The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance — International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. Its objective is to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. International IDEA acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing knowledge resources, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests. It works together with policy makers, governments, UN organizations and agencies and regional organizations engaged in the field of democracy building.

International IDEA’s notable areas of expertise are: electoral processes, political parties, constitution-building processes, democracy and gender and democracy assessments. International IDEA works worldwide. It is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has offices in Brussels, New York, Latin America, Africa and Asia.



Programme Officer, Democracy and Gender

The main functions of the post are:

*
To support the implementation of the strategic areas under the Democracy and Gender Programme;
* Design and facilitate strategies on women’s political empowerment;
* Contribute to the analysis of trends and key developments in the area of democracy and gender.



Context:

The objective of gender equality is indivisible from International IDEA goal of sustainable democracy worldwide. The Democracy and Gender Programme was established to spearhead gender integration and women’s empowerment in democracy building. The Democracy and Gender Programme focuses its activities in three strategic areas; addressing gender inequalities in democracy including targeted measures to support the political empowerment of women; integration of gender aspects in non-gender specific areas of work where gender is relevant and achieving gender equality in the management and administrative systems of International IDEA.

Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, Democracy and Gender the Programme Officer (Democracy and Gender) substantively contributes to the effective management of International IDEA’s programme on Democracy and Gender.



1. Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the immediate supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, Democracy and Gender the incumbent performs the following duties:



1. Provides operational support and advice for gender mainstreaming in different programme areas;
2. Provides substantive inputs in partnerships and networks to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in democracy building;
3. Develops and supports the commissioning of studies and analysis on gender in democracy;
4. Identifies strategies and opportunities to support women’s participation and representation in positions of power and decision making;
5. Collates and analyses information to enhance the Global Quotas Database Project and maintains comprehensive knowledge base on quotas;
6. Prepares knowledge based drafts on global trends and developments on achieving gender equality in democracy building;
7. Supports networking and partnership initiatives for engaging regional and global organizations to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment;
8. Assists in the design and planning of regional and global activities on knowledge exchange and information sharing on the intersection between democracy and gender;
9. Provides assistance in commissioning studies and analysis including the drafting contracts and Terms of Reference for consultants;
10. Actively integrates the inclusion of a gender perspective in all programming activities;
11. Carries out other duties as assigned by the Senior Programme Officer, Democracy and Gender or any person designated by him/her.

2. Qualifications and skills

Basic qualification requirements:

2.1 Level and type of formal education:

* Minimum BA and preferably a MA in Political Science, Social Science, Gender studies, Development or equivalent.

2.2 Professional experience:

* Minimum of five (5) years experience working in gender focused democracy and governance related areas. Solid knowledge and understanding of the cross cutting nature of gender.
* Relevant field experience in any one of International IDEA's focus regions Latin America, Africa, Asia or the Arab World preferably in the areas of elections, human rights, democracy and governance would be an asset.

2.3 Functional competencies:

* Good level of political maturity, personal initiative and creativity;
* Possess knowledge of major international trends and development in the field of gender in relation to democracy and or governance;
* Ability to relate to and influence senior policy makers, Member States’ representatives etc;
* Excellent analytical, drafting and problem solving skills;
* Good organisational skills and efficiency-driven perspective;
* Good negotiation, advocacy and communication skills, including public speaking, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences;
* Good sense of initiative, ability to set priorities and work under pressure with accuracy and dedication;
* Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan and execute ideas and to transfer knowledge and skills.
* Ability to provide inputs for conceptualising strategies and designing programmes of work;
* ability to analyse and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues;
* Ability to keep abreast of new developments and approaches in democracy and gender;
* Firm belief in gender equality and women’s empowerment;
* Ability to build and maintain broad networks of partners;
* Ability to work both independently, with minimum supervision and in teams;
* Excellent interpersonal skills;
* High analytical capacity;
* Ability to operate effectively in a multi-cultural environment and be Gender-sensitive.

2.4 Work relationships:

* Ability to appreciate diversity and work as part of a team in such an environment;
* Ongoing collaborative contact with International IDEA offices (sub regional, regional and HQ);
* Liaises with partners and donors and coordinates fundraising proposals, budgets and contracts.
* Gender sensitive (awareness, understanding of gender dimensions and use of gender sensitive language).

2.5 Supervisory responsibilities:

* Occasional supervision of Assistant Programme Officers, Research Assistants and/or Interns.

2.6 Independence of work:

* Independent work within the general framework of International IDEA’s Strategy and Programme of Operations;
* General International IDEA guidelines apply.

2.7 Impact of work:

* The work has a direct impact on the implementation of International IDEA’s key impact areas at headquarters, and in regional and country offices, as well as with International IDEA’s strategic partners and existing or potential member states;
* Errors or failure to perform may seriously compromise the capacity of International IDEA to accomplish the goals specified in the work plan.

2.8 Difficulty of work:

* The incumbent is expected to show a high level of professionalism, personal initiative and creativity. S/he will also be expected to possess and continuously update her/his knowledge of major international trends and development in the field of elections, democracy and governance. S/he should be able to work under tight deadlines and to cope with situations of stress and in addition should be willing to travel on official missions. Complex and intellectually demanding work.

2.9 Language skills:

* English: Fluent written and oral
* Other: Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region would also be an asset.

2.10 Computer skills:

* Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office, databases, internet and web search tools.

3. Criteria for Professional Performance

The incumbent of this post is expected to act according to a set of principles when carrying out her/his responsibilities as appropriate to their role, display the following characteristics:

*
Be a Facilitator of Change
*
Get Results/ Be Accountable and Proactive
*
Lead by Example
*
Be a Model of Integrity
*
Celebrate Diversity
*
Be a Team Worker/Builder
*
Strive for Success and Excellence
*
Plan and Organize

Terms of contract: 2 Year Fixed Term Appointment

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

Should internet not be an option, applications can be submitted to International IDEA by fax: +46-20 24 22 or by post: International IDEA, SE-103 34, Stockholm, Sweden