Context

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance – International IDEA – is an Inter-Governmental Organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide. Its objective is to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. The Institute acts as a catalyst for democracy building by providing global comparative knowledge resources and tools, policy proposals and supporting democratic reforms in response to specific national requests, specifically in electoral processes, constitution building processes, political participation and representation, democracy and climate change, and democracy and digitalization.

Based in The Hague, International IDEA’s Constitution Building Programme (CBP) provides in-country assistance, develops comparative knowledge resources, convenes high level dialogues, and conducts advocacy at the global policy level.

The Associate Programme Officer will manage content and dissemination for ConstitutionNet, generate and promote quality content, and drive innovation and coordinate technical support for the site. The incumbent will also contribute substantively to the research and development of constitution building knowledge resource products.

Duties and Responsibilities

Editor: ConstitutionNet

ConstitutionNet (www.constitutionnet.org) is a dynamic information portal which has become the ‘go-to’ source of information for the constitution building community. It hosts the latest knowledge resources relevant to constitutional change worldwide and features original analyses in its Voices from the Field articles, and relevant news articles and resources from around the web.

• Manages the Voices from the Field Series of original articles – including identifying issues for articles, managing and editing contributions for publication, and dissemination;
• Identifies, summarizes and uploads updates on constitutional reform from around the world;
• Compiles and disseminates a monthly newsletter;
• Manages and updates other content on the site, including Country Profiles;
• Proposes innovative new features for ConstitutionNet;
• Coordinates regularly with the ConstitutionNet technical team to ensure clear organization and functioning of the site.

Research and Writing

• Conducts research on comparative constitutional design, including both primary source (primarily constitutional texts) and secondary source (journal articles, reports, books) research;
• Contributes to the drafting and production of knowledge products (primers, reports, briefs and comparative knowledge) on relevant constitution building topics;
• Assists in the preparation of materials for in-country assistance including power-points, training materials and handouts;
• With support from team members, drafts memoranda on issues relating to comparative constitutional design and constitution building processes for in-country partners.

General Profile

• Requires good understanding of constitutions and in particular comparative constitutional design and constitution making;
• Will contribute to assigned projects in different aspects of the project life cycle, more specifically will conduct research and analysis, will draft various documents (articles, concept notes, agreements, etc.) and will support the projects vis-à-vis all internal and external stakeholders;
• Expected to work independently, as well as collaboratively on joint projects;
• Adds value to team-based activities in their unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute as required;
• Can be expected to travel globally 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 inclusion perspective in all activities.

Reporting line

• Head of Programme, Constitution Building Processes

Education and Experience

• University degree in Political Science, Law, Constitutional Law or a related field;
• Minimum three (3) years of experience working within the field of democracy, rule of law or governance support, preferably in the area of constitution building and/or comparative constitutional law, including substantial internship(s);
• Experience in the professional handling of research and writing tasks;
• Editorial experience is considered an advantage;
• Interest in working with social media, web-based blogs and digital marketing is considered an advantage;
• Experience working on websites is considered an advantage;
• Evidence of past publications (peer-reviewed or non-peer-reviewed) is an asset;
• Experience working in intergovernmental organizations or international NGOs is an advantage.

Terms of Contract:

• Local Post. Start date 01 April 2025
• Temporary Appointment for six (6) months.

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 currently legally authorized to live and work in The Netherlands 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) 16 February 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.