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 Director (Director) with political party strengthening, civic engagement, and parliamentary experience to manage its democracy support programs in Serbia. S/he/they will possess strong management skills and prior experience implementing democracy development programs. S/he/they will be based in Belgrade, with significant travel throughout Serbia.

The Director will be responsible for overall office management, including financial and human resource management, as well as supervisory responsibility for the design, implementation and evaluation of all NDI Serbia programs. The Director will also serve as Chief of Party for a large program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Director will provide leadership and oversight to a team of talented national staff. S/he/they will be NDI’s principal liaison with representatives of the government of Serbia, political parties and civil society organizations, as well as U.S. government agencies, and U.S. and international donors. Close coordination will also be expected with NDI Washington, including frequent communication with the Washington-based staff.

This position is subject to donor approval. The anticipated start is in July 2024. This is an accompanied post.

Your Purpose and Impact:

• Oversee program implementation to ensure NDI is meeting stated program goals;
• Lead the design and implementation of programming in support of political party development and civic-based public policy discourse.
• Manage and oversee national staff;
• Participate in program monitoring, evaluation, and learning activity. Oversee the development and timely submission of program-related materials and formal donor reporting.
• Coordinate with Serbian and international partners on the implementation of joint programming;
• Establish and maintain close working relationships with political parties, government officials and civil society groups in Serbia, as well as the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the U.S. Department of State, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and other donors. other international organizations based in Belgrade;
• Cultivate partnerships and design new programming in collaboration with the Washington DC-based staff;
• Ensure adherence to NDI/Washington policies, and host-country legal frameworks, and donor regulations.
• Oversee the budget, and ensure the integrity of and justification for all financial transactions in NDI’s Serbia office
• Report on program activities and political developments in Serbia that may affect program outcomes to the Washington, D.C.-based staff on a regular basis
• Oversee the development, review and timely submission of program-related materials, including regular reports that measure and evaluate program results

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, public policy, international development or a related field required. Graduate degree preferred.
• A minimum of 14 years of experience in international development, program management, and program administration.
• Experience in political party programming is a must.
• Additional professional experience in civic programming, gender-sensitive democracy programming, elections, disinformation and malign foreign influence, and minority enfranchisement in the political process is preferred.
• Prior experience managing/implementing USAID-funded programs in-country.
• Proven capacity to develop and sustain institutional relationships with parliamentary, political party, governmental, and civil society leaders as well as international diplomatic and donor organizations.
• Prior relevant experience in the Western Balkans preferred.
• Experience in results-oriented program design, strategic planning, and program implementation and evaluation
• Exceptional cultural sensitivity, and interpersonal and managerial skills 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 manage professional program and administrative teams of at least 10 persons.
• Proven capacity to lead on human resource matters including staff organization, performance appraisal, and performance improvement/discipline.
• Superior oral and written communications skills to effectively present information in a clear and persuasive manner in English.
• Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex program 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
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel, Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, etc.).

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.