The European Endowment for Democracy is looking for a Deputy Programme Manager to support its flexible democracy support work in Eastern Partnership countries.

This is a great opportunity to join EED in a challenging and varied role. As Deputy Programme Manager, you will be responsible for managing the assessment of applications and providing guidance to applicants, participating in monitoring the progress of initiatives supported, engaging in outreach activities, and monitoring political developments in the Eastern Partnership. In coordination with and under the guidance of the Programme Manager, you will also facilitate knowledge exchange within EED and among the donor community regarding democracy support and developments within the region.

The ideal candidate has professional experience in managing democracy-related projects and programmes, a keen interest in political issues in the Eastern Neighbourhood.

We seek a motivated team-player with a minimum of five years’ programmatic management experience who would be excited to join our international team in Brussels. Ideally part of your experience would stem from on-the-ground civil society work in the Eastern Neighbourhood.

Main functions of the post:

Serving as an expert on the assigned portfolio, contributing to the strategic direction of the EED’s work on the Eastern Partnership;
Providing consolidated input to knowledge management and EED communication and stakeholder management;
Supporting the programme team’s processes, particularly the EED’s grant making, including design, implementation and evaluation, ensuring timely delivery;
Supporting relations with external actors, including EED Country and potentially other service providers;
Overseeing internships and induction of new members of the team;
Providing short- and long-term substitution and back up to managers when requested.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Deputy Programme Manager reports directly to the relevant Programme Manager and shall be responsible for (in addition to the above-mentioned):

Managing the quality assessment of incoming applications to EED, ensuring thorough background checks, EED’s added value, providing coaching and feedback.
Leading on assigned tasks within the portfolio that may include preparing narrative reports for donors, funding proposals, ensuring good horizontal coordination between the programmes and the grants team.
Planning, designing, and implementing events, sometimes in coordination with other external stakeholders.
Ensuring visibility of EED’s work when appropriate through working in close coordination with the Communications team.
Coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing EED-funded initiatives in the Eastern Partnership, liaising with the Programme Manager and MEL Manager.
Engagement with past or current EED partners and with prospective applicants.
Undertaking missions to Eastern partnership countries or elsewhere when required.
Monitoring political developments in the assigned countries to inform EED strategies and programming, liaising with relevant activists in media, human rights, rule of law, conflict resolution, civic education to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field and to guide EED interventions.
Representing EED at events in consultation with the Programme Manager.
Performing other tasks for the Programme Manager or the Director of Programmes.

Qualifications

University degree in International Affairs, Political or Social Science, Law, International Development or related discipline;
At least five years of proven full-time professional experience in grant-giving and/or programme/project management and implementation;
Experience in working with democracy-support donors in government and/or international organisations and/or from civil society;
Substantive understanding of political issues and trends in the Eastern Neighbourhood as well as EU policies towards the region;
Full professional working knowledge of English and Russian (including the ability to draft quality reports for donors);
Well-developed analytical and critical thinking skills;
Solid ICT skills, especially in Microsoft Excel;
High drive for detail and precision;
Ability to keep full confidentiality about all assigned tasks and related documentation as well as capacity to exercise confidentiality, discretion and tact when dealing with diverse groups of people;
High degree of communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills;
Ability to work in an international team and to travel internationally.
Experience working with civil society in Eastern Partnership countries is considered an asset;
Knowledge of other languages of the region would be an asset;

Application

Please make sure you meet all required qualifications before applying. Applicants must upload a short motivation letter, a resume/CV (Europass format required), and contact information for three professional references via the EED recruitment portal. Failure to submit these three documents shall result in the exclusion of the applicant concerned from the selection procedure.

After successfully submitting your application you will receive an automatic email confirming receipt of your application. Please no phone calls/emails/letters.

Applications should be submitted no later than June 1, 2025, midnight (Brussels time).

Selection Process:

Evaluation of qualified candidates will include a written test assessment and up to two (2) interviews.
All candidates will be notified on the status of their application via email once the process has been finalised.

Terms of contract

Located in Brussels, EED’s employment contracts are fully based on Belgian Employment Law.

Indicative GROSS salary for this role is around €5,800 per month plus benefits.

At EED, we recognise that our most important asset is our people. We value the diversity of skills and perspectives our team brings to our work.

EED strives to create a work experience that supports the well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package offers complementary health insurance (CIGNA), meal vouchers, public transport/bike allowance, 13th month salary, holiday allowance, paid holiday and sick leave, possibility for parental leave, weekly teleworking days and annual training opportunities. EED is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The successful candidate will be offered an initial fixed-term contract of two years. Subsequent extensions will depend on available funds and satisfactory performance.

Expected starting time at EED: August 2025.