JOB- Senior Program Officer for Turkmenistan and Central Eurasia, Open Society Institute

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies

JOB- Senior Program Officer, Turkmenistan/Central Eurasia, Open Society Inst.

Posted by: Virginia Moracho <vmoracho@sorosny.org>

Senior Program Officer for Turkmenistan and Central Eurasia
Open Society Institute - New York
March 2008

The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant
democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To
achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure
greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and
safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range
of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and
independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across
borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of
information. OSI places a high priority on protecting and improving
the lives of marginalized people and communities.

Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a
private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his
foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help
countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the
activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United
States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin
America. Each Soros foundation relies on the expertise of boards
composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on
local priorities.

OSIs Central Eurasia Project (CEP) seeks a full-time Senior Program
Officer for Turkmenistan and Central Eurasia to be based in New York,
starting immediately. Working under the supervision of OSIs Director
of the CEP and Middle East Initiatives, the Senior Program Officer
will have the following responsibilities:

Responsibilities:
- Monitor grants through extended site visits, review of narrative
and financial reports and other communication with grantees;
- Work with applicants to develop and finalize grant proposals;
- Liaise with area specialists to identify opportunities for new
projects or prospective grantees;
- Represent OSI in meetings with relevant officials in Washington
D.C., Brussels, and elsewhere;
- Liaise with associated Foundations and non-governmental
organizations in developing complementary strategies and approaches;
- Perform site visits of prospective and current grantees;
- Recommend Central Eurasia grantmaking strategies, priorities, and
guidelines;
- Crafting and implementing international advocacy on Turkmenistan
and other Central Eurasia Project activities
- Collaborating with international advocacy coalitions to promote
information-sharing and joint policy goals.
- Managing a grants program, including soliciting and evaluating
grant proposals in the context of broader policy efforts, and
overseeing due diligence on grants implementation, and supervising 1-2
staff members.
- Communicating with grantees and maintaining and growing a network
of grantees in Caucasus and Central Asia and on the regional and
international level.
- Soliciting policy-related research and coordinating OSI
publications on relevant regional topics.
- Outreach to journalists to promote informed media coverage.
- Extensive collaboration and internal communication with other
divisions of the Open Society Institute, other donors, and advocacy
partners.
- Regular travel to Washington, D.C. and to Europe and Caucasus and
Central Asia.

Requirements:
- Masters Degree or higher
- Excellent organizational, communication, and analytical skills;
- Capacity to work independently and in a team;
- Extensive regional knowledge;
- Strong verbal and writing skills in English;
- Fluency in Russian strongly desirable; knowledge of Turkmen, Uzbek
or other Turkic languages a plus;
- Advocacy experience and strong familiarity with international human
rights norms a plus;
- 10 years experience working in human rights, journalism and with
civil society;
- Knowledge of governance issues within the energy sector a plus;
- Personal discretion in handling issues of human security and
security of information.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience, qualifications. Excellent
benefit package.
Start: Immediately

To Apply: E-mail resume, cover letter and references, by April 4, 2008, to

humanresources@sorosny.org - Refer to job code in subject line SPO/TURK/CEA

OR

Open Society Institute
Human Resources - Code SPO/TURK/CEA
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019

No phone calls, please. The Open Society Institute is an Equal
Opportunity Employer.

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