Job vacancies

National Programme Officer / Political Advisor (NPO)

The main task of the successful candidate will be to assess political and governance development, manage a portfolio of development projects in the Democratic Governance domain of the Swiss cooperation programme in North Macedonia and ensure the relevance of the portfolio. The management of the portfolio includes identification, elaboration, tendering, operational and financial monitoring, steering and evaluation of 2-4  projects with annual budgets of ~€1m each as well as the monitoring of a number of smaller projects. He/she will also prepare reports and briefs about the context, relevance of the projects/portfolio and provide quality input for communication.

Job descriptions (main roles and responsibilities)

  • Management of projects: project cycle management, including identification, elaboration, tendering, operational and financial monitoring, steering and evaluation of projects in the Democratic Governance domain of the Swiss cooperation programme in North Macedonia;
  • Responsible for the political and governance analysis and prepare reports in this regard;
  • Adjust and propose changes to ensure that the program remains relevant and effective at all times;
  • contribute to informed policy dialogue with policy-makers (leadership in the parliament, ministries, other institutions);
  • Advice to the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission on conceptual domain-related matters;
  • Ensure coherence of the portfolio, synergies among the various projects
  • Promote coordination between the development partners active in the field of democratic governance and with the national government.

Required candidate profile

  • University degree in relevant field. Master Degree in Political or Social Sciences, International Relations or similar fields will be considered as an asset.
  • At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including at least 3 years working with a state institution, a donor organisation, an NGO or a private sector organisation on development projects elaboration, implementation, operational and financial monitoring or evaluation in North Macedonia.
  • Proven project and financial management skills
  • Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Excellent command of English, Macedonian and Albanian; other official languages of Switzerland will be considered an asset

Required core competences

  • Good understanding of the context: ability to analyse North Macedonia’s development context in its full complexity, to recognize opportunities for taking action, and to take advantage of the dynamics of political processes to achieve projects’ goals.
  • Personal responsibility and loyalty: ability to take responsibility for tasks given, to act with a high degree of independence within existing rules and procedural requirements, and to behave in accordance with the values and principles of the Swiss development cooperation.
  • Innovative and solution-oriented thinking: ability to analyse systematically large quantities of complex information, think open-mindedly about issues, and take an active and creative approach to solving problems in the course of project design and implementation.
  • Good communication skills: ability to communicate clearly, credibly and effectively orally and in writing with a broad range of stakeholders of the Swiss cooperation programme, including senior representatives of institutions, international organisations, other donors and implementing partners.
  • Work in a team: ability to integrate into the existing team of the Embassy and to contribute constructively to the collaborative achievement of the Swiss cooperation programme’s objectives
  • Flexibility and innovative; transparent and accountable
  • Open minded and critical thinking

Type of post: Full time job position

Application deadline: 8th of February 2023.

Start date: 1st of May 2023 or sooner.

Documents required: Interested candidates with the required profile should send their CV, a one-page motivation letter, and two reference letters at email: kariera@motivi.mk

Nota Bene: We thank all applicants for their interest, however only candidates who are considered for the position will be invited for written and oral interview.

No phone calls please

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) regulary seeks qualified and motivated employees.

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