Programme Assistant Coordinator (Eastern Europe)

Programme Assistant Coordinator (Eastern Europe)

EED – European Endowment for Democracy

Brussels, Belgium

EED is looking for a Programme Assistant Coordinator to support its flexible democracy support work in Eastern Europe.

As a minimum, candidates must have a good working level of Russian. Knowledge of other languages of the region, in particular the South Caucasus, would be an advantage.

Candidates should also have at least two years of proven full-time professional experience in civil society-related projects and programmes.

1. Main functions of the post:

• Supporting the implementation of a number of EED grants in close coordination with relevant EED staff;
• Supporting the implementation of capacity building assistance, provision of platforms for grantees, networking amongst grantees and exchanges among the community of practice. Supporting the relevant Programme Staff in monitoring EED grantees, including assessment of narrative reports and communication with grantees;
• Assisting the preparation of reports and other documentation for submission to the relevant donor, with a specific focus on capturing, collecting and recording data, in particular for media grants;
• Supporting assessments of applications and preparing recommendations for EED funding and providing guidance to EED applicants and grantees;
• Assisting in outreach activities and coaching of new potential EED grantees.

2. Duties and Responsibilities:

The selected candidate will work under the guidance of the relevant Programme Manager(s) and reports to the Director of Programmes and shall be responsible for (in addition to the above-mentioned):

• Drafting comprehensive narrative reports for EED’s donors and ensuring timely submission of such reports (with all required supporting documents);
• Supporting development of programme related documents for the assigned countries;
• Assisting the monitoring of the progress of initiatives supported by EED, including assessing narrative reports, collecting information on the initiative from other sources;
• Assisting in outreach activities and coaching of new potential EED grantees;
• Provide assistance and advice to the grantees regarding the activities carried out including advice on donor regulations;
• Assisting the assessment of incoming applications and communication with applicants during the review process, providing coaching when needed;
• Supporting liaison between the grantees and EED’s Communications team to ensure the visibility of certain initiatives;
• Supporting the implementation of capacity building assistance, provision of platforms for grantees, networking amongst grantees and exchanges among the community of practice;
• Assisting Programme Managers in monitoring and evaluation, in liaison with the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager;
• Carrying out on-site monitoring missions, as required;
• Performing other related tasks as required.

3. Key eligibility and selection criteria:

a. Conditions for eligibility:

• preferably be a national or having permanent residence permit of one of the EU/EEA countries or United Kingdom;
• be entitled to his/her full rights as a citizen;
• have completed any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws concerning military service;
• be physically fit to perform his/her duties.

b. Essential selection criteria:

Level and type of formal education:

• degree in Economics, International Affairs, Political or Social Science, Law, International Development, Modern languages or related discipline.

Professional experience:

• at least two years of proven full-time professional experience in civil society-related projects and programmes;
• demonstrated track record in grant-making and/or project management (including reporting);
• experience in working with democracy-support donors in government and/or international organisations and/or from civil society or media support organisations;
• experience in working with civil society in Eastern Europe.

Functional competencies:

• fluent English and good working knowledge of Russian;
• knowledge of any languages of the region, in particular the South Caucasus would be an asset;
• knowledge of grant-making and project management;
• substantive understanding of political issues and trends in Eastern Europe as well as EU policies towards the region;
• field work experience that includes working in Eastern Europe would be an asset;
• experience with media support would be an asset;
• solid ICT skills;
• ability to keep full confidentiality about all assigned tasks and related documentation as well as capacity to exercise confidentiality, discretion and tact when dealing with diverse groups of people;
• high degree of communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills;
• ability to develop strong working relationships internally and externally at all levels;
• high personal and professional culture;
• ability to work in a multicultural environment;
• readiness for duty travel.

4. Application:

Please make sure you meet all required qualifications and experience before applying. Applicants must upload a motivation letter (outlining why they apply for this job, max. one standard page), a CV (Europass format required), and contact information for three references via the EED website. Failure to submit these three documents shall result in the exclusion of the applicant concerned from the selection procedure.

Applications should be made online using “apply” panel on this page. After successfully submitting your application you will receive an automatic email confirming receipt of your application. Please no phone calls/emails/letters.

Applications should be submitted no later than 20 June 2024, midnight (Brussels time). Interviews will be planned in Brussels for short-listed candidates. A written test may be organised.

The information provided in the applications is subject to EU legislation on protection of personal data and confidentiality of information. Applications will be subjected to pre-employment screening & vetting, including criminal records check.

Citizenship of an EU Member State, or permanent residency in the European Union is preferred.

5. Terms of contract:

EED is not an international organisation or EU institution and its employment contracts are fully based on Belgian Employment Law.

Indicative NET salary is around €2,450 per month with standard benefits foreseen under Belgian labour law (meal vouchers, 13^th month salary etc.), with additional medical insurance.

The successful candidate will be offered a fixed term contract of between one and two years.*

Expected start day at EED: September/October 2024
Working place: EED Secretariat located in the centre of Brussels, Belgium.

*Finalisation of this recruitment procedure will depend on availability of donor funding.

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