Secretary General

Position:  Secretary General

CLOSING DATE: 1 July 2005

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance was created in 1995. It is an inter-governmental organization with 23 member states on all continents, which aims to support sustainable democracy world-wide, working with both new and long-established democracies, assisting in the development of institutions and the culture of democracy. At the interface between research, fieldwork, and the donor community, IDEA uses comparative experience, analysis and dialogue with practitioners to identify examples of good practice and produce tools and guidelines on democracy support. The Institute provides a forum for dialogue, builds networks of experts, develops training materials and provides strategic advice at the  international, regional and national level, cooperating with a
range of organizations. The headquarter of IDEA is located in  Stockholm, Sweden, where the Secretary General is based. The assignment will commence January 1st 2006 or earlier. There are currently six field offices and a staff of about 50 persons. Additional information about International IDEA can be found on www.idea.int

International IDEA’s current activities include:

• Democracy building and conflict management;
• Strengthening electoral processes;
• Developing political parties as actors in democratisation;
• Political participation, including women in politics.

The Position

The Secretary-General heads the Secretariat. He/she reports to the Board and Council for the overall management and for the carrying out of the Institute’s activities. He/she is expected to possess leadership skills and to have a proven management and decision-making record. He/she is required to have a good and open-minded understanding of democratic systems, to be familiar with the practices of democracy assistance and must be able to:

• provide strategic input and guidance on the Institute’s activities;
• intellectually stimulate and inspire a skilled team of professionals;
• instigate creativity and promote knowledge-based ideas and research;
• be in charge of forward planning and resource mobilisation;
• develop strong relations with Member States and other constituencies.

As a team leader, he/she is responsible for the recruitment and supervision of senior staff and ultimately for the Institute’s performance, adherence to its objectives and outcome of its programme activities.
The office of Secretary-General demands a high level of strategic leadership and communication skills. The Secretary-General is expected to liaise with Member States and to represent and promote the Institute and its activities at the highest political level.

Qualifications
A successful candidate for the office as Secretary-General should possess the qualities stated above and show:

• in-depth understanding of the policies and processes contributing to sustainable democracy in different parts of the world;
  
• that he/she is familiar with the international community of organisations;
• a track record of work performed at senior level or position in government and/or an international organization, proving leadership skills;
• experience from working in different countries in different political environments;
• strong interpersonal and communication skills, including working within and motivating international teams of professionals;
• outreach capacity;
• flexibility and a creative problem-solving approach.

He/she should also possess a relevant academic degree at masters or post-graduate level. A candidate should be fluent in English; an understanding of at least one other major world languages is desirable.
 
How to apply

Please send your application and curriculum in English, marked
“LP 572-1544”, not later than 1st of July 2005, to Mercuri Urval, Box 55703, 114 83 Stockholm, Sweden, or via e-mail to apply.se@mercuriurval.com For additional information please contact Mercuri Urval, Rasmus Bing, tel +45 39 45 65 00.