Regional Director, Eurasia

About Us

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic politics worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government.  Work for democracy and make democracy work by joining our team! 

About the Role

NDI is hiring a Regional Director for Eurasia to oversee the design, development, implementation and evaluation of its democracy strengthening programs in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Turkey. The successful candidate will fill a senior leadership role for NDI and confront a challenging environment characterized by malign foreign influence from Russia and elsewhere. The Regional Director will lead NDI’s work to advance democratic politics and strengthen democratic institutions in these countries, and to address challenges to democratic development in the region, including authoritarian influences; corruption; illiberalism; the political exclusion of women, youth and other marginalized communities; information manipulation; regional and/or local conflicts; and global shocks.

The Regional Director is part of a team of senior leaders at the Institute who work closely with NDI’s executive leadership in articulating, modeling, implementing and ensuring accountability for the Institute’s global policies and operations, including supporting and promoting a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects NDI’s values. The position reports to the Chief Programs Officer, and is based in the Institute’s headquarters in Washington, DC.  Legal residency in the Washington area is required. Although hybrid work is possible, regular in-person presence in the Washington office, and regular travel throughout the Eurasia region, are required for success.

Your Purpose and Impact:

• Lead team in representing NDI’s core values -- accountability, transparency, equity, inclusion, pluralism, civic participation and rule of law -- in its work with colleagues and partners.
• Create and lead NDI’s regional strategy for a portfolio composed of multiple large-scale, multi-year single-country projects and several regional projects addressing an array of issue-areas within democratic development: political party development; multi-party systems; government transparency and accountability; effective and responsive political representation; electoral reform and integrity; inclusive and equitable citizen engagement in politics; information integrity; and defending fundamental freedoms in closed and closing societies. See more details of our programs on our website, https://www.ndi.org.
• Anticipate and analyze trends and events in political, social and economic developments affecting democratic politics in Eurasia, and gauge their impact on current programs and future opportunities.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with NDI partners working in and on Eurasia, including donors (government and nongovernment), diplomatic communities, senior civic and political leaders from across the political spectrum, government leaders, democracy activists, and representatives of the media, think tanks, and academia.
• Represent NDI’s institutional interests and act as a thought partner and thought leader in engagements with partners, donors, supporters and members of the foreign policy community, as well as at professional conferences, thematic events and other gatherings.
• Maintain an understanding of changing donor and NDI policies and procedures and provide oversight of DC and country-based staff and operations to ensure compliance with NDI and donor regulations and relevant laws.
• Contribute to communicating NDI’s mission, technical expertise, innovations and programmatic impact to public, policy making, and other audiences.
• Lead a multicultural team located in Washington, DC and across the Eurasia region in strategic planning, creative program design, effective project implementation and evidence-based learning.
• Recruit and manage a diverse team in DC and country offices, including oversight of performance appraisals and support for staff professional development.
• Provide leadership and oversight to in-country field teams, ensuring impact and learning in the execution of program activities and accountability for management of operations based on established institutional procedures, local laws, donor regulations and best practice.
• Establish and implement effective communication systems (staff meetings, reporting protocols, knowledge management systems, etc) to ensure smooth workflow and productivity, as well as team morale and cohesion.
• Promote and ensure a professional and respectful workplace environment, reflective of NDI’s values, in DC and country offices.
• Lead overall regional fundraising strategy and supervise complex relations and negotiations with donors.
• Monitor and oversee the regional department’s overall annual budget and spending strategy to ensure proper stewardship, including review of financial status reports and ensuring compliance with budget management tasks and processes for appropriate fiscal management.

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least twenty years of relevant experience in progressive leadership roles, in international affairs or related environments.
• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in international relations or a related subject, or equivalent experience. Master’s or other advanced degree preferred.
• Experience leading large, multi-country, donor-funded programs.
• Deep knowledge of the Eurasia region and understanding of comparative political and governance systems.
• Excellent managerial skills, including experience in leading and inspiring multicultural teams.
• Exceptional integrity, and diplomatic and interpersonal skills.
• Competence in substantive areas of NDI programming, such as political party strengthening, civic engagement, legislative strengthening, electoral integrity, public consultation, public opinion research, gender equity and inclusion of marginalized groups.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with the ability to translate complex information into meaningful and plain
• Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex programmatic and political issues.
• Demonstrated ability to manage uncertainty and conflict, as well as maintain composure and demonstrate control in difficult or complex situations.
• Ability to adapt to changing political circumstances and respond to needs articulated by local partners and program stakeholders.
• Proven capacity to meet goals while managing diverse representational, programmatic, administrative, supervisory and other responsibilities.
• Budgeting and accounting skills and knowledge of grant funding procedures.
• Working knowledge of USG and European funding policies and regulations.
• Proficiency with Google Suite tools.
• Ability to travel frequently to international locations.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in one or more languages spoken in Eurasia desirable.

What We Offer:

NDI strives to foster empowerment and belonging as values central to our mission and to our impact. We believe that diversity in thought helps us solve the complex problems we face around the globe. We offer an environment committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as a core part of our culture. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, which includes health, dental, vision, a generous PTO policy, and a 10% employer contribution to the retirement pension.

This position offers an anticipated salary range of approximately $167,200 – 217,400.

Additional Information:

Successful candidates must be residents of MD, DC, or VA, or relocate prior to the start of employment at NDI. Candidates must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. NDI does not provide sponsorship.

NDI is an equal opportunity employer (EEO). As such, NDI makes employment decisions and provides equal employment opportunity without regard to an applicant’s or employee’s race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state and local laws. As an equal opportunity employer, NDI encourages individuals with disabilities, including disabled veterans or veterans with service-connected disabilities, to apply.

If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please notify NDI’s Human Resources department at Human_Resources_team@ndi.org.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Salary : $167,200 - $217,400