Civil Society/Advocacy Specialist

Management Systems International (MSI) is a global international development firm based in Washington, D.C. providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. MSI is part of Coffey International Development, a global international development consulting firm. Together with Coffey ID, MSI now has more than 1,500 development professionals worldwide, a corporate presence in 11 countries and manages more than 200 projects worldwide. It currently manages more than 20 long-term projects in countries, including Iraq, Sudan, Colombia and Russia. Broadly, MSI implements a range of analytical and field projects in its core technical areas, including democracy and governance, strategic management and performance improvement, organizational capacity building, human development and natural resource management. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project/Proposal Summary:
The Socio Economic Development Activity (SEDA) is designed to increase citizen participation in governance to address regional socio-economic development needs. SEDA addresses the dual challenge of lagging development in regions outside of Baku and lack of opportunity for citizens to engage with their government on issues that affect their lives. The project will establish participatory mechanisms through which key stakeholders can identify and prioritize their social and economic needs at the regional and community levels. It will also help to address those needs through SEDA-funded small infrastructure and citizen participation projects. SEDA will further encourage the GOAJ to institutionalize these participatory mechanisms in the process by which Government of Azerbaijani allocates National budget for regional infrastructure needs. The program will likely begin in September 2011 and run for five years.

Position Summary:
The Civil Society/Advocacy Specialist will be based in Baku and, working closely with project leadership, will implement civil society institutional and public policy advocacy capacity strengthening.

**Please note: This is a local position. Only Azerbaijani nationals are eligible to apply.

Responsibilities:
• In coordination with MSI’s program staff, develop and manage a needs assessment of CSO capacity and priorities regarding socio-economic development programs;
• Lead the development and implementation of NGO capacity, sustainability, and advocacy skills training programs;
• Provide technical assistance to NGOs in strengthening their organizational capacity and developing sustainability plans;
• Provide technical assistance to NGOs in developing and implementing public policy advocacy activities;
• Facilitate development and maintain networks and coalitions of advocacy NGOs;
• Facilitate dialogues between NGOs and NGO coalitions with local/regional government councils to promote socio-economic programs;
• Summarize advocacy efforts by NGOs in reports, success stories, and lessons learned.

Qualifications:
• University degree;
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working with NGOs;
• Strong knowledge of the legal framework for NGOs, as well as issues of NGO capacity and sustainability;
• Proven managerial experience;
• Proven experience in developing and conducting training programs;
• Experience working with USAID programs preferred;
• English language skills preferred.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

To apply, please visit our website:
www.msiworldwide.com.