International Republican Institute
Job Description
Position Title –Program Manager, Montenegro
FLSA – Exempt (I-07)
Job Summary:
Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day to day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:
Excellence- We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom- We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency- We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.
Based in Podgorica, Montenegro, the Program Manager (PM) leads the implementation of IRI programming in Montenegro, while working with Washington, DC program staff to design and implement programs. The PM will implement a political party program that aims to develop the capacities of party youth wings and youth political leaders, including designing and delivering trainings and monitoring the program budget. The PM will also be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with Montenegrin political parties and civil society and developing new business opportunities. The PM interacts with IRI Washington headquarters staff, U.S. and host country government officials, and program beneficiaries.
Position Requirements:
- Undergraduate degree and a minimum of five years professional experience in democratic governance and politics.
- Six years in project management or project design, monitoring, and evaluating, preferably working directly with political parties, parliamentarians, and youth on increasing political participation and building individual’s political skills.
- Technical experience developing innovative programming with a political party focus.
- Strong oral and written communication and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively direct or participate in complex negotiations with bilateral and/or multilateral government agencies, other donors, or relevant audiences.
- Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet program needs.
- Extensive experience working with USG funded projects and familiarity with USG regulations and processes, specifically with USAID and the Department of State.
- Willingness to work in a challenging political environment and ability to travel throughout the country.
- Experience identifying and analyzing complex problems and developing creative solutions.
- Experience with financial management, including basic accounting experience necessary to draft and oversee a budget.
- Regional or country-specific experience (Western Balkans; Montengro).
Primary Functions and Responsibilities:
- Monitors, analyzes, and reports on political and related developments in Montenegro to provide regional and country analysis.
- Serves as the IRI representative in Montenegro, developing credibility with and maintaining good relationships with relevant stakeholders, including U.S. and foreign diplomats, donor agencies, host-country government representatives, and program partners in the field and Washington, D.C.
- Participates in the substantive design of new programs and contributes to the development of new program ideas, taking initiative developing on political party and youth programming concepts.
- Supports the implementation of program activities, ensuring consistency with grant work plans and objectives.
- Oversees operations related to the IRI field presence and ensures IRI complies with local laws regarding IRI’s legal status in the country and employment of local staff.
- Supervises local field staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development, and evaluation process for these staff. Sets specific goals and provides ongoing performance feedback.
- Maintains an understanding of donor and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight, as well as a grant’s substantive, financial, and compliance requirements.
- Ensures adherence to program monitoring and evaluation plans.
- Provides information and contributes to sections of quarterly, semi-annual, final, and other relevant reports for donors.
- Anticipates potential problems, troubleshoots project problems, and develops creative and time-sensitive solutions.
- Leads business development efforts, including identifying and seeking out potential new or additional sources of funding with real-time cost estimates for proposal budgets, and/or the development of new program ideas, in coordination with other program staff.
- Actively supports IRI’s communication strategy including IRI’s branding and outreach plans, and drafting program summaries and other outreach materials, such as web stories, tweets, etc.
- Contributes to Weekly Reports to send to Washington, D.C.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education – Required
Bachelor’s in political science or related field. Master’s degree strongly preferred.
Experience – Required
5-7 years of professional experience in program management for democratic governance projects.
Work Environment:
Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The work is performed primarily indoors with occasional exposure to outdoor conditions when required. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Employee’s Responsibility in an Emergency:
The employee is expected to respond to emergency situations involving the safety of fellow employees including evacuation of the building.
Reporting Relationships:
Reports to: Bosnia & Herzegovina Resident Program Director and Europe Regional Director/Deputy Director
Exercises Supervision over: Designated Local Staff
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive nor is it intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, or skills required of an incumbent.
An employee will perform other reasonably-related job responsibilities as assigned by management when required. IRI reserves the right to revise or change job functions as the need arises. Thus, management reserves the right to update and change job descriptions. This job description does not constitute a written contract of employment.
I have received and understand this job description for the position that I am accepting as an employee of IRI. I understand that my performance evaluation and continued success will be based upon the satisfactory fulfillment of this Job Description.
Applications: Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and list of two references to the attention of Borislav Spasojevic (bspasojevic@iri.org) and Randolph Kent (rkent@iri.org) no later than may 20, 2021.
