The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) seeks to hire a Program Assistant to support its Ethiopia office. NDI is implementing two new programs in Ethiopia. One program works to strengthen election observation conducted by Ethiopian citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) that work to promote free, fair and credible elections.  A second program works to strengthen internal capacities of political parties in the democratization process and supports local public opinion research to make citizen views widely available. Both programs also work to ensure active participation of women, youth and other communities in electoral and political party processes.

The position of Program Assistant will report to the Program Director. The position will be based in Addis Ababa and will require regular travel within Ethiopia. The position is available immediately.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist with daily implementation of program activities.
• Assist in organizing conferences, trainings, workshops and meetings, and preparing related resource materials.
• Maintain close collaboration with local program partners.
• Conduct research and analysis, as assigned, on topics related to NDI program focus, including political, economic and security developments that may impact the program.
• Create initial drafts of budgets for program activities.
• Draft activity reports and administrative memos.
• Assist in drafting program reports, proposals, concept papers, and work plans.
• Document proceedings and/or provide translation during meetings, trainings, conferences, and workshops.
• Ensure accurate and timely data collection for monitoring and evaluation purposes, in close collaboration with the M&E staff.
• Attend external meetings and events, as assigned, and provide related reports to program directors.
• Assist program directors in responding to requests for information about the work of NDI and its local partners.
• Perform other administrative tasks to support programs.

NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades. Since its founding, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen civic and political organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Salary will be commensurate with experience and NDI’s salary scale.  A competitive benefits package will be provided.  NDI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree in a related field of study.
• A minimum of one-year professional work experience; two years of work experience would be an advantage.
• Experience with community service, political processes or civil society organizations is desired.
• Good interpersonal skills and professionalism, to effectively interact with both Ethiopian and foreign colleagues and organizations.
• Capacity for exceptional timeliness in completing all tasks and deliverables.
• Good teamwork and ability to work well as part of a high performing team.
• High attention to detail and accuracy in all aspects of work.
• Superior oral and written communication skills in both Amharic and English is required; capacity in another Ethiopian language would be an additional benefit.
• Working knowledge of PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications.