Job
Governance/Democracy Specialist
- Organization: Sustainable Research and Development Center
- Location: Iraq
- Deadline: Wed Jul 22 2026
- Category: Monitoring and Evaluation
About this opportunity
## Job Description
SRD Center is seeking qualified consultants to join an evaluation team for an upcoming end-term evaluation assignment in Iraq. The assignment focuses on governance, democratic participation, civic engagement, electoral integrity, media freedom, inclusion, and accountability.
We are currently looking for a Governance/Democracy Specialist with strong experience in evaluating governance, civil society, democracy, elections, human rights, media freedom, accountability, or related development programmes.
The specialist will contribute to the design and implementation of the evaluation methodology, support stakeholder consultations, analyse findings, and provide technical input related to democratic processes, civic participation, inclusive governance, electoral integrity, media freedom, and civil society engagement.
The assignment will use a participatory and mixed-method approach and will require close collaboration with the Team Leader, evaluation team members, local researchers, and relevant stakeholders.
## Tasks
The Governance/Democracy Specialist will be expected to:
- Contribute to the design of the evaluation approach, methodology, tools, and workplan.
- Support the review of project documents, reports, strategies, policies, and relevant literature.
- Provide technical input on governance, democracy, civic engagement, elections, accountability, media freedom, and civil society participation.
- Support the development of interview guides, focus group discussion tools, and consultation protocols.
- Participate in key informant interviews, stakeholder consultations, and/or field visits as required.
- Analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence related to project relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, partnership approach, and added value.
- Assess how the project contributed to democratic processes, inclusive civic participation, media reporting, voter awareness, and prevention of disinformation or electoral violence.
- Ensure that gender, youth, disability inclusion, and conflict sensitivity are reflected in the evaluation analysis.
- Support triangulation of findings from documents, interviews, consultations, and field data.
- Contribute written sections to the inception report, draft evaluation report, final evaluation report, and presentation of findings.
- Review and validate findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations.
- Work closely with the Team Leader and other team members to ensure high-quality and timely deliverables.
Qualifications
Candidates should have the following qualifications:
- Advanced university degree in political science, governance, development studies, human rights, international relations, law, media studies, public policy, social sciences, or a related field.
- At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in governance, democracy, civil society, elections, civic engagement, accountability, human rights, media freedom, or related fields.
- Proven experience contributing to evaluations, assessments, research studies, or programme reviews for international donors or development organisations.
- Strong understanding of democratic governance, civic participation, electoral processes, media freedom, civil society strengthening, inclusion, and accountability.
- Experience with OECD-DAC evaluation criteria and mixed-method evaluation approaches is highly desirable.
- Experience working in Iraq or the wider MENA region is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with EU-funded or other donor-funded programmes is an advantage.
- Strong analytical and writing skills.
- Ability to conduct interviews and consultations with diverse stakeholders, including civil society organisations, media actors, public institutions, women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
- Strong awareness of ethical research principles, conflict sensitivity, inclusion, and do-no-harm approaches.
- Fluency in English is required.
- Arabic language skills are a strong advantage.
- Kurdish language skills are an additional asset.
- Availability to travel within Iraq, if required.
SRD Center is seeking qualified consultants to join an evaluation team for an upcoming end-term evaluation assignment in Iraq. The assignment focuses on governance, democratic participation, civic engagement, electoral integrity, media freedom, inclusion, and accountability.
We are currently looking for a Governance/Democracy Specialist with strong experience in evaluating governance, civil society, democracy, elections, human rights, media freedom, accountability, or related development programmes.
The specialist will contribute to the design and implementation of the evaluation methodology, support stakeholder consultations, analyse findings, and provide technical input related to democratic processes, civic participation, inclusive governance, electoral integrity, media freedom, and civil society engagement.
The assignment will use a participatory and mixed-method approach and will require close collaboration with the Team Leader, evaluation team members, local researchers, and relevant stakeholders.
## Tasks
The Governance/Democracy Specialist will be expected to:
- Contribute to the design of the evaluation approach, methodology, tools, and workplan.
- Support the review of project documents, reports, strategies, policies, and relevant literature.
- Provide technical input on governance, democracy, civic engagement, elections, accountability, media freedom, and civil society participation.
- Support the development of interview guides, focus group discussion tools, and consultation protocols.
- Participate in key informant interviews, stakeholder consultations, and/or field visits as required.
- Analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence related to project relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, partnership approach, and added value.
- Assess how the project contributed to democratic processes, inclusive civic participation, media reporting, voter awareness, and prevention of disinformation or electoral violence.
- Ensure that gender, youth, disability inclusion, and conflict sensitivity are reflected in the evaluation analysis.
- Support triangulation of findings from documents, interviews, consultations, and field data.
- Contribute written sections to the inception report, draft evaluation report, final evaluation report, and presentation of findings.
- Review and validate findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations.
- Work closely with the Team Leader and other team members to ensure high-quality and timely deliverables.
Qualifications
Candidates should have the following qualifications:
- Advanced university degree in political science, governance, development studies, human rights, international relations, law, media studies, public policy, social sciences, or a related field.
- At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in governance, democracy, civil society, elections, civic engagement, accountability, human rights, media freedom, or related fields.
- Proven experience contributing to evaluations, assessments, research studies, or programme reviews for international donors or development organisations.
- Strong understanding of democratic governance, civic participation, electoral processes, media freedom, civil society strengthening, inclusion, and accountability.
- Experience with OECD-DAC evaluation criteria and mixed-method evaluation approaches is highly desirable.
- Experience working in Iraq or the wider MENA region is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with EU-funded or other donor-funded programmes is an advantage.
- Strong analytical and writing skills.
- Ability to conduct interviews and consultations with diverse stakeholders, including civil society organisations, media actors, public institutions, women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
- Strong awareness of ethical research principles, conflict sensitivity, inclusion, and do-no-harm approaches.
- Fluency in English is required.
- Arabic language skills are a strong advantage.
- Kurdish language skills are an additional asset.
- Availability to travel within Iraq, if required.
Monitoring and Evaluation
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