Reports to: Director for Europe and Eurasia Programs    

 

Department: International Programs Division, Europe and Eurasia Team                       

 

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine                                           

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Freedom House  promotes the spread of freedom and democracy around the world through research, advocacy, and programs that support frontline activists.  We are a leader in identifying threats to freedom through our highly regarded analytic reports, including Freedom in the World, Freedom of the Press, Freedom on the Net, and Nations in Transit.  

 

POSITION SUMMARY:

Freedom House's Program Director (PD) oversees and ensures impactful implementation of a diverse portfolio of projects to support civil society and human rights activists in Ukraine to promote democracy and the protection of human rights in Ukraine through supporting, convening and mobilizing human rights defenders, broader civil society and other stakeholders to be the agents of change in Ukraine needed for successful long-term reform. The PD is responsible for leading program strategy and activity design and implementation, ensuring sound financial management, hiring and supervising local staff, organizing and managing Freedom House’s office in Ukraine, managing and expanding donor and program partner relationships, communications, monitoring and evaluation of program activities, and reporting. This position is based in Kyiv, Ukraine and reports to Freedom House's Washington, DC-based Director for Europe and Eurasia Programs. Funding for this position is secured.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Management (40%):

• Lead and oversee all operational aspects of the program, guide strategic direction to make the program adaptive and impactful given the evolving political context;

• Manage a six person team of Kyiv-based staff to successfully execute the program;

• Oversee financial management and program budget, ensuring cost effectiveness in activities, timeliness of performance of all work performed under the program, and compliance with donor regulations and Ukrainian law.

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Program Design and Implementation (40%):

• Build and manage successful working relationships with local civil society partners, donor representatives, and  other relevant stakeholders throughout Ukraine;

• In collaboration with Freedom House HQ staff, lead work planning and scenario planning to continually adapt to the changing political realities in order to deliver impact and meet stated program objectives;

• Develop and implement program activities that strengthen and mobilize local civil society capacity to conduct effective advocacy for democracy and human rights in Ukraine;

• Manage monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes;

• Draft donor reports and other programmatic updates for Freedom House staff and external audiences;

• Coach and mentor staff and partners on technical and programmatic areas. 

 

Public Outreach and Communications (20%):

• Serve as the Ukraine spokesperson for the program and execute a communications strategy as it relates to program activities;

• Network and liaise with broad range of stakeholders including government representatives, civil society organizations, international and regional bodies, and others as appropriate;

• Travel extensively to regions within Ukraine and occasionally within the wider region and the U.S.; and

• Other related duties as assigned. 

 

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

 

Education:     

• Master’s degree in international development, law, public policy, political science, public administration, human rights, or other relevant field or its equivilent in additional experience. 

 

Experience:    

• Experience working with civil society on advocacy initiatives and trainings;

• At least 6 years of senior-level experience in the design, implementation, and management of donor-funded programs of similar size, complexity, and setting;

• Experience living and working on democracy, rights, governance or peacebuilding issues in at least two countries in the wider Europe/Euraisa, experience in Ukraine strongly preferred.

• Experience managing USG grants strongly preferred; and

• Experience in challenging environments and in modifying programming to fit evolving contexts. 

 

Skills:

• Fluency in English, both oral and written, required;

• Working-level fluency in spoken and written Ukrainian or Russian required, with Ukrainian language skills strongly valued;

• Experience working on LGBT+ issues and programming to address hate motivated violence valued;

• Experience as an activist or working with activists, experience with social movements, or peacebuilding valued;

• Demonstrated leadership skills and experience in building and maintaining productive working relationships with a wide network of institutional partners and stakeholders, including host governments, civil society partners, program partners, and donors;

• Ability to design interventions in response to analysis of dynamic and unpredictable social and political contexts;

• Experience in challenging or conflict-affected environments and ability to apply lessons learned from other contexts;

• Demonstrated financial management experience including preparing and managing budgets, contracts, and negotiations, and subgrant management;

• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage a diverse team of employees; and

• Ability to use productivity software such as MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint; and Microsoft Excel.

 

Attributes and Characteristics:

• Eagerness to learn and willingness to embrace change and adapt;

• Exhibit strong and sustained commitment to the mission of Freedom House;

• Show good stewardship in the use of Freedom House resources;

• Respond promptly to stakeholder needs, and solicit stakeholder feedback to improve service quality;

• Exhibit excellent interpersonal and management skills, pleasant demeanor, and ethical conduct;

• Consistently use good judgment when dealing with all contacts and constituents;

• Exhibit high work standards, adherence to policies and procedures, and responsibility for assigned tasks;

• Demonstrate strong desire for excellence, and desire to inspire others to attain professional excellence;

• Assess own strengths and weaknesses, pursue training and development opportunities, and strive to continuously build knowledge and skills;

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively as part of a team; and

• Flexible with a good sense of humor and positive attitude.

 

PRIMARY CONTACTS:

• Internal: U.S. and Ukraine-based employees at Freedom House

• External: Local partners, USAID, U.S. State Department, Government of Ukraine, consultants, other implementers and donors, media, vendors, members of the general public, etc.

 

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• General working office environment in Kyiv, Ukraine; initially remotely in response to pandemic conditions (based in Ukraine);

• Some evening and weekend hours to complete tasks or attend events;

• Travel within Ukraine, the wider Eurasian region and occasional travel to the U.S.;

• Exposed to outside weather conditions when required to complete assigned tasks outside the office; and

• May involve work targeted by extremist groups or travel in regions that are under U.S. travel advisory due to the conflicts in Ukraine's east, political unrest, etc.

 

HOW TO APPLY:  Please send your cover letter and resume to recruitment@broderickhaightconsulting.com with the subject title “FH Program Director”.

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