Head of Democracy Assessment - Stockholm

Context          

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, 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 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 Indices

-          The COVID-19 Global Monitor of Democracy and Human Rights

-          The Global State of Democracy Report

-          Global State of Democracy In Focus

-          Global State of Democracy videos

The Head of DA will strategically lead and manage the DA programme and team, providing intellectual leadership, and leading the conceptualization, content development and quality control of the team’s knowledge products.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads, manages, and provides strategic direction and intellectual leadership on democracy measurement and analysis at International IDEA, including all DA knowledge products (the Global State of Democracy Report, the GSoD Indices, the GSoD In Focus and the COVID-19 Global Monitor on Democracy and Human Rights); 
• Manages a highly motivated team to deliver efficiently, within agreed timeframes and programmatic outputs, budget, and in line with approved procedures and processes;
• Plays a leadership role in conceptualizing, overseeing the drafting, and guaranteeing the analytical quality of the flagship report of International IDEA (the Global State of Democracy Report) and accompanying regional reports, ensuring coherence across chapters and reports and quality control of data and analysis. This requires leading a team of internal and external researchers, consultants, and contributors and coordinating with regional and country offices on their contributions to the GSoD;
• Designs innovative and diverse communications products targeted at a broad audience of policymakers, politicians, academics, and activists, translating complex data into accessible formats;
• Actively builds strategic partnerships and networks for the attainment of the unit´s mandate and institutional objectives and outcomes; represents IDEA at events and forums;
• Engages in mobilizing resources needed for the realization of the unit´s mandate;
• Participates in media interviews to represent International IDEA and shares key findings of the knowledge products produced by the unit.
• Serves as a lead on editing and quality control of DA written knowledge products, reviewing, restructuring, and copy-editing publications;

General Profile

• Combines in-depth knowledge, acquired through academic achievements, excellent skills including managerial skills and expertise in democracy assessment for a policy-oriented audience;
• Has demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of complex knowledge generation projects focused on democracy building, democracy research/assessments or quantitative democracy measurement, supervising the publication cycle, ensuring quality control and reviewing substantive inputs from internal and external providers;
• Is regarded as an expert and authority in his/her broad professional community;
• Extensive experience in producing English-language publications on democracy, including superior conceptualization, analytical, writing and editing skills;
• Strong experience in public speaking, including with media, and presenting for diverse audiences; is experienced in leading meetings and discussions with senior-level stakeholders in both the academic and policy fields;
• Has expertise in crafting policy recommendations on democracy building, strengthening and protection and has an in-depth understanding of political processes;
• Has the intellectual leadership to integrate innovation into his/her field of expertise;
• Fosters team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model and mentor for colleagues;
• Is 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;
• Anticipates internal challenges and issues and recommends process improvements;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism.

Reporting Line

• Director of Global Programmes.

Programmatic Knowledge

• Has excellent knowledge, extensive work experience and is regarded as an expert and authority in own discipline, combined with excellent understanding of related disciplines in order to approach programmatic activities in a holistic manner.

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 relevant programmatic issues in the democracy building field;
• 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;
• Understands and manages the budget and planning of his/her project(s).

Leadership

• Leads a multi-talented team, including staff members and consultants; sets team priorities and manages resources;
• Acts as a model and resource for colleagues.

Problem Solving

• Will solve complex challenges, approach issues with new perspectives, and analyze situations from a multitude of intervening factors.

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 permanently 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;
• Is aware of political sensitivities and 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;
• Is experienced at providing coaching and feedback on the team’s written products;
• English: Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English required; Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region is highly desirable.

Education and Experience

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, political science, law, development studies, or related discipline; PhD is advantageous;
• Academic training and extensive applied experience in policy research on democracy, mixed method research techniques advantageous;
• Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in democracy research, programme design, and management;
• Has experience in advocacy and the designing policy recommendations in the field of democracy, human rights, or governance;
• Has superior English-language writing and editing skills, with expertise in publication production from inception to release;
• Has exceptional communication skills with experience in developing products for diverse audiences and stakeholders;
• Has worked closely with policymakers; understands the policy-making process and demonstrates nuanced political acumen;
• At least five (5) years of experience in managerial positions, including senior level positions;
• Good computer/ICT skills and knowledge of relevant statistical software packages (either R, SPSS or STATA) preferred;
• Additional language skills and regional expertise considered an advantage.

Terms of Contract: 

• International post 
• Two (2) year fixed term appointment. 
• Salary from EUR 6900 NET per month plus benefits. 

Applying for this position:  

• Applications should be submitted online no later than 23:59 (CET) 10 January 2021. Please note that all applications must be made in English.
• You may apply directly by pressing the Send Application button.
• Shortlisted candidates can expect to be contacted by early February 2021.

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