International Republican Institute (IRI) is the premier international democracy development organization. Our nonpartisan, nongovernmental Institute has performed high-impact work in more than 100 countries since 1983, in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa and currently has offices in 40 countries worldwide.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Resident Program Director

Requisition Number: RESID003438
Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full Time
Job Category: Program

Job Summary

• Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:
• Excellence – We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom- We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency- We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.
• The Resident Program Director (RPD) is responsible for all programmatic, personnel, outreach and accounting matters in Nigeria. In consultation with IRI/Washington, the RPD designs and implements a long-range strategy for IRI programs in Nigeria, manages budgets and is responsible for compliance with local laws and regulations governing current funding.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on political and related developments in Nigeria to provide regional and country analysis.
• Serves as the official senior IRI representative in Nigeria, developing credibility with and maintaining good relationships with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. and foreign diplomats and donor agencies, host-country government representatives, and program partners.
• Participates in the substantive design of programs and contributes to the development of new program ideas.
• Oversees the implementation of all program activities ensuring consistency with grant work plans and objectives.
• Establishes, maintains, and develops productive working relationships with relevant stakeholders, consultants, field, and DC staff.
• Oversees all operations related to the IRI field presence and ensures IRI complies with local laws regarding IRI’s legal status in the country and employment of field staff.
• Supervises field staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development, and evaluation process for these staff. Sets specific goals and provides ongoing performance feedback.
• Mentors field staff in program development, finance, work plan development and presentation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, business development, and knowledge management.
• Maintains an understanding of donor and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight.
• Understands a grant’s substantive, financial and compliance requirements.
• Oversees the implementation of all program activities in Nigeria ensuring consistency with grant work plans and objectives, reporting weekly to DC.
• Monitors and approves field office budgets and expenses, in collaboration with DC program staff and the Regional Project Accountant, to ensure that expenditures remain within budget allocations.
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports to DC staff on political and economic developments, and media responses.
• Ensures adherence to monitoring and evaluation plans, including the monitoring of programs and evaluation/analysis of program results.
• Provides information and contributes to sections of quarterly, semi-annual, final, and other relevant reports for funders.
• Anticipates potential problems and trouble shoots project challenges and offers solutions and actively takes part to lead resolution of them with creative and immediate solutions.
• Leads business development efforts, including identifying and seeking out potential new or additional sources of funding with real-time costs estimates for proposal budgets, and/or the development of new program ideas, coordinating with DC staff.
• Actively supports IRI’s communication strategy including IRI’s branding and outreach plans on projects assigned, including drafts and updates program summaries and other outreach materials, drafts web stories, tweets, etc.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate Degree in Political Science, International Relations, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience working in in democracy and governance, working directly with election authorities, political parties, civil society organizations/NGOs, and marginalized groups, including youth, women, and PWDs.
• Record of political party capacity strengthening programming, including improving party structure, organization, platform and policy development, candidate training, campaign financing, constituency outreach, and inter-party dialogue and conflict resolution.
• Background in conflict mitigation programs, including civilian led security initiatives focused on women and youth inclusion.
• Experience implementing activities, including stakeholder dialogue between civil society, political parties, and government actors, that encourage competitive, representative, inclusive, and transparent political and electoral processes.
• Record of technical assistance and support to civil society through sub-grant management.
• Demonstrated experience working with political parties, legislatures, and civil society assessing and enhancing organizational and advocacy capacity, mentoring, and coaching.
• Progressive experience managing complex donor-funded assistance projects, and familiarity with USG regulations and processes.
• Ability to establish strong working relationships with senior government officials, media, civil society, private sector leaders, international donors, and other stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of the politics, economics, history, and culture of Nigeria specifically and of West Africa more broadly.
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated management experience including ability to motivate and manage staff.
• Financial management experience in developing and administering program budgets.
• Ability to prepare, present and negotiate complex and sensitive agreements and/or project proposals with bilateral/multi-lateral agencies and other donor communities.
• Ability to communicate skills and experience to others as a trainer, advisor, or technical consultant; sensitivity to working in advisory role with local organizations and governments.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet program goals.
• Willingness to travel within Nigeria throughout the year.

IRI Total Compensation

• The salary for this position is determined based on a wide variety of factors including but not limited to an individual’s professional experience, qualifications, education and other business needs along with internal equity considerations. Employees are not typically hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are made based on the aforementioned considerations.
• IRI offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, sick and personal) medical/dental/vision insurance, 403(b), and other benefits to eligible to US based employees. Please visit our website to learn more about our benefits offerings.

Application Closing Date
31st October, 2024.