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, focusing on our workstreams electoral processes, constitution building, political participation and representation, climate change and democracy and, and digitalization and democracy. We also address gender equality and inclusion and money in politics as they relate to democracy.

The Regional Europe Office (REO) has a strategic objective to support democracy in Europe, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. In Moldova, International IDEA aims to support state and civil society organizations in enhancing the resilience and quality of democratic institutions and processes. Key areas of our engagement relate to electoral integrity, political finance, parliamentary strengthening, and promoting the expertise and capacity of civil society organizations to participate in decision-making.

The incumbent will coordinate International IDEA’s support in monitoring online electoral campaigning, analyzing digital political and electoral influence, and engaging with institutions and partners to strengthen the integrity and transparency of online election-related communication.

The Project Officer will be part of a growing team in Chisinau and Brussels, and will contribute to the implementation and coordination of International IDEA's work in Moldova. The incumbent will focus on the enhancing the integrity of online campaigning and increasing the expertise and capacity of the electoral administration bodies in the oversight of election campaigns.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.  Contributes to the implementation and coordination of International IDEA´s work on enhancing the integrity of online political finance and monitoring online political and electoral campaigns on social media;
2.  Coordinates International IDEAs support in monitoring online political and electoral campaigning; Supports the facilitation of workshops and policy dialogues with key stakeholders aimed at countering disinformation and integrity threats.
3. Contributes to the development and implementation of a robust methodology for monitoring and regulating political and electoral campaigns on social media and online political finance campaigns.
4. Leads day-to-day social-media monitoring for electoral integrity, including setting up queries/dashboards, quality-controlling datasets, and preparing weekly snapshots and rapid-response briefs for electoral authorities and partners.
5. Supports fact-checking, verification, and analysis of online content, using OSINT methods and recognized monitoring tools (e.g., Gerulata Juno, CrowdTangle, Meta Ad Library, TGStat/Telemetr).
6. Structures datasets, visualizes trends (Excel/Sheets; BI tools as a plus), and translates findings into concise dashboards and policy briefs.
7. Monitors, analyzes, and reports on digital political and electoral influence, and engages with relevant institutions and partners, to strengthen the integrity and transparency of online political and election-related communication;
8. Prepares concept notes and supports the development of budgets and work plans for related project activities;
9. Builds and maintains relationships with key stakeholders: including state oversight bodies, electoral institutions, media actors, digital platforms, civil society, and international partners;
10. Coordinates the engagement of experts, prepares contractual documentation, and monitors quality and delivery of outputs in line with International IDEA’s policies and procedures;
11. Oversees the planning and organization of relevant events and workshops, ensuring administrative and logistical aspects are addressed;
12. Monitors and analyzes political and socio-economic developments relevant to online campaigning, political and electoral integrity, and feeds insights into project design and adjustments;
13. Liaises with multilateral and bilateral democracy assistance actors, to ensure synergies, visibility, coordination, and identify areas of further support;
14. Supports project and budget monitoring; contributes to the drafting of implementation, monitoring and donor reports (weekly, quarterly, annual, etc.).

General Profile

• Combines a good knowledge of the state of democracy and governance in Moldova and the broader region, acquired through academic studies in political science, law, social science or related fields, and the relevant work experience;
• Will contribute significantly to assigned projects all along the project life cycle, i.e. from project design and funding to project assessment; will lead meetings and discussions, supervise publications and review input from external providers;
• Contribute to publications on the relevant subject; is recognized as a knowledge resource in their broad professional community;
• Demonstrates data literacy, fact-checking and verification capacity, and ability to translate complex datasets into actionable insights.
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
• Adds value to team-based activities in their unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• 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 diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting line

• Project Manager, Moldova

Education and Experience

• University degree in political science, law, international relations, communication, public administration or related disciplines;
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in democracy and governance in Moldova in the field of elections, anti-corruption, disinformation, political participation and representation, and rule of law;
• Experience in Electoral Risk Management (ERM) and Social Media Monitoring (SMM) is an advantage;
• Proven experience producing concise reports, dashboards, and analytical briefs for decision-makers.
• Experience working on projects relating to digital threats to the integrity of electoral campaigns and campaign finance in social media is essential;
• Knowledge of social media tools, Google Analytics and other relevant tools used in analysis;
• Demonstrated experience in results-based report writing;
• Demonstrated project management experience is essential;
• Experience in resource mobilization, including conceptualization and formulation of successful funding proposals and knowledge of fundraising methods.
• Fluency in written and spoken Romanian and English is required; Russian is an asset.

Terms of Contract:

• Local Post.
• Fixed term appointment until 31st December 2026.
• Remuneration - MDL 66,376 GROSS per month

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 legally authorized to live and work in Moldova 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 (CEST) on 27th October 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.