UNDP Jobs - 45756- Planning and Procedure Specialist

Planning and Procedure Specialist - UNDP/ELECT project

Location :

Kabul, AFGHANISTAN

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

27-Apr-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, statebuilding, 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.

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) lent technical and operational assistance to Afghan electoral bodies throughout the 2009 Presidential and provincial council elections and 2010 parliamentary elections. This included the establishment of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) offices throughout Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

The ELECT II project, commencing in January 2012, provides long-term assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan, focusing on institