Context

International IDEA is managing a three-year EU funded programme to support Sudan’s transition to a democratic system of government, and to contribute to SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

The programme seeks to support the democratic transition by supporting the establishment of mechanisms for dialogue and consensus building on the transition process; strengthen stakeholders’ capacity for constitution building; enhance stakeholders’ capacity for electoral reform that will facilitate credible electoral processes; and strengthen citizens awareness on the transitional process and broader democratic governance practices. It is anticipated that Sudan’s transition period and processes will provide an opportunity for Sudan’s transition to democracy.

The Programme Officer will contribute to the design and implementation of the Sudan programme, analyses political developments in Sudan and will contribute to monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the programme, as well as the communications and visibility plan.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contributes to the design, planning and implementation of constitution building activities for the Sudan programme;
• Supports the facilitation of capacity building sessions to enhance the capacity of civil society and other stakeholders to engage in constitutional negotiations;
• Contributes to the establishment of multi-stakeholder constitution building dialogue platforms through the facilitation of workshops and dialogue sessions;
• Develops knowledge products relating to Sudan’s transition, and supports the contextualizing and updating of existing International IDEA publications;
• Assesses and analyzes political developments in Sudan and makes recommendations for the update and revision of the programme activities and initiatives;
• Serves as a focal person for the coordination of constitution building activities between International IDEA and the implementing partners, ensuring effective coordination of the programme;
• Develops and maintains of a network of key actors and stakeholders in Sudan, and manages memorandums of understanding;
• Ensures constitution building activities are implemented in accordance with the workplan; Modifies the workplan as necessary throughout programme implementation;
• Contributes to monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of the programme ensuring timely communication to the EU and to International IDEA Headquarters;
• Maintains regular communication with the EU delegation, and provides timely progress reports on programme activities;
• Contributes to the implementation of the communications and visibility plan; Ensures recognition for the programme goals, key messages and the financial support provided by the EU is covered at workshops, and in official publications and media outreach; Contributes to outcome harvesting and storytelling to communicate the achievements and impact of the programme.

General Profile

• Requires in-depth knowledge, excellent skills and relevant experience in their field;
• Will contribute significantly to assigned projects all along the project life cycle, i.e. from project design and funding to project assessment; will lead meetings and discussions, supervise publications and review input from external providers;
• Has contributed to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in his/her broad professional community;
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
• Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model or mentor for less experienced colleagues;
• Can be expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting Line

• Head of Programme

Programmatic Knowledge

• Has in-depth knowledge in the areas of democracy and governance and/or constitution building, peacebuilding, democratic transitions and good understanding of related disciplines to be able to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner.

Operational Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Integrates a results-based approach into the design, management and evaluation of all his/her programmatic activities;
• Has a good understanding of relevant programmatic issues in the key geographical zone where his/her work is implemented – which may imply field experience at some point;
• Contributes to the research of information on donors and partners, preparation of reports and project briefs, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, and all other activities related to resource mobilization and partnership building;
• Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management in past experiences.

Leadership

• No people management responsibility over permanent staff;
• Acts as a model and resource for more junior colleagues;
• May assume project management responsibilities.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves complex problems; approaches issues with new perspectives; analyses situations from a multitude of intervening factors.

Impact

• Has a clear impact on the programme development and delivery;
• Can also impact other teams and projects in related fields.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises to all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her project; acts and is perceived as an initiator of relevant communication to solve issues;
• Drives projects and assignments through communicative personal energy and engagement;
• Can explain sensitive information with diplomacy and build consensus;
• Fluency in written and oral English and Arabic is required. Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region would be an asset.

Education and Experience

• University degree in in political science, international law, international development, peace and development studies or related subject;
• A minimum five (5) years relevant experience working in the field of democracy and governance in Sudan and/or Africa;
• Experience in the field of constitution-building, peacebuilding, or democratic transition processes is required;
• Experience in support to deconcentrated, decentralized institutions will be considered an advantage;
• Experience with EU funded projects will be considered an asset.