🇸🇱 Job Vacancies @ Democracy International (DI) – 2 Positions
Democracy International (DI) is recruiting to fill the following positions:
1.) Chief of Party (COP)
2.) Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP)
See job details and how to apply below.
1.) Chief of Party (COP)
Position: Chief of Party (COP) - Sierra Leone
Location:
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Id: 908
# of Openings: 1
Chief of Party (COP)
Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated five-year Elections 2028 Democratic Institution Reform (ELECT 2.0) in Sierra Leone. We anticipate that the activity will bolster citizen engagement in peaceful elections, support electoral reforms, and support Election Management Bodies.
This will be a full-time position based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and will be contingent on award and funding. The anticipated award start date is estimated to be December 31, 2024. This position is open to Sierra Leonean citizens and expatriates.
The COP will lead programmatic, operational, and administrative activities of the activity and will report to DI's Director of Program Management. The COP will be responsible for developing a strong vision and implementation of the program with an evidence-based approach, integrating innovative strategies, and delivering on all objectives of the project. They will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of all staff. They will also provide mentorship and training, as needed, for all staff. The successful candidate must have significant international program management experience in Sierra Leone or other countries with similar settings. They will serve as the primary point of contact between USAID and the DI program.
Essential Job Duties:
The position's responsibilities will include: Programmatic
- Provide technical and strategic leadership on all program activities, including matters of budget, compliance, and reporting;
- Develop regular reports and ongoing activity monitoring consistent with the requirements of DI's cooperative agreement with USAID and with internal reporting requirements;
- Manage the preparation and presentation of all work plans, MEL plans, and reports;
- Collaborate with USAID staff to achieve all program goals;
- Serve as technical lead in designing, implementing, and overseeing the aspects of the activity;
- Represent DI externally at meetings, workshops, and other events;
- Act as a key liaison with the host country government and USAID offices in Sierra Leone and Washington, DC;
- Manage a diverse team of project staff throughout Sierra Leone;
- Provide technical assistance, as needed, to program partners, grantees, and beneficiaries; and
- Manage relationships with local partners and government, civil society representatives and international donor representatives.
Administrative
- Continue to build and lead DI's dynamic local team; eY6O6O3 C0zkId
- Approve expenditures and other financial transactions in accordance with DI and USAID policies and practices; and
- Liaise regularly with USAID, local staff and partners, STTAs, and DI's home office to ensure that deadlines are met and high-quality deliverables are completed and submitted in a timely manner.
Secondary Job Duties:
- Contribute to ongoing Democracy International business development efforts, in Sierra Leone and around the world.
Qualifications:
- The Chief of Party has a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in a senior management position in a program of similar magnitude, preferably in constitutional and electoral reform, election administration, and observation;
- Master's degree or higher in international development, political science, management, or other relevant field;
- 7 years of exceptional experience leading donor-supported development programs of similar size and complexity, including work in constitutional and electoral reform, election administration, and observation;
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate and collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders including government representatives, non-profit associations, CSOs, donors, and academic and research institutes;
- Minimum of 5 years of experience with USAID compliance and reporting requirements as well as a thorough understanding of the USAID regulatory environment;
- Proven success and exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of similar-sized USAID and other international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting, and preferably experience in managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions;
- Understanding of Sierra Leone's economic and political context preferred;
- Demonstrated financial, human resources, procurement, and administration competences; and
- Fluency in speaking and writing in English and exception presentation and communication skills.
Reporting:
- This position reports to Director of Program Management.
- Direct reports will include the DI Sierra Leone Team.
Application Process:
Interested applicants MUST submit a cover letter and CV. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. DI will only contact candidates of interest.
Democracy International maintains the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.
About the Organization: DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 80+ countries.
DI welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for DI employees. DI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at DI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.
2.) Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP)
Position: Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) - Sierra Leone
Location:
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Id: 909
# of Openings: 1
Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP)
Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the anticipated five-year Elections 2028 Democratic Institution Reform (ELECT 2.0) in Sierra Leone. We anticipate that the activity will bolster citizen engagement in peaceful elections, support electoral reforms, and support Election Management Bodies.
This will be a full-time position based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and will be contingent on award and funding. The anticipated award start date is estimated to be December 31, 2024. This position is open to Sierra Leonean citizens only. The DCOP will lead programmatic, operational, and administrative activities of the activity and will report to the Chief of Party. The DCOP will support the Chief of Party to develop a strong vision and implementation of the program with an evidence-based approach, integrating innovative strategies and delivering on all objectives of the project. They will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of operations staff, along with a subset of programmatic staff. They will also provide mentorship and training, as needed, for all national staff. The DCOP will be responsible for grants management, financial and programmatic reporting, procurement, budgeting and financial monitoring, oversight of political reporting and analysis, technical oversight of certain activities, monitoring and evaluation, and responding to funder requests as needed. The successful candidate must be a development professional with significant international program management experience, preferably in Sierra Leonean or other countries with similar settings.
Essential Job Duties:
The position's responsibilities will include:
- Provide expertise on constitutional and electoral reform, election administration, and observation;
- Oversee and manage all areas of operations, including administration, human resources, logistics, procurement, grants management, security, compliance, budgeting and financial accounting, and IT;
- Supervise a team of finance, grants, operations and administrative professionals; provide capacity building and mentoring when necessary, and ensure effective implementation of administrative and financial procedures compliant with DI and USAID policies;
- Oversee grants and sub-contracts administration in compliance with DI and USAID policies and regulations; and
- Build and maintain strong working relations with key internal and external stakeholders, beneficiaries, subcontractors, STTA, and partners.
Secondary Job Duties:
- Contribute to ongoing Democracy International business development efforts, in Sierra Leone and around the world.
Qualifications:
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- Bachelor's degree and relevant work experience of 7 years;
- Minimum of 5 years of experience with USAID compliance and reporting requirements as well as a thorough understanding of the USAID regulatory environment;
- Significant relevant experience in project management and supervising staff;
- Substantial experience working on democracy support, institutional capacity support, civil society, media or other topics relevant to election matters;
- Experience and technical expertise working on constituational and election reform, election administration, and observation.
- Demonstrated skills in planning, conflict management, and budgeting;
- Strong interpersonal skills to effectively coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders;
- Professional fluency in English (both spoken and written) required, knowledge of local languages preferred; and
- This position is open to Sierra Leonean citizens.
Application Process:
Interested applicants MUST submit a cover letter and CV. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. DI will only contact candidates of interest.
Democracy International maintains the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.
About the Organization: DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 80+ countries.
DI welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for DI employees. DI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at DI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.
