Country: Norway
Closing date: 17 Nov 2019
The Oslo Center was established in 2006 by former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and former Cabinet Minister Einar Steensnæs, as an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The main areas of work have been peace, democracy and human rights, and through the years the mission of the center has increasingly focused on democracy assistance. The Oslo Center takes a holistic approach to democracy assistance, working with political institutions and processes including political parties, governance actors, civil society and independent commissions and offices. The Oslo Center is assisting our partners in their institutional and organizational strengthening, rather than offering prescriptive programs and activities.
The Oslo Center is seeking a Senior Advisor for our head office in Oslo, to oversee our projects and programs in East Africa. The Senior Advisor will work with the head office in Oslo, and local staff in the Oslo Center Kenya office in Nairobi, Kenya, to manage and implement our democracy assistance projects.
The position reports to the Executive Director and is based in Oslo, Norway, with travel to project countries.
Responsibilities
– Oversee management and implementation of the democracy assistance projects connected to the Oslo Center Kenya (OCK) office.
– Provide training, consultations and technical assistance to project partners on topics including; parliamentary procedures, legislative drafting, political party structures, procedures and processes, and other topics requested by political institutions in project countries.
– Oversee the entire cycle of program implementation, including ensuring that project goals are achieved, as well as complete donor coordination and compliance.
– Manage staff in OCK to follow up and develop their capacities.
– Develop fundraising strategies and manage donor relations in developing and acquiring new projects and programs.
– Build and maintain relationships with key partners in political institutions, civil society and donor community in project countries.
Qualifications
– Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in International Relations, political science or other related fields.
– Minimum 10 years relevant work experience in a comparative field, preferably in democracy assistance, parliamentary experience or positions in political parties.
– Experience in program design and strategic planning.
– A minimum of 5 years of exposure to partnerships development experience, high level diplomatic representation, resource development and fundraising experience.
– Demonstrable track record of contacts in the diplomatic and donor community and working across multiple income streams including the governments, multilateral agencies, EU, corporate and foundations.
– International and/or field experience from East Africa is highly valued.
– Experience managing and developing staff.
Knowledge, skills and languages
– Strong written and oral communication skills in English and Norwegian
– Experience in leading and facilitating workshops and trainings
– Capability of working with sensitivity in a multi-cultural environment and virtual or/and dispersed teams
– Able to undertake strategic thinking and translate this into practice
– Able to network effectively and influence and inspire others including governments, other agencies, and own peers, staff, and partners
– Ability to respond dynamically to a diverse range of context-sensitive requests, often in highly tense and fast paced situations
The Oslo Center seeks the staff to represent the general population, when it comes to both gender and cultural diversity, we therefore encourage women and people with minority backgrounds to apply for the position.
Please note that applicants are required to have a valid Norwegian work permit and fluency in Norwegian language.
How to apply:
To apply for the position please submit your CV and application to post@oslocenter.no by 17th of November 2019. Desired start date is 13th of January 2020.
If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Executive Director Finn Jarle Rode at finnjarle@oslocenter.no or +47 45 61 07 61.
We accept CVs and applications in both English and Norwegian.