Programme Assistant, Regional Europe Programme, Belgium

Context

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. International IDEA’s mission is to support sustainable democratic change by providing comparative knowledge, and assisting in democratic reform, and influencing policies and politics. International IDEA acts as a catalyst for democracy building; by providing knowledge resources, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests.

Through its Regional Europe Programme, based in Brussels, the Institute provides knowledge and technical support to a range of actors in Eastern Europe, including state institutions and civil society organizations. Such support focuses on issues of electoral integrity, 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 Regional Europe Programme is currently recruiting a Programme Assistant to support its programme implementation in Eastern European countries. The incumbent will be responsible for the day-to-day assistance in programming, administration, and basic financial assistance responsibilities under the supervision of the Project Manager, Eastern Europe/Regional Europe Programme. The Programme Assistant will ensure the delivery and progress of project outputs through timely and proper implementation of all administrative, logistical and basic financial processes.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensures effective organization of programme/project activities including conferences, travel, etc in Brussels and in the countries of the programme operation in Eastern Europe;
• Contributes to the programme design and implementation with thematic research and development of written briefs, presentations, knowledge products and related materials;
• Ensures all administrative, logistical and basic financial processes are implemented in a timely manner and in conformity with International IDEA and donor policies and procedures;
• Organizes and coordinates meetings, events and workshops (costing and booking venues, liaising with attendees, organizing travel, etc.); Assists with the preparation of meeting materials and follow-up documents; Specifically, liaises with experts, participants, service providers, and the project team to ensure that activities, both online and in-person, are planned, coordinated, efficiently and effectively;
• Supports the relevant project manager to monitor and track the project implementation time-plan calendar of key events, in coordination with relevant project assistants where relevant, assists with the preparation of documents and maintains records and files for project reporting and documentation;
• Supports the Senior Finance and Administrative Officer and other relevant staff, carries out procurement processes in accordance with donor and organizational policies and procedures including obtaining quotes, support the drafting and monitoring of contracts and agreements and liaising with service providers/partner organisations;
• In coordination with the Senior Finance and Administrative Officer, processes basic procurement transactions in the ERP system and maintains supporting documents including invoices, receipts, cash and bank vouchers and statements in an efficient and timely manner, also assists with monitoring project expenditure;
• As assigned by the Programme Manager, assists with drafting sections of project narrative and financial reports, supports the assembling of financial and other project documentation; support communication with donors as it relates to project implementation;
• Organizes staff travel including preparing, travel advances, travel claims and other associated issues; when applicable, assists project partners and external consultants;
• Provides assistance in ensuring that the internal and external communications related to the project are maintained and kept up to date. This includes the drafting of relevant communication texts for social media channels and other documents, updating the website and internal communication platforms and ensuring adherence to the Donor requirements regarding visibility and communications in donor-funded projects.

General Profile

• Possess knowledge and skills in planning, coordination, and administration of programme support, acquired through formal training and work experience;
• Adds value to team-based activities in their unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute as required;
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision and demonstrates initiative and problem solving skills;
• Can be expected to travel to any geographical area involved in their projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting line

• Programme Manager, Eastern Europe

Education and Experience

• High school diploma and preferably business education; a university background is considered an asset;

• A minimum three (3) years of relevant professional experience (including substantial internships) working in a similar role, within project or programme administration, logistical planning experience and organizing travel and conferences;
• Experience working in the field of democracy, governance, and electoral processes an advantage;
• Experience in working in the non-profit sector or in an international environment is advantageous;
• Experience of working with Donor policies and procedures (including the EU) is considered advantageous;
• Fluent written and oral English language skills are required, knowledge of Russian will be considered as a strong advantage.

Terms of Contract:

• Local Post.
• Fixed term appointment until 31 December 2026.
• Remuneration - EUR 3,727 (Base) per month

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to the relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Belgium for the duration of the contract. International IDEA is not able to support work permit applications. 

Applying for this position:

• Applications should be submitted online no later than 23:59 (CET) 12 November 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 of 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.