Jobs and Internships

Unless otherwise noted, all positions listed below are with the National Endowment for Democracy. Please read the descriptions and follow the instructions when applying.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom around the world. Read more about the NED.

Applicants must include a cover letter, resume and completed application. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Full-time positions

Internships

Senior Director, Center for International Media Assistance
Posted: May 22, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, with funding from the U.S. Congress, NED makes more than 1,000 grants in support of projects carried out by non-governmental groups working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries. NED’s Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) supports and strengthens media assistance initiatives and highlights the indispensable role independent media plays in the creation and development of sustainable democracies around the world.

The Senior Director will be responsible for the strategic direction of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA); for directing its administrative and operational functions; and for supervising the team. The Senior Director will also build relations with other NED programs, departments, and initiatives, as well as partner with counterpart organizations involved in the development of free and independent media.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Director will:

  • Provide leadership and strategic direction for CIMA, thus strengthening the support of free and independent media throughout the world.
  • Enhance the overall level of research and evaluation in the field of media assistance and development. This includes establishing the scope and purpose of periodic CIMA reports on independent media development and ensuring the most effective outcomes through the highest degree of excellence in the selection of researchers and writers, the oversight of the editing and publishing process, and the promulgation of next steps. In addition, commission and oversee the publication of a comprehensive survey report on the state of the field every several years.
  • Foster the establishment and utilization of networks that bring together funders, media assistance organizations and independent media groups to share experiences and information on independent media topics and to foster an overall collaborative environment.
  • Through community-wide leadership, foster the involvement of the nongovernmental sector in the field of media assistance.
  • Coordinate and fully utilize the CIMA Advisory Council, which provides guidance on the Center’s major projects.
  • Oversee the collection of relevant information and the leveraging of social media and the Internet in advancing CIMA’s overall mission.
  • Oversee the administrative component of CIMA, to include its budget.
  • Supervise, mentor and coordinate the work of the CIMA staff.

Qualifications:

Knowledge/Experience (formal degree requirements and years of relevant job experience required):

  • Masters in international relations, journalism or a related field required.
  • Significant executive experience, including a minimum of 15 years of experience in creating and launching new organizations, in journalism/communications, government and nonprofits.
  • Excellent writing and editorial skills, to include formal publications.
  • Demonstrated leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
  • Self-motivation with respect to prioritizing and meeting critical project milestones and deadlines.
  • Highly innovative in establishing the scope and purpose of conferences, meetings, and other fora.
  • Able to work effectively with all levels of staff to build good working relationships.
  • Proven ability to act as a leader in communicating strategies and ideas.

To Apply:

Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Senior Director, CIMA – Job #1309 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls.

Program Assistant, Middle East and North Africa
Posted: May 21, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom around the world, seeks a Program Assistant. This is an entry-level position on our Middle East and North Africa regional program team. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:
Provide day-to-day administrative and programmatic support to the Middle East and North Africa program staff.

Responsibilities:

  • Ensure logging in of grant proposals.
  • Draft budgets and assist with writing project summaries.
  • Provide support for considering and awarding grants to nongovernmental organizations working on democracy building programs in the assigned region/country.
  • Assist senior director and staff with general administrative duties.
  • Organize events for visiting grantees.
  • Attend and report on relevant conferences, meetings, and other events.
  • Research information on current political developments in the assigned region/country.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
  • Fluency in Arabic (reading, writing and speaking) is required. Preferred candidates will also have language proficiencies in other languages used in the region, including French, Turkish and Farsi.
  • Minimum of 1 year of work experience in an office environment.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills in English.
  • Knowledge of major political and social issues in the MENA region.
  • Administrative support experience.
  • Attention to detail and the ability to multi-task.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
  • Authorization to work in the United States.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Program Assistant, MENA – Job #1313 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls.

Web and Multimedia Communications Assistant
Posted: May 20, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom and democracy around the world, and is seeking a Web and Multimedia Communications Assistant.  The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:
Responsible for shooting and editing event video and managing live streaming of events.  Assist in the day-to-day publishing of the organization’s web sites and help develop new media content, including video stories, photos, and audio.  Assist staff with coordinating social media content development, scheduling and publishing.

Responsibilities:  

  • Develop multimedia content.  Work with staff to develop video stories, event videos, podcasts and other multimedia as needed.
  • Shoot and edit video, capture and process audio, and manage event streaming.
  • Work with Communications staff to maintain and expand web 2.0 initiatives, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
  • Maintain information on sites and social media to ensure accuracy and timeliness
  • Assist in the planning and development of new web projects.
  • Research, write, and edit content for sites, including news, events, and Democracy Stories.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree (in Communications a plus); Minimum of 1 year of experience.
  • Demonstrated web and multimedia skills, including experience with Final Cut video editing software and compressing video for the web.
  • Shooting experience and familiarity with live video streaming a plus.
  • Strong familiarity with web-based technologies, including social networking tools, blogs, and video sharing sites.
  • Experience with Wordpress and Drupal preferred.
  • Excellent interpersonal, and verbal communication skills.
  • Able to manage a high level of detail across multiple projects.
  • Able to demonstrate flexibility and quickly adapt to changes while maintaining high levels of productivity and effectiveness under pressure.
  • Interest in international affairs highly desirable.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references.  Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Web and Multimedia Communications Assistant – Job #1311 in the subject line.  The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Please no phone calls.

