Department/Program Summary:

The Fund for Belarus Democracy (FBD) was launched in the summer of 2005, as a project of GMF. It is a multi-faceted, multi-year, and multi-donor democracy promotion program for Belarus. It does so through grantmaking, capacity-building, and networking for civil society in Belarus and, increasingly over the last years, in the Belarusian diaspora. In providing its assistance, FBD works closely with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and the Balkan Trust for Democracy, and it leads GMF efforts to establish the Engaging Central Europe initiative as a fourth civil society trust within GMF. Recently, FBD has also teamed up with BST to provide emergency assistance to civil society in Ukraine.

Job Summary:

The Program Assistant provides support on all aspects of FBD programming. The central task of the position is assistance to and close cooperation with the FBD program team, including support with overall programming, administration and financial management of FBD, outreach to potential grantees and partners, field visits where possible, and monitoring of local and regional dynamics. The Program Assistant also contributes to grantee and donor relations, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting across FBD operations.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities (in order of importance):

• Support with overall programming, administration and financial management of FBD
• Outreach to and communication with civil society in Belarus and the diaspora
• Guidance to Belarusian partners on GMF assistance, advise on FBD processes, capacity-building, and networking
• Maintenance of relevant internal databases and documentation
• Assistance with regular communication with and reporting to multiple donors

Additional Duties/Responsibilities (in order of importance):

• Raising awareness of GMF and FBD programming among potential partners and donors
• Organization of events related to FBD programming

Knowledge and Skills Needed:

• Knowledge of Belarusian civil society and its needs; prior engagement in a Belarusian NGO or civic initiative is an advantage
• Proven organizational skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Belarusian, Russian, and English; other regional languages and/or German are an advantage
• Sound understanding of Belarusian politics and developments in the Eastern Europe region
• Effective interpersonal skills, creative problem-solving, and good judgement
• Willingness to work flexibly and responsibly in a small project team
  
  Education:

BA in international relations, political science, Eastern European studies or a related field.

Legal Status:

Only candidates with a valid work and residence permit in Germany will be considered for this position.

Start and Length

Preferred starting date: June 2022

Duration: 2 years, fixed-term

Compensation: 2,850 EUR/month gross