Regional Director

About Us

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government.  Help support democracy worldwide by joining our team! 

About the Role

NDI is hiring a Regional Director to oversee the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of its democracy-strengthening programs in the Southern & East Africa region. The Regional Director will lead the Institute’s efforts in addressing key challenges to democratic development in the region, including malign external authoritarian influence; domestic corruption and illiberalism; the exclusion and marginalization of women, youth, and other communities; the growing role of digital technology in political, economic and social affairs; and global shocks, such as pandemics, climate change and food insecurity. The Regional Director will be part of a team of senior leaders at the Institute who work closely with the Executive Office and others in providing guidance on the Institute’s global policies and operations, including supporting and promoting a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects NDI’s values. The position reports to the Chief Programs Officer and is based in the Institute’s headquarters in Washington, DC.  Regular travel throughout the Southern & East Africa region is required.

Your Purpose and Impact: 

• Leads team in representing NDI’s core values -- accountability, transparency, equity, inclusion, pluralism, civic participation, and rule of law -- in its work with colleagues and partners.
• Creates and leads the high-level design of NDI’s regional strategy for a portfolio composed of multiple large-scale, multi-year single-country projects and several regional projects addressing political party development, vibrant multi-party systems, government transparency and accountability; effective and responsive political representation; electoral reform and integrity; inclusive and equitable citizen engagement in politics; information integrity; and defending fundamental freedoms in closed and closing societies. See more details on our website www.ndi.org.
• Anticipates and analyzes trends and events in political, social, and economic developments and gauges their impact on current and future programs.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with NDI partners working in and on Southern & East Africa, including donor and diplomatic communities, senior civic and political leaders from across the political spectrum, government leaders, democracy activists, and representatives of the media, think tanks, and academia.
• Represents NDI’s institutional interests and acts as a thought partner and thought leader in engagements with partners, donors, supporters, and members of the foreign policy community, as well as at professional conferences, thematic events, and other gatherings.
• Maintains an understanding of changing donor and NDI policies and procedures and provides oversight to ensure compliance with NDI and donor regulations and relevant laws.
• Contributes to the communication of NDI’s mission, technical expertise, innovations, and programmatic impact.
• Leads a multicultural team located in Washington, DC, and across the Southern & East Africa region in strategic planning, creative program design, and effective project implementation and assessment.
• Recruits, cultivates, and manages a diverse team in DC and country offices, including oversight of performance appraisals and support for staff professional development.
• Provides leadership and oversight to in-country field teams, ensuring accountability in the execution of program activities and management of operations based on established institutional procedures, local laws, donor regulations, and best practices.
• Establishes and implements communication systems (staff meetings, reporting protocols, knowledge management systems, etc) to ensure effective workflow and productivity, as well as team cohesion.
• Promotes and ensures a professional and respectful workplace environment, reflective of NDI’s values, in DC and country offices.
• Leads overall regional fundraising strategy and supervises complex relations and negotiations with donors.
• Monitors and oversees the department’s overall annual budget and spending strategy to ensure proper stewardship, including review of financial status reports and ensuring compliance with budget management tasks and processes for appropriate fiscal management.

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least twenty years of relevant experience in a progressive leadership role, in an international affairs organization or related environment.