Program Assistant, Europe
Posted: March 7, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant-making organization that works to support freedom around the world, seeks a Program Assistant for its Europe Section.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Assist the Europe Program staff with general administrative support;
  • Receive, process and distribute incoming proposals and grantee reports;
  • Respond to inquiries regarding the proposal and grant-making process;
  • Provide support in analyzing proposals, awarding grants, and assessing programs for nongovernmental democracy-building initiatives in non-EU Europe, including Ukraine, Belarus and the Balkans, as well as crossborder programs operating from Europe to Eurasia;
  • Assist in writing proposal summaries and drafting budgets;
  • Maintain a database of contacts in the region;
  • Organize meetings at NED on Europe-related topics;
  • Organize meetings for visiting grantees and provide logistical support for grantee and staff travel;
  • Research information about potential grantees and current political and civil society developments in the region;
  • Attend and report on relevant conferences, meetings and other events in Washington, DC.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in political science, regional studies, international relations, history or other relevant field;
  • Knowledge of the political, civil society and international issues in the region;
  • Strong written and oral communications skills in English and Russian required;
  • Administrative and/or programmatic experience, preferably in the nonprofit sector;
  • Attention to detail and the ability to multi-task;
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Program Assistant, Europe - Job #1302 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls.

Assistant Program Officer, Middle East and North Africa
Posted: March 7, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom around the world, and is seeking an Assistant Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:

Assist with management, administration, development and expansion of grant programs in the MENA region. Support existing grantees and develop prospective grantees.

Responsibilities:

  • Assist in the evaluation of project proposals.
  • Draft summaries of proposals to present at quarterly board meetings.
  • Communicate regularly with existing grantees, often in Arabic.
  • Assist in monitoring the work of existing grantees, including review and analysis of any publications or other products.
  • Tracking political developments in the MENA region.
  • Help organize events to highlight specific democracy-related issues in coordination with the other MENA program members.
  • Travel to the region as needed, and occasionally under difficult conditions, to identify and work with potential new grantees and existing grantees.

Qualifications:

  • Knowledge/Experience:
    ­     —Master’s level education or equivalent knowledge in international affairs, politics, or a related discipline is required.
    ­      —At least 3 years of experience in democracy-related work is required.
  • Other Qualifications:
    ­      —Field experience with NGOs in one or more MENA countries is preferred.
    ­      —Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
    ­      —Excellent written and oral communication skills in Arabic.
    ­      —Knowledge of political issues and trends in the MENA region.
    ­      —Proficiency in other relevant languages of the region, preferably French, is a benefit.
  • Competencies:
    ­      —Proficiency with MS Office is required.
    ­      —High degree of organization and initiative.
    ­      —Experience in grant-making and democratic development is desirable.
    ­      —Excellent interpersonal skills.
    ­      —Demonstrated ability to work in a team.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Assistant Program Officer, MENA — Job #1304 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls.

Audit Assistant
Posted: May 1, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant-making organization that works to support freedom around the world, seeks a an Audit Assistant in the Compliance Department based in Washington, DC.

Position Summary:

The Audit Assistant works under the supervision of the Sr. Director of Compliance to assist a staff of nine auditors in securing grantee expenditure documentation for review, maintaining and updating logs of completed audit reviews, creating and maintaining files, and performing other administrative duties.

Responsibilities:

  • Download pending grant proposals from the GIFTS database and create audit logs by region for each auditor.
  • Update audit logs when the first grant payment has been made.
  • Send out introductory letters, and invoice and daily transaction ledger request letters.
  • Update audit logs and GIFTS whenever invoices or daily transaction ledgers are sent, received or completed.
  • Run a report from GIFTS of all grants which will expire within 60 days and provide them to the auditors.
  • Make copies, create new files and labels, file and pull documents, maintain the audit files and send files to storage.
  • Perform other administrative duties as required.

Knowledge and Skill Level:

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting with a minimum of two years of work experience;
  • Knowledge of a foreign language is a plus.
  • Attention to detail and ability to multi-task; and work with minimal supervision;
  • Strong oral. written communication, and analytical skills;
  • Strong team player, preferably in a multicultural environment;
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel; knowledge of other database application is helpful.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Audit Assistant - Job #1254 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls. 

Audit Associate
Posted: May 1, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization working to support freedom around the world, seeks an Audit Associate. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:
The Audit Associate works under the supervision of the Senior Director of Compliance to assist auditors in securing grantee expenditure documentation for review, maintain and update logs of completed reviews, create and maintain files, and perform auditor functions to alleviate the workload of regional auditors.

