Programme Officer - MyCon
Programme Officer - MyCon
International IDEA - The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Yangon, Myanmar
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance - International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. International IDEA’s mission is to support sustainable democratic change by providing comparative knowledge, and assisting in democratic reform, and influencing policies and politics.
International IDEA acts as a catalyst for democracy building; by providing knowledge resources, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests. It works together with policy makers, governments, UN organizations and agencies and regional organizations engaged in the field of democracy building.
International IDEA develops, shares and enables the use of comparative knowledge in its key areas of expertise: electoral processes,constitution building,political participation and representation, democracy and development and democracy assessments.
It also addresses the important issues of gender, diversity, and conflict and security as they relate to democracy.
International IDEA is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and works worldwide through offices in New York, Brussels, The Hague, Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Programme Officer
International IDEA works with democratic stakeholders in Myanmar to consolidate the transition to democracy, contributing to electoral processes, democratic oversight of the parliament, and strengthening of constitutional expertise in the country. International IDEA established its country presence in Myanmar in 2012 and now has offices in Yangon and Naypyitaw.
The Myanmar Constitution Centre project (MyConstitution) supports partners in Myanmar to strengthen their expertise on constitution building with a view to building a home-grown, well-informed, and inclusive constitutional culture.
The project does this by providing:
- On-demand advisory services on constitution building to those involved in negotiating constitutional issues and peace building;
- Tailored learning on a range of constitutional issues relevant to the current transition based on the history of Myanmar and comparative experiences;
- Opportunities for dialogue on constitution building;
- Information Materials on constitutional issues in Myanmar language;
- Tools and support to adapt well-established assessment methodologies to the Myanmar context.
The MyConstitution project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The Programme Officer will be assigned to one of the programme’s partners - The Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security (MIPS). MIPS is a newly established non-governmental, non- partisan “think-and-do-tank” providing principal stakeholders with the insight needed to navigate the opportunities and challenges of the ongoing peace and security transition in Myanmar with the following primary areas of focus:
- Federalism and Constitutional Reform;
- Security Dialogue in the Peace Process;
- Township-based Conflict Monitoring System (TCMS) and Transitional Security Challenges;
- Peace-Building and Development.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Supports MIPS Activities in as much as they are in line with the MyConstitution programme objectives;
- Reports weekly on his/her work for MIPS;
- Supports the implementation of the MyConstitution programme, through contributing to the regular monitoring, reporting and assessment of the programme activities;
- Provides inputs towards planning and budgeting within a Results Based Management framework;
- Identifies new areas of engagement and programming in constitution-building in Myanmar through engaged discussions with national partners;
- Proposes and conducts relevant research and analysis as requested, and in partnership with international and/or national experts;
- Drafts reports and articles on latest developments on constitution-building in Myanmar as requested;
- Presents and facilitates discussions at workshops and trainings for target audiences on constitution-building as requested;
- Facilitates the development and implementation of conferences and/or workshops on constitution building (including drafting the agenda, identifying participants, contributing to logistical arrangements and report writing);
- Represents both MIPS and the MyConstitution programme through participation in meetings and events in Myanmar, and through collaboration with MIPS;
- Collaborates with the Constitution Building Processes team in Global Programme and other regional and global programmes as necessary.
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;
- Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.
Reporting Line
- Programme Manager.
Programmatic Knowledge
- Has in-depth knowledge in own discipline 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.
Education and Experience
- University degree in law, political sciences, public/policy administration, international relations or similar; a law degree is considered an advantage;
- Minimum of five (5) years’ experience, including substantial internship(s), in the field of constitution-building, peace-building, or democratic transition processes;
- Knowledge of the field of development co-operation more broadly and democracy, peace and constitution-building more specifically is considered an advantage;
- Fluency in written and spoken English and Myanmar language is essential; an additional language in an International IDEA region (Arabic, French, Spanish) would be considered an asset.
Terms of Contract
Local Post. Two (2) year fixed-term appointment.
Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Myanmar.
Applying for this position
Applications should be submitted no later than 25 February 2019. Please note that all applications must be made in English.
International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.
