The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) is seeking to hire an experienced Ethiopian national as Senior Program Officer for NDIs political party strengthening program in Ethiopia. The position will be based in Addis Ababa and will require domestic travel. The Senior Program Officer will report to the Political Party Program Director under the close supervision of the Senior Resident Country Director. The Senior Program Officer will be responsible for liaison and outreach to political parties, provide up to date analysis of the political environment and context, liaise and communicate with research firm and assist in analysis of research data, oversee political party team staff in planning and implementation of program activities with political parties at national and regional level, and work with other staff in the NDI Ethiopia office for successful implementation of the program. The Senior Program Officer will be supervised by the Institute’s Political Party Program Director in close coordination with the Resident Senior Country Director and will be supported by Addis Ababa and Washington, D.C.-based staff.

This position is available immediately.

Responsibilities

• Serve as point of contact on activities of the political party program and provide close oversight of all aspects of daily operations of the program.
• Develop and maintain relationships and communication with program political party partners.
• Produce political analytic briefings.
• Provide assistance in the implementation of the public opinion program including liaison with research firm, data analysis and development of presentation for relevant stakeholders; 
• Take the lead in organizing program events, including conferences, consultations, seminars, workshops and meetings. 
• Take the lead in the forward planning process and update activity plans and budgets for the political party program. 
• Maintain regular and efficient internal communication on the program developments within the political party team and with other program teams.
• Produce letters, program agendas and memos; proofread and edit program materials and documents for accuracy as needed.
• Contribute to developing strategic documents – work plans, reports, project proposals and briefings.
• Contribute to regular monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
• Ensure timely monitoring and evaluation of program activities and collect data for ME&L purposes.
• Provide programmatic assistance to DC staff members as needed

Required Experience

• Undergraduate degree in a field of study related to international development; graduate degree in political science, international relations, public policy, law, or a related field preferred;
• A minimum of six (6) years of experience working in the field of democracy and governance, research, civil society and/or organizational and institutional development;
• Experience in results-oriented program design, strategic planning, and program evaluation;
• Experience with political analysis, research design and data analysis;
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, program political partners at all levels, 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;
• Superior oral and written communications skills to effectively present information in a clear and persuasive manner in English;  Amharic  and other major languages desired;
• Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex program and political issues; and
• Working knowledge of PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications.