About the job

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 National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) seeks a Resident Country Director with experience leading program support and technical assistance to civil society actors, particularly on political reforms, inclusion, and elections. The Resident Country Director will provide overall leadership for NDI programs, office operations, and staff in Zambia. They will coordinate capacity strengthening for civil society and government actors on open governance issues, citizen election observation and support to youth leadership development and youth-led advocacy campaigns.

Responsibilities include overall management, financial and human resource oversight, donor and partner relations, and strategic development of the program. Additionally, the Resident Country Director conducts regular political analysis, supervises overall security management and operations, manages multiple program budgets, and maintains relationships with Zambian partners, non-governmental entities, the diplomatic community, donor agencies, and other stakeholders. The Resident Country Director will closely coordinate with Washington, D.C.-based staff to manage the programmatic, administrative, financial, and logistical aspects of NDI’s operations. The Resident Country Director will be based in Lusaka, Zambia, and reports to NDI’s Regional Director for Southern and East Africa.

This is a key personnel position and is subject to confirmation of funding and approval by the donor. The position is fully accompanied. This position is being posted at the Resident Director and Resident Senior Director-level but we will make only one hire.

Your Purpose and Impact:

Provide leadership of all country programs and coordinate day-to-day activity implementation and operations;
Monitor programs to determine that programmatic goals are achieved, and operational and reporting requirements are adhered to;
Adjust programmatic activities based on changing political circumstances and in response to needs articulated by local partners and program stakeholders, and in consultation with donors;
Ensure programmatic goals are achieved and adhere to operational and reporting requirements, including written reports to Washington DC that monitor and measure program results and political developments in Zambia;
Present NDI analysis to donors, international organizations, the diplomatic community, and policymakers;
Work with international organizations on the implementation of complementary programming and participate in donor coordination meetings;
Represent NDI and its program at public events and functions;
Serve as the principal liaison between NDI and program donors, regional government officials, legislators and staff, political party leaders, local nongovernmental organizations, and the media;
Establish and maintain working relationships with political actors, civil society organizations, election monitoring groups, women’s groups, ethnic minority and other vulnerable population organizations and leaders, and other program partners;
Assist in identifying and securing additional funding for NDI programs;
Strengthen the capacity of NDI staff to play a substantive role in program development and implementation; and
Keep NDI leadership informed of relevant and significant political developments and programmatic issues.

Minimum Qualifications:

Undergraduate degree, preferably in international development, political science, or management;
Minimum of 14 years of relevant work experience in political and electoral processes, democracy and governance programming, particularly closed society, conflict environment programming, and civil society development;
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with and build relationships with senior political and civic leaders, U.S. and foreign government personnel and policymakers, and members of donor organizations;
Substantial work experience in multiple disciplines of democracy development, including technical assistance to high-level political leaders (required), civic engagement, and civil society development, preferably in Africa;
Experience in managing election-related programs, including working with citizen election observation coalitions or facilitating coalition-building processes and coalition management. Knowledge of advanced systematic election observation methodologies is strongly preferred;
Experience supporting civil society engagement in and advocacy campaigns around political and constitutional reform processes preferred;
Senior-level program management experience, including the development of proposals and workplans, strategic planning, office operations, and the management of fiscal and human resources;
Knowledge of program design, monitoring, and evaluation tools and best practices;
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior political and civil society leaders and members of the donor and diplomatic community;
Exceptional interpersonal and managerial skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, U.S. and foreign government personnel, members of donor organizations, funders, and policy-makers;
Proven capacity to meet program goals while managing financial, administrative, and security responsibilities;
Prior management and implementation of large international development programs funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of State, and other donor governments;
Sound political and negotiation skills and extensive experience in working on complex programs and political issues;
Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex programs and political issues;
Ability to adjust programmatic activities based on changing political circumstances and in response to needs articulated by local partners and program stakeholders;
Ability to motivate and inspire a diverse group of professionals, instilling a strong sense of mission and teamwork in program implementation;
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English required to effectively present information, respond to questions, and negotiate outcomes;
Experience working in low-income countries and an ability to work in a highly challenging and stressful environment;
Experience in implementing democracy and governance programming in the Southern and East Africa region preferred.

Fully Accompanied – A staff member on overseas assignment may bring his/her dependents to the country of assignment and NDI will provide the travel, housing and education allowances to accommodate the presence of accompanied dependents.

What We Offer:

We offer an environment committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as a core part of our culture. We strive to foster empowerment and belonging as these values are central to our mission and to our impact. We believe that diversity in thought helps us solve the complex problems we face around the globe. Additionally, we offer a comprehensive benefits and allowance package based on the country of residency.

Additional Information:

NDI is an equal opportunity employer (EEO). As such, NDI makes employment decisions and provides equal employment opportunity without regard to an applicant’s or employee’s race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state and local laws. As an equal opportunity employer, NDI encourages individuals with disabilities, including disabled veterans or veterans with service-connected disabilities, to apply.

If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please notify NDI’s Human Resources department at Human_Resources_team@ndi.org. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.