Resident Senior Program Manager: Disinformation – Eurasia

The National Democratic Institute of International Affairs (NDI) seeks a Resident Senior Program Manager to implement and oversee the Institute’s counter disinformation programming in several countries in Eurasia. The successful applicant will advise NDI staff and partners in civil society, media and political parties on best practices to conduct public opinion research surveys, analyze data and research findings, and use research to design and implement programming to counter disinformation. Work may be conducted remotely initially, but when public health conditions allow, the successful applicant will be based in the Eurasia region. The Resident Senior Program Manager will also represent NDI to the US and other governments, donor agencies, and local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Close coordination with NDI’s Washington headquarters is expected, including regular contact with the Washington-based staff overseeing programs and activities. Some travel may be required.

Responsibilities: 

• Contribute to the development and elaboration of NDI’s information integrity/ counter disinformation strategies for the Eurasia region.
• Work collaboratively with NDI staff and partners in civil society, parties, media, and government to suggest improvements to country-specific activities to promote information integrity/counter disinformation.
• Design guidelines for the region and specific country offices and assist in the implementation of these guidelines.
• Identify opportunities to synthesize country-level counter disinformation/information integrity activities including setting up effective mechanisms for communication among NDI country offices; synthesizing data collection and analysis across the region; facilitating discussions and fostering regional partnerships among stakeholders in governments, parliaments, and civil society.
• Contribute to the formation of global partnerships with NDI-supported information integrity efforts in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere.
• Provide expert assistance on the design and implementation of qualitative and public opinion research on vulnerability or resilience to disinformation, including surveys, focus groups, and innovative research instruments.
• Foster capacity building of partner organizations.
• Identify, and maintain relationships with, key partners in civil society and the donor community.
• Contribute to submission of program-related materials, including regular reports that describe activities, measure and evaluate program results, and lessons learned, as well as tell a broader story about impact.
• Ensure adherence to relevant and applicable policies and procedures, as well as funder/donor regulations, ensuring the integrity of all financial transactions.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent;
• Minimum eight (8) years practitioner experience in democracy and governance (D&G) work, including experience countering disinformation and propaganda, and designing and implementing evidence-based programming.
• Demonstrated experience with best practices for conducting quantitative and qualitative research.
• Experience supervising or mentoring junior staff.
• Exceptional political judgment and analytical skills for interpreting complex political environments, as well as identifying and responding to program opportunities. Creativity and flexibility are a must.
• Demonstrated experience as a participatory trainer, facilitator and trusted advisor.
• Proven capacity to meet program goals as well as financial, administrative, and security responsibilities.
• Exceptional interpersonal, representational, and negotiation skills as well as cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff from multiple countries, members of donor organizations, funders and policy-makers;
• Demonstrated experience working in a cross-cultural environment; experience living and working overseas and an ability to work in a challenging environment is strongly preferred, as is previous experience in former Soviet/Eastern bloc countries.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English required; oral communication skills in languages relevant to Eurasia region a plus;
• Familiarity with Google platform, virtual meeting and webinar technology, and Microsoft Office applications required.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in applying innovative research methods and experimental design, such as split sample information priming experiments, conjoint analysis, and complex randomization;
• Knowledge of social media monitoring, data analysis, and visualization techniques;
• An established track record of working in the counter-disinformation/information integrity field;
• Experience in organizational development with civil society organizations;
• Experience in results-oriented program design, strategic planning, and program evaluation.

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