National Elections Experts at UNDP, Nigeria

Democratic governance is a concept that emerged from the principles that are based on the understanding that an effective system of democratic governance is one which is based on representative, equitable (across gender and other categories), transparent, accountable and inclusive institutions; a vibrant, responsible and capable media; and a dynamic civil society which is engaged in the political process. Phase 1 of the Democratic Governance for Development Project (DGD I), which commenced in 2010 and ended in May 2011, addressed specific interventions that sought to improve the conduct of the 2011 general elections.

Phase II refocuses the DGD project and redefines its goals ‘to strengthen the democratic character of Nigerian political processes and outcomes.’ To ensure a more focused and streamlined intervention targeted at specific key results areas where there would be no duplication of efforts, especially with other donors within and outside the Joint Donor Basket Fund (JDBF), the DGD Phase II has 4 major components namely: 1) Promoting Credible, Transparent and Sustainable Electoral Processes; 2) Improving the Democratic Quality of Political Engagement; 3) Enhancing Participation by Women, Youth and other marginalized groups and 4) Strengthening Channels of Civic Engagement. The contributors to the project are the European Commission, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). A Project Management Unit (PMU) runs the project under the leadership of the UNDP.

Under the strategic direction of the technical advisor, the National Elections Expert will facilitate capacity support to Nigeria’s electoral management bodies at federal and state levels (i.e. INEC, SIECs) and other electoral partners and stakeholders to ensure the achievement of Component 1 of DGD phase II which is targeted at promoting Credible, Transparent and Sustainable Electoral Process

The United Nations Development Programme is recruiting :

Job Title : National Elections Expert

Type of contract : Service Contract

Location : Abuja, Nigeria

Duration: Initial duration of one year ( with possibility of renewal )


Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

• Provide strategic advice on the electoral process to top level policy and decision makers, based on careful analysis and research
• Provide technical support for the implementation of Component 1 of the Project.
• Work with INEC and SIECs to strengthen their strategic planning, policy and operational capacities including effective engagement with electoral stakeholders (political parties, media and both state and non-state actors)
• Support professional capacity building programmes and collaboration between INEC and SIECs
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Project Director.
• Provide strategic advice on the electoral process to top level policy and decision makers, based on careful analysis and research
• Provide advisory support to policy and decision makers in UNDP, development partners and Government on critical issues in the deepening of democracy and the electoral process
• Conduct and present periodic review of the electoral process based on engagements with, inter alias, the Electoral Management Bodies and civil society, and assessment of media and other reports
• Provide timely reports and analysis on the progress of electoral assistance being provided by the project
• Provide substantive input to the Project Steering Committee in relation to the support to the electoral process derived from best practices and thorough analysis of the Nigerian context.
• Provide technical support for the Implementation of Component 1 of the Project
• Support the implementation of the INEC multi-year Strategic Plan
• Facilitate timely implementation and reporting of activities that are directly handled by INEC/SIECS through Letter of Agreement Modalities (LOAs)
• Facilitate coordination and information sharing among  development partners/International organizations that are directly engaged with INEC/SIECS under technical working groups
• Work closely with other national/international experts of the project, INEC technical advisors and render all the necessary support for the successful implementation of the Project objectives.
• Work with INEC and SIECs to strengthen their strategic planning, policy and operational capacities
• Facilitate the development and implementation of operational plan, internal business policies and processes for INEC and the SIECs
• Facilitate the engagement of INEC in the process of reforming the Legal and Policy Framework for Elections
• Strengthen capacity for timely and effective planning and execution of crucial election related processes including voter registration, civic and voter education, procurement of election materials, polling, vote count and the management of election results
• Render capacity support for INEC and SIECs to effectively engage electoral stakeholders such as state and non-state actors, political parties, media, election observers and the development partners
• Support professional capacity building programmes and collaboration between INEC and SIECs
• Support capacity development activities for the recently restructured directorates and departments of INEC
• Support institutional development for INEC Electoral Institute
• Support professional development of election staff through training of trainers using, among other things,
• BRIDGE
• Facilitate INEC-SIEC cooperation to develop and adopt norms and standards for democratic elections
• Strengthen existing collaborative platforms and networks for SIECs such as the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECONs) to enhance inter-state election monitoring (peer review mechanism).
• The key results impact positively on the overall efficiency of the DGD project including improved business results and client services.
• Accurate representation and linkages provided with the individual in line with the information and a client-oriented approach enhances UNDP’s capability to effectively and efficiently manage programme and projects.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
•  Promotes the shared vision, mission and strategic goals of the partners supporting the initiative
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

• Proven competence in the field of democratic governance, well-informed on both electoral and broader democratic governance issues such as legislative development, the role and potential of the media, civil society in emerging democratic societies, and the participation and role of women, youth and other marginalized groups in politics;
• Conversant with full range of the challenges facing democracy building including elections in Nigeria in particular
• S/he should have a strong grasp of the strategic, policy and operational issues relevant to institutional capacity building especially  in the area of democratic-electoral governance;
•  Ability to appreciate and respond productively to the challenges faced in leading a high-risk initiative in a politically sensitive environment. Ability to maintain calm and poise in high pressure and sometimes provocative situations as well as apply skills in mediation and consensus-building;
• Solid academic background and demonstrated abilities in analysis of complex political situations and providing strategic advice, while maintaining personal detachment
• Strong inter-personal communications and diplomatic skills, with an ability to listen, understand and respond effectively to different and divergent points of view expressed by a wide range of stakeholders. Ability to build strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor work plans
• Proven ability to work under pressure and produce output that is accurate, timely and of high quality. Ability to manage conflicting priorities
• Ability to understand, support and apply tools such as the logical framework, results-based approaches like UNDP’s RBM and PRINCE2.
• Solid knowledge and experience of project management;
• Resourcefulness, good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (Masters) related to democratic governance and development, such as political science, law, economics or any other social sciences.
• Progressively responsible work experience of at least 8 years in electoral processes, including electoral management and support, dealing with policy and technical  advisory work, involvement in research, analysis, publication and/or advocacy in the democratic-electoral governance field, design and execution of capacity development programmes related to elections, electoral project management, including execution of electoral assistance projects preferably funded by development partners (UN or other), promotion of stakeholder/community awareness of and participation in democratic governance preferably with a focus on electoral matters;
•  Profound knowledge of the political and electoral landscape in Nigeria including the key challenges facing the country’s political and electoral processes.
• Relevant experience based on work in a developing and democratizing country including a post-conflict context will be an added advantage
• Strong experience in training, process facilitation, strategic planning, and partnership-building related to electoral processes
• Proven ability to prepare high quality policy briefs, analytical reports, and technical research reflecting global good practice in elections
• Excellent PC user skills: word processing, spreadsheets, databases and web-based research
• Ability to travel within Nigeria and overseas.
• Strong skills in written communications in English particularly in preparing issue-based papers or reports.
• Excellent spoken English is also required.

Application Closing Date
20th August , 2013


Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should :
Click here to apply online


UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.