Responsibilities:

  • Ensure that Invoice and Daily Transaction Ledger reviews are requested, received, and reviewed; maintain Regional Logs and update the database.
  • Ensure that Financial Questionnaires are received and reviewed; inform grantees of internal control weaknesses; update the Log and database.
  • Ensure that risk assessments are complete; update the Log and database.
  • Determine the financial risk levels of potential grantees and suggest appropriate monitoring during Joint Review Meetings with Grants and Program colleagues.
  • Perform on-site reviews of grantees; make suggestions on improving internal controls; develop audit reports with findings and recommendations; track corrective action.
  • Maintain the Compliance files.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor degree in Accounting or Finance.
  • 3 years of relevant experience.
  • Ability to prepare audit reports with findings and recommendations.
  • Knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint.
  • Commitment to accuracy and timeliness.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Ability to travel.
  • Knowledge of a foreign language, a plus.
  • Knowledge of OMB Circulars A-110 and A-122 a plus.

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, salary history and requirements, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Audit Associate – Job #1240 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org. Please no phone calls.

Internships

Intern, Africa
Posted: May 21, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom and democracy around the world, and is seeking an Intern for the Africa Program. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:

The NED Africa Program is seeking a part-time intern to assist with a book research project on authoritarian governments in Africa, as well as support to program staff on other organizational, clerical, and logistical tasks such as conferences, social networking, country background research, filing, writing, and reporting on events.

Responsibilities:

  • Academic research and fact-checking for a book project.
  • Help plan and organize events.
  • Attend and report on Africa events in Washington, DC.
  • Research on African politics.
  • Support for administrative tasks.

Qualifications:

  • Registered student in a BA or graduate program and able to receive school credit for your internship.
  • Background in Africa.
  • French or Portuguese language ability a plus.

Travel Reimbursement:
This position is unpaid; however, a travel reimbursement of $10 per day is available to offset expenses.

Time Commitment:
Minimum of 20 hours per week.

Anticipated Start/End Date:
June 1 – August 30, 2013

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. Please send to jobs@ned.org, with your name and Intern – Job #1310 in the subject line. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please no phone calls. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org.

Intern, Center for International Media Assistance
Posted: April 26, 2013

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a congressionally funded, private, nonprofit grant making organization that works to support freedom around the world, and is seeking an Intern for the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA). The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary:
The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), an initiative of the National Endowment for Democracy, works to strengthen the support, raise the visibility, and improve the effectiveness of media assistance programs throughout the world. The Center approaches its mission by providing information, building networks, conducting research, and highlighting the indispensable role independent media play in the creation and development of sustainable democracies around the world.

For more information on CIMA, please see www.cima.ned.org, and for more information about NED, please see www.ned.org.

Responsibilities:

  • Researching topics on media assistance and digital media
  • Writing
  • Tracking information from meetings and hearings
  • Assisting with arranging meetings and events

Qualifications:

  • Open to current undergraduate or graduate students
  • Applicants must possess strong computer, writing, and research skills
  • Applicants should have an interest in journalism, international relations, development, or democracy work.

Travel Reimbursement:
This position is unpaid; however, a travel reimbursement of $10 per day is available to offset expenses.

Time Commitment:
Full or Part time for Summer 2013, depending on the intern’s schedule

Anticipated Start/End Date:
May – August 2013

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. Please send to CIMA@ned.org, with your name and CIMA Intern – Summer 2013 – JOB #1308 in the subject line. The deadline for applications is May 17, 2013. The NED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please no phone calls. For more information, please visit our website at www.ned.org.

Intern, Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program, International Forum for Democratic Studies
Posted: April 10, 2013

Position Summary:
The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is seeking a motivated individual to serve as an Intern for summer 2013. This unpaid internship provides professional development opportunities in the area of international exchange, with a focus on publications, including the 2012-2013 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Newsletter; a directory of external assistance programs for “democrats at risk;” and assistance with promotional activities and web development. The intern will interact with the current cohort of Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows in residence at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, the research and publications arm of the NED, and participate in the collegial environment of the Forum, including fellows’ presentations and other NED events.

Responsibilities:

  • Contributing to the drafting, design, and layout of program publications, both print and electronic
  • Developing a directory of external assistance programs for “democrats at risk”
  • Contributing to website development
  • Other duties, as appropriate

Qualifications:

We are seeking a college student or recent college graduate with:

  • experience in desktop publishing, electronic publications, and graphic design (InDesign, Photoshop, etc.)
  • strong research, writing, editing, and communications skills
  • experience with web development and database management
  • interest in international exchange a plus

Travel Reimbursement:
The position is unpaid; however, a travel reimbursement of $10 per day is available to offset expenses.

Time Commitment:
M-F/30 to 40 hours per week. Flexible dates: May-September 2013

To Apply:
Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references and be submitted to jobs@ned.org. Please include your name and RF Intern – Job #1306 in the subject line.

Application Deadline: Friday, May 17, 2013.

The National Endowment for Democracy is an independent, bipartisan, grant making organization funded by an annual Congressional appropriation. Its aims are to promote democratic reform and foster civil society worldwide. The Endowment is also the home of the International Forum for Democratic Studies, the Journal of Democracy, and serves as the secretariat for the World Movement for Democracy. The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is an international exchange program that offers practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world the opportunity to conduct independent research on democracy in a particular country or region. More information can be found at www.ned.org. The National Endowment for Democracy is an equal opportunity employer.