Project Manager, Armenia

Context

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance – International IDEA – is an Inter-Governmental Organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. Its objective is to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. The Institute acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing global comparative knowledge resources and tools, policy proposals, and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests, specifically in electoral processes, constitution building processes, political participation and representation, climate change and democracy, and digitalization and democracy.

Through its Regional Europe Programme (REO), based in Brussels, the Institute provides knowledge and technical support to reform processes aimed protecting the integrity of elections, democratic and inclusive constitution-making processes, parliamentary strengthening and combating political corruption. The Institute integrates gender, diversity and conflict sensitivity aspects across all its programmes.

The REO has a strategic objective to support democracy in Europe, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. In Armenia, the Institute’s work focuses on supporting electoral integrity, particularly in the context of the upcoming 2026 parliamentary elections. The Institute is currently in the process of launching a project in support of the key election administration and oversight stakeholders such as the Central Election Commission (CEC), political parties and civil society organisations. The project will focus on supporting improvements into the oversight of the integrity of electoral campaigning online, managing electoral risks, and strengthening civic awareness and resilience against electoral and information manipulation and interference. The Institute will work in close partnership with the CEC, representatives of the legislative and executive bodies, and civil society stakeholders. Our support is designed to respond to locally identified needs, while also drawing on comparative experiences from countries such as Moldova, Ukraine and other democracies in the region and beyond.

The Project Manager will lead the implementation of International IDEA’s electoral integrity support project in Armenia, ensuring high-quality delivery, alignment with the Institute’s and the EU’s priorities, and effective coordination with partners. The Project Manager will be responsible for the overall direction of the Project, in coordination with International IDEA’s Regional Europe Programme staff, will lead the project planning, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting of all related activities, as well as in the programme development and fundraising.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads the Project’s design, implementation and delivery of activities and outputs applying high-quality thematic expertise in electoral administration, electoral risk-management, oversight of political and campaign finance and civic education for democratic elections;
• Manages the assigned Project throughout the Project life cycle, from strategic planning and Project design, implementation of activities and delivery of Project outputs to the fullest extent;
• Represents International IDEA at various forums, delivering thematic presentations, and participating in high-level discussions, ensuring International IDEA’s visibility;
• Collaborates with colleagues in Brussels and HQ to identify needs, develop project concepts, and lead fundraising efforts with donors based in Yerevan, Armenia;
• Maintains and develops partnerships with key stakeholders in Armenia, including the Central Election Commission, election administration bodies, members of parliament, state ministries, academia, and civil society;
• Fosters closer partnerships and co-creates project interventions with the EU, International IDEA’s Member States and donor agencies based in Yerevan, Armenia;
• Understands and manages the budget of their project(s); is accountable for the Project’s finances and grant management, and ensures that financial planning supports the delivery of the Project’s results and demonstrates value for money;
• Directly manages and leads the coordinated efforts of a team of staff of the Project, as well as of international and national consultants;
• Manages and provides direction, support, and feedback to Project partners on aspects of programming, ensuring that effective capacity building is provided to the Project’s target groups throughout its lifecycle;
• Manages the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) component of the Project, supporting their adherence with the donor and International IDEA’s M&E results framework;
• Oversees the Project risk assessment and management, actively manages risks and regularly updates the risk management strategy in line with International IDEA’s policies and procedures;
• Documents lessons learned, stories, case studies and evidence related to the delivery of the Project’s results, linking to broader policy engagement, communication, publicity, and visibility efforts both locally and internationally.

General Profile

• Acts with integrity and impartiality, and has no active affiliation in any political party, and/or civic or public organizations of political nature and aspirations that have a bearing on the project;
• Has contributed to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in their broad professional community;
• Works with minimum supervision and in collaboration with other programmes and teams within the Institute, the project donors, and external partners and stakeholders;
• Has the intellectual leadership to integrate innovation into their field of expertise;
• Fosters team-based activities; collaborates with other offices and programmes of the Institute;
• Is expected to travel regularly to any geographical area involved in the implementation of the Project’s activities;
• Follows and adheres to internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional and project guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates a rights-based approach, as well as a gender and diversity perspective, in all project activities.

Reporting line

• Programme Manager, Regional Europe Programme.

Education and Experience

• Advanced university degree in social science, political science, international law, international development or other relevant discipline;
• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in the implementation of programmes in the field of democracy support in Eastern Europe. Experience working in Armenia will be considered an advantage;
• Proven experience in elections, including in the functioning of electoral management bodies, electoral systems, electoral risk management, political and campaign finance, and civic education for democratic elections is essential;
• A minimum of three (3) years’ experience in leading sizable projects and managing project teams;
• Proven network of contacts in the fields of civil society, independent media and think-tanks working in the countries of Eastern Europe, including in Armenia;
• Excellent understanding of programming, monitoring and evaluation approaches and procedures is essential;
• Demonstrated experience in report writing and reporting under a results-based management (RBM) system;
• Experience with EU-funded projects and requirements, as well as familiarity with their processes and systems is preferred.
• Fluency in written and oral English is required. Knowledge of Russian is considered an advantage.

Terms of Contract:

• This post is advertised subject to the confirmation of funding
• International Post
• Fixed term appointment until 30 June 2027
• Remuneration - EUR 6,018 NET per month + benefits

Applying for this position:

• Applications should be submitted no later than 23:59 (CEST) 30 September 2025. .
• Please note that all applications must be made in English.

Selection Process:

• Evaluation of qualified candidates will include a written test assessment and up to two (2) interviews.
• Candidates selected to proceed to the next stage of the process will be contacted once all applications have been carefully reviewed.
• All candidates will be notified on the status of their application via email once the process has been finalized

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality