Background

UNDP Afghanistan Mission statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, state building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels. UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund, which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

Organizational Context:

Years of conflict have damaged Afghanistan’s economic, political, physical, social and institutional structures. Reconstruction demands a secure environment in which there is credible leadership and enforced rule of law. Strong, legitimate and effective public administration structures, responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens - including the poor – are a precursor to any sustainable development. To this end, UNDP supports Afghan electoral institutions so that they can become more effective vehicles for development.

The UNDP Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) project- phase I (2006 – 2011) provided technical and operational assistance to Afghan electoral bodies throughout the 2009 Presidential and provincial council elections and 2010 parliamentary elections.

The ELECT II project commenced at the end of 2011 and comprises of long-term assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan, focusing on institutional strengthening and capacity consolidation to encourage broader democratic participation. The overarching objective of ELECT-II is to support the national electoral institutions to plan and conduct credible future elections with minimal external support.
Continuing long-term assistance through support to capacity building of national electoral authorities beyond 2010 is in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2041 (2012). This assistance is closely coordinated with UNAMA, UNDPKO and EAD.

The three key outputs for ELECT II are:
  • Output 1:Institutional, operational and technical capacity of the IEC is developed to ensure well organized, future Afghan-led electoral processes;
  • Output 2:The quality of the voter registry is improved to support future electoral operations;
  • Output 3:Capacity of the IEC is strengthened to encourage broader democratic Participation.
With regard to the Presidential and Provincial Elections on 5 April 2014 it is expected that the scope of work of the project will be amended in order to provide support to the upcoming elections in 2014 and the parliamentary elections planned for 2015.

ELECT II has recently conducted a Capacity Development Assessment of all IEC departments which will be the basis for targeted capacity development assistance. The (national or international) Human Resource Development Consultant will be part of a team of advisors providing technical support to the IEC HR Department under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Technical Adviser / Pillar 1. He / she will work closely with the Capacity Development Advisor and the Training & Capacity Building Department in IEC.

Her/his primary task will be to develop and design HR tools and provide advice to the IEC – HR Department to facilitate training, coaching and mentoring and to transfer know-how to IEC colleagues and counterparts. This is to assure that IEC is able to carry out strategic, efficient and transparent HR management and development and to plan activities accordingly.
ELECT II invites qualified national or international experts in this field to apply for this position.

Note:

UNDP Afghanistan reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP Afghanistan at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and education requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Field Operations Specialist will be part of a team of advisors supervised and guided by the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and will report on delivery to the Senior Technical Advisor - Pillar ll. Her/his primary task will be to assess IEC capacity and needs at regional and provincial level. S/He will systematically refer to the 2011 IEC Lesson Learnt Report as source to carry out her/his assignments.

S/He will be embedded with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and will be responsible for continuously providing technical advice, help to build the technical capacity of IEC in the relevant areas of the electoral activities and will work closely with the relevant IEC staff to support the IEC by:
  • Consult with the IEC on Lessons Learnt from past elections and develop recommendations for conducting field operations;
  • Conducting a formal analysis of the existing structure for management of field operations and consult with the IEC to develop proposals for reform based on best practices;
  • Manage the provision of training of IEC management and staff in best field operation practices;
  • Advising the IEC to help-formulate and implement a systematic electoral cycle management framework, including a Strategic Plan leading for future elections;
  • Providing advisory support to enable IEC to strengthen its operational capacity and institutional preparedness for conduct of future election events.
Developing and advising on implementation strategies to strengthening coordination systems between IEC HQ, regional and provincial offices, including:
  • Communication system and procedures;
  • Coordination and compilation of technical briefs and instructions for distribution to regional and provincial offices, while ensuring contribution from relevant parties;
  • Overall coordination and information sharing within the IEC on field operations to ensure effective operations management and planning operations in the field;
  • Development of programme and operational reporting frameworks from IEC provincial and regional units, to HQ, to ensure timely flow and documentation of on-going and completed activities, major developments and issues, as well as challenges for immediate management attention;
  • Guiding the IEC on the formulation and implementation of appropriate security policies, guidelines, and measures, in liaison with relevant Afghan Security Agencies (ANSFs) and the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF);
  • Consulting with the IEC to review, prepare, and disseminate appropriate policies, procedures, and guidelines for different components of the Strategic Plan;
  • Assisting the IEC to forecast political, institutional, technical, financial, and operational risks that may affect implementation of the Strategic Plan, and to support IEC formulate and implement appropriate mitigation measures;
  • Assessing and reviewing the assets management in accordance to Afghan Law, including on coordination of all personnel and material movements;
  • The Operations Specialist (Field-ELECT) will work and coordinate closely with the Logistics Specialist, and other relevant operations and logistics stakeholders;
  • Managing the liaison between the UNDP and IEC on assessing and developing regional and provincial infrastructure as approved by the IEC. The Operations Specialist (Field-ELECT) will advise the IEC on establishing and maintaining a sustainable field presence including, communications, facilities and overall long term sustainability issues. 11. Performing any other tasks as assigned by the CTA or STA.

Competencies

Core Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Treats all people fairy without favoritism;
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi – cultural, multi – ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; good leadership skills and ability to form a team effort;
  • Ability to identify and analyze client’s needs and provide appropriate solutions to meet business requirements.
Functional Competencies:
Knowledge, Management and Learning:
  • Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
  • Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning and applies newly acquired skills;
  • Ability to perform with minimal supervision and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines;
  • Ability to plan, guide tasks and undertakings in coordination with team leader.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
  • Demonstrates planning and organizational skills and the ability to coordinate the work of others;
  • Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • Works to meet tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent project/activities;
  • Ability to convey complex technical concepts and recommendations to non-technical staff at senior levels, both in oral and in written form in a clear and concise style.
Leadership and Self-Management:
  • Supervisory skills and ability to coach, monitor and develop staff;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Ability to plan and secure resources;
  • Excellent communication skills;
  • Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
  • Remains calm in stressful situation;
  • Ability to work in a multicultural environment with sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national counterparts;
  • Advanced computer skills and strong knowledge of various software including Excel, Power Point and Word.
  • Previous experience in Afghanistan will be a distinct advantage;
  • Knowledge on Afghanistan’s culture, tradition and Islamic context is an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Educations:
  • Master degree or equivalent preferably in the field of Management, Political Science, International Relations, Electoral Policy, Law or other related fields.
Experiences:
  • Minimum 7 years of experience in field operations, project management in challenging environments, managing staff and operational systems; Well experienced in electoral operations and capacity development of electoral administration.
Languages:
  • Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
  • Working knowledge of Pashto and/or Dari an asset.
Interested and qualified international candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm and please ensure that to fill up and upload Personal History Form-P.11 which is available at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm in the relevant field of the on-line application.
Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration. Please note that only applications who are short-listed will be contacted.
For more detailed information about UNDP Afghanistan please visit our website at www.undp.org.af
Successful candidates must be prepared to start work within 6 weeks of the offer of appointment.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.