About Us
The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government. Help support democracy worldwide by joining our team!
About the Role
The Deputy Regional Director plays a critical role on NDI’s Southern and East Africa/SEA team. In collaboration with the Regional Director, the role will include developing and overseeing NDI programs in the region and day-to-day management of the DC-based team, as well as engagement with the donor and policy community. This person should be well organized, detail-oriented, imaginative and highly motivated, and should possess excellent written and oral communication, supervisory and financial management skills. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of the SEA region’s politics and cultures - ideally from prior experience working on the region.
Your Purpose and Impact:

• Under the direction of the Southern and East Africa Regional Director, contributes to the strategic vision for the design, management and evaluation of NDI’s democratic development projects in the region, also in collaboration with senior program staff.
• Plans, assigns and directs work of regional staff in consultation with the SEA Regional Director, including oversight, training and mentoring to members of the SEA Headquarters team and encourages staff cross-training and ongoing growth and development.
• Assumes responsibility for recruiting, managing, evaluating and contributing to the professional development of staff on the regional team, both in Washington, DC, and in the country offices, in consultation with the Regional Director.
• Oversees the regional annual budget and conducts fundraising activities with NDI funders and partners; identifies new funding opportunities and cultivates relationships.
• Serves as one of the team’s key points of contact for functional and administrative staff to ensure institutional integrity of programming and compliance with grant regulations.
• Oversees the production of proposals, reports, memoranda and other publications in a timely fashion, including providing accurate and clear editing and contributing to team products, including prepared remarks.
• Represents NDI in an informed and persuasive manner at appropriate professional meetings with partners, political and civic leaders, donors, supporters and the foreign policy community, and assists in expanding NDI’s public outreach.
• Assumes responsibility for all aspects of NDI’s work in the region, and serves as the point of contact for senior NDI staff, funders and other high-level contacts in the absence of the Regional Director.
• Keeps abreast of political events in the region and their relevance to current and future programming.
• Travels to the region on an as-needed basis to assess new program opportunities, participate in and evaluate current projects, and meet with key program partners, political leaders, donors and others.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in International Relations, political science, public policy or related field, graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum of fourteen (14) year’s experience working in international political development.
• Significant practical experience in at least one of NDI’s core functional areas (civic organizing, governance, political party strengthening and elections processes) with the capacity to analyze multiple issues and develop project-specific recommendations, or extensive experience at NDI.
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated knowledge and understanding of staff management practices and processes and the ability to establish accountabilities and expectations and manage performance to achieve results.
• Prior work experience outside of the United States, preferably in the sub Saharan Africa region.
• Proven program management and project development experience.
• Proven ability to motivate and communicate skills and techniques to others as a manager, trainer, advisor or consultant.
• Action-oriented with a high level of initiative and an advanced level of proficiency in the ability to multitask and prioritize; manage time, perform project management, problem-solving and organizational skills; flexibility to adapt and respond to shifting priorities.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to interact effectively and diplomatically with individuals at all levels of the organization, as well as externally both domestically and internationally with NDI partners, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Exceptional analytical skills for interpreting complex program and political issues.
• Ability to articulate NDI’s institutional interests in an informed and persuasive manner to external constituencies and colleagues.
• Financial management skills and familiarity with grant funding, budget and accounting procedures.
• Familiarity with compliance requirements for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and other donors.
• Superior oral and written communication skills to present information, respond to questions from the public, and provide substantive inputs to proposals and memos.
• Working knowledge of PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications. Familiarity with the Google platform of office programs is a plus.
• Capacity to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team.
• Fluency in a foreign language used in Sub Saharan Africa is a plus.
• Ability and willingness to travel to regional locations, including on short notice and to locations that may be remote and difficult to reach.
• Ability to apply discretion and maintain confidential information.
• Exceptional attention to detail.

What We Offer:
We offer an environment committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as a core part of our culture. We strive to foster empowerment and belonging as these values are 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 a comprehensive benefits package which includes health, dental, vision, a generous PTO policy, flexible schedules, and a 10% employer contribution to the retirement pension.
This position offers an anticipated salary range of approximately $133,600 - $173,700.
Additional Information:
While there may be flexibility for a remote/hybrid work environment, to comply with tax and legal obligations, 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)