Program Officer-Southern & East Africa

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

The Southern and East Africa team is looking for a Program Officer to contribute to the planning, design, implementation, and execution of one or more designated programs and/or manage a program generally smaller in scope or of less complexity. The Program Office is expected to support NDI’s programming in Sudan. Current programming focuses on women and youth inclusion, civil society empowerment, and democratic transitions. 

Your Purpose and Impact: 

• Serve as a resource and provide general guidance to Project Assistants and Program Associates on basic programmatic procedures and tasks.
• Contribute to the development of detailed work plans to ensure achievement of assigned program(s) objective(s) and expected outcomes, including the establishment of actions to be taken, the required resources (time, funding, staffing, etc.), a schedule/timeline for the actions required, and specific measures/metrics for evaluation at completion.
• Execute required components of established program plans, and perform programmatic assignments in accordance with established expectations and timelines. Monitor progress, identifying problems and barriers and making recommendations to management for necessary adjustments to ensure successful, quality outcomes. 
• Collaborate with team leadership, other team members, and as required across other teams in the development of program concepts and content for proposals, ensuring alignment with broader institutional strategies and approaches. Support the identification and documentation of successful processes/programs, as well as areas where improvements can be made for the establishment/execution of future programs.
• Conduct relevant analysis to determine potential impacts of programmatic work related to program-specific initiatives, plans, and/or problems, as well as review of data and metrics associated with program progress. Draw conclusions and presents findings in a concise and understandable manner with related recommendations for any proposed actions to be taken.
• Draft assigned communications in adherence to specific guidance and substance direction, to include board memos, briefing memos, reports (e.g. quarterly) or portions thereof, work plans, proposals, and presentations, ensuring proper and accurate formatting, spelling, and grammar usage as well as inclusion of required content. Review/edit related drafts prepared by Program Associates and Project Assistants, as required.
• Create and monitor budgets, grants and expenditures for assigned programs, with particular focus on those for larger or complex programs covering multiple field offices. Maintain budget-related notes/documentation and ensure completion of reconciliations and proper application of allowable costs according to restrictions, structures, and established mechanisms/processes. Work to ensure adherence to budget limitations and anticipate/address overages, implementing solutions to budget variances with input/agreement from higher-level team members as necessary. Implement and manage all aspects of subgrants.
• Establish, foster and maintain relationships with field staff, funding agency representatives, and overseas partners to ensure successful program implementation and execution and to articulate new funding proposals and concepts. Brief and/or collaborate to provide briefings to specific country political, civic and business leaders, donor organizations and members of the international community about NDI activities and positively influence and gain needed action for programmatic success. 
• Serve as the point-of-contact for assigned programs, and interact regularly with relevant field offices to support programmatic work and allow for the monitoring and measurement of progress against plans and timing/preparations for required assessments. Act as a liaison with selected members of NGO, funding and Washington policymaking communities, as required. 
• Provide support for local and regional program conferences, workshops and meetings and organizes, as required, cross-functional workshops. Attend and/or represent NDI at selected external events/meetings. 
• Conduct onsite field visits to facilitate/leverage programmatic work through actions such as organizing and/or conducting assessments (e.g. political, new opportunities, adherence to plans, etc.), developing assistance programs, and implementing and/or delivering training programs. Organize delegations abroad, as required.
• Initiate the creation and implementation of field office policies