Programme Officer - Democracy Assessment Specialist - Stockholm

Responding to increasing challenges to democracy and a shrinking democratic space around the world, including in more established democracies, International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Programme - established in 2016 as part of International IDEA’s Global Programmes - seeks to contribute to the global debate on democracy and inform the development and implementation of strategies and policies that build, advance and safeguard democracy worldwide. Since its launch, the GSoD programme has completed 2 two-year programme cycles, which have been organized around a variety of different knowledge products, including International IDEA’s biennial flagship Global State of Democracy Report, which analyzes global and regional democratic trends; an annually updated statistical dataset on democratic quality, now covering 162 countries in the world (GSoD Indices); and shorter thematic policy briefs on current issues in the democracy debate (GSoD In Focus).

The flagship GSoD Report, published in 2017 and 2019, provides evidence, data, balanced and impartial democratic quality and trend analysis at global and regional levels, as well as thematic and country case studies geared specifically to international, regional and national policy makers and civil society organizations working on democracy and governance-related issues. The analysis and data contained in the report is increasingly used by a range of national, bilateral and multilateral organizations and civil society organizations as a key global and regional knowledge resource and reference point in the democracy field, for both strategy development, democracy assistance programming, democratic governance analysis at global, regional and country level, identification of funding priorities, presentations and advocacy. In addition, it has led to ample media coverage and inclusion in academic curricula and uptake in research by academics and students throughout the world.

 The Global State of Democracy programme now produces five main knowledge products, which it disseminates through active outreach and training to multilateral, regional and bilateral donors, government agencies and civil society organizations:

• The Global State of Democracy Report, a biennial publication which has become the flagship report of International IDEA and which i) provides a “health check” of democracy, mapping patterns and trends of democracy globally and for all regions of the world; ii) analyzes key opportunities and challenges to democracy, and iii) provides a set of policy recommendations to address them. Since 2017, two GSoD Reports have been published and the third is scheduled for November 2021 and will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on democracy. The GSoD reports are written by International IDEA staff with inputs and peer review from external thematic and regional experts.
• The Global State of Democracy Indices, that provide statistical data for 115 indicators on democratic quality for 163 countries from 1975 until today, updated annually. The data is available on an interactive website that generates graphs and country profiles. Since 2017, four annual updates of the dataset have been produced with the support of academic democracy measurement experts.
• The COVID-19 Global Monitor of Democracy and Human Rights. Launched in July 2020 and funded by the European Union, a digital platform linked to the Global State of Democracy Indices, that monitors the impact of COVID-19 on democracy and human rights every two weeks since the start of the pandemic, with 162 COVID-19 democracy and human rights country profiles and global and regional situation summaries.
• Global State of Democracy In Focus: regular briefing notes zooming in on relevant issues in the global democracy debate based on the GSoD Indices, and released throughout the GSoD programme cycle. Since 2018, 10 GSoD In Focus have been published. The GSoD In Focus are written by International IDEA staff.
• GSoD videos. Short videos with key findings of GSoD reports and stories of democratic transitions and intevierws with democracy activists from around the world. Since 2017, eight  videos have been produced. IDEA’s Communications team oversees the production of the videos, which is outsourced to an external firm.

The Democracy Assessment Specialist is analytical and driven and will apply his/her skills and regional expertise to conduct and manage mixed methods research and analysis for the GSoD programme’s range of knowledge products, including the Global State of Democracy Report and plays a key role in the development of the annual Global State of Democracy Indices.

Duties and Responsibilities 

Content development and research on democracy

• Conducts research and analysis and writes chapters, policy papers, briefs, reports, chapters, op-eds and media articles on democratic trends and current challenges and opportunities for democracy in one or several regions of expertise, as part of the GSOD and other International IDEA knowledge products, using the GSOD Indices as well as other quantitative and qualitative data sources. Coordinates and conducts policy relevant analysis of democratic trends and developments globally for the GSoD Report, with a specific focus on Europe and possibly other regions, ensuring the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender and diversity;
• Contributes to the conceptualization and implementation of the third edition of the International IDEA-wide Global State of Democracy publication, which focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on democracy, by leading and managing GSOD project components/chapters/regional reports, including planning, content development, analysis, coordination of internal and external outputs, editing and quality control, consultations, translations, and the development and implementation of outreach and dissemination strategies for the global and regional chapters assigned to the Specialist, including also budget, activity and results monitoring of these components;
• Coordinates, conducts and provides inputs for representational and outreach activities on GSoD analysis and data (speeches, presentations, workshops) for internal and external audiences with the aim of raising awareness of the analysis, the indices and encourage use.

 GSoD Indices

• Supports the Head of Programme (or Senior Programme Manager) in the management of the annual updates of the GSoD Indices;
• Plays a key role in the quality control of the annual updates of the GSoD Indices;
• Supports, responds to requests and provides advice to International IDEA staff and external users’ requests on the application, analysis and use of the GSOD Indices, including to specific data analysis and data visualization requests, as needed.
• Conducts data analysis of the GSoD Indices and produces research based on findings;
• Conducts representational and outreach activities on the GSOD Indices (speeches, presentations, workshops) for internal and external audiences with the aim of presenting findings and raising awareness on the indices and encourage use;
• Plays a key role in quality control and fact checking of the use and analysis of the GSoD Indices in knowledge products such as the GSoD Report and the GSoD In Focus;
• Generates data visualizations and graphs of the GSoD Indices as inputs to GSoD knowledge products, including of the GSoD Report, the GSoD In Focus and the GSoD Indices website.
• Is responsible for the content update of the GSoD Indices website.

 General Profile

• Combines in-depth knowledge, excellent skills and relevant experience in the field of Democracy Assessment;
• Contributes significantly to assigned projects, provides policy analysis and design as appropriate; Is experienced in convening meetings and discussions, supervising publications and reviewing input from external providers;
• Has contributed to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in his/her broad professional community;
• Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model or mentor for less experienced colleagues;
• 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 a gender and diversity perspective in all activities;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Actively integrates the inclusion of cross-cutting perspectives, including gender and inclusion, sustainable development and conflict sensitivity in the design and implementation of activities.

Reporting Line

• Head of Democracy Assessment

 Programmatic Knowledge

• Has in-depth knowledge and work experience in the field of Democracy Assessment, good governance and political analysis and with the different democracy measurement and assessment methodologies and frameworks, combined with excellent understanding of related disciplines in order to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner;
• Has regional expertise in at least one of the four broad regions that International IDEA is active in: Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and Americas, with a preference for Europe, Asia and/or Africa.

Operational Knowledge, skills and experience

• Integrates a results-based approach into the design, management and evaluation of all his/her programmatic activities;
• Has thorough understanding of developments around the world and how they affect democratic developments more generally, and has in-depth knowledge of developments in at least one of the geographical regions in which International IDEA has regional offices, with a preference for Europe, Asia and/or Africa;
• Is active in the search for information on donors and partners, preparation of reports and project briefs, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, 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 people management responsibility over permanent staff;
• Acts as a model and resource for more junior colleagues;
• May assume project management responsibilities.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves complex problems; approaches issues with new perspectives; proactively analyses situations from a multitude of intervening factors and proposes solutions to address them.

Impact

• Has a clear impact on the programme development and delivery;
• Will also impact other teams and projects in related fields.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises to all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her project; acts and is perceived as an initiator of relevant communication to solve issues;
• Drives projects and assignments through communicative personal energy and engagement;
• Can explain sensitive information with diplomacy, and build consensus;
• Is able to present his/her activities and represent International IDEA effectively in all professional circles;
• Fluency in written and oral English is required; Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region (Arabic, French, Spanish) would be an asset.

Education and Experience

• University Degree in Political Science, Development, or Economics is required;
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in the field of democratization and good governance, within the context of a think tank, research institution, international organization or NGO working in the field of democracy, with specific experience of democracy measurement and assessment;
• Demonstrated experience in conducting research and analysis and drafting of analytical papers and assessments on Democracy Assessment;
• Academic training in statistics and quantitative measurements, as well as mixed methods research;
• Demonstrated working knowledge of a statistical software programme such as STATA, R or SPSS is required; 
• Academic or policy research publication track record;
• Excellent verbal communication in English, and superior technical writing skills in English for a policy-oriented audience;
• Regional expertise of democracy in one or several regions where International IDEA is active, preferably in Europe Asia and/or Africa.

Terms of Contract: 

• International post 
• Two (2) year fixed term appointment. 
• Salary EUR 4 495 NET plus benefits. 

Applying for this position:  

• Applications should be submitted online no later than 24:00 (CET) 30 October 2020.
• All applications must be made in English. 

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