and 3) political party and parliamentary strengthening;
• Collects of information/data and literature required for programme conceptualisation and design of thematic documents and concept notes;
• Assists in preparing and drafting programme reports;
• Assists in the development of planning, implementation and tracking of programme strategies;
• Provides logistical support for conferences, workshops and programme related events;
• Supports the continuous development of International IDEA’s online interfaces, such as the Digital Parties Portal or Political Finance Database, by facilitating related research, updating the sites and promoting target users’ engagement and learning;
• Supports the team’s communication and outreach activities, through drafting articles for the institutional website, social media and newsletters;
• Drafts reports for PPR programme internal and external meetings;
• Supports the projects vis-à-vis internal and external stakeholders and collaborates with internal and external partners and networks as requested.

General Profile

• Requires good knowledge, excellent skills and substantive experience in the field of democratic governance and political participation and representation;
• Able to contribute to the following thematic areas: civic engagement, political and social movements, ICT and democracy, the influence of money in politics, and the integrity of political parties and legislatures
• Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute as required;
• Can be expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Integrates development, gender, diversity, and conflict and security perspective in all activities, when applicable.

Reporting Line

• Senior Programme Manager

Programmatic and operational knowledge, skills and experience

• Has sound knowledge in his/her own discipline and some knowledge of related disciplines to be able to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner;
• Integrates a results-based approach into the design, management and evaluation of all his/her programmatic activities;
• Has a good understanding of the contexts in which his/her work is implemented;
• Contributes to the research of information on donors and partners, and all other activities related to resource mobilization and partnership building;
• Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management.

Leadership

• No direct staff management responsibility.

Problem Solving

• Is able to solve problems of varying degrees of complexity;
• Approaches issues with new perspectives;
• Analyses situations from a multitude of intervening factors.

Impact

• Has an impact on the programme development, quality, and delivery.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises regularly with all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her projects;
• Acts in all assignments with personal energy and engagement.

Education and Experience

• Master´s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (e.g. Political Science, Sociology, Development Studies, Public Governance);
• Around 3 years of experience in democratic governance, including substantial internship(s);
• Knowledge on civic engagement, social movements, ICT and democracy, the influence of money in politics, or the integrity of political parties and legislatures would be an advantage;
• Work experience in professional handling of research tasks and information, writing and conveying knowledge to groups of users;
• Field experience in contexts of relevance for the Programme (Latin America, Africa and West Asia, Asia and Pacific or Wider Europe) is highly desirable;
• Fluency in English required. Knowledge of Arabic, French, Russian, or Spanish would be an advantage.

Terms of Contract

Two (2) year fixed term appointment. Salary - SEK 30,202 NET per month.

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those currently legally authorized to live and work in Sweden.

If you are not available to start immediately, but would be interested in a similar position in the coming months, please clearly indicate in your cover letter what months you would be available.

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.

Applications should be submitted in English through our website no later than 29 April 2018. https://www.idea.int/careers/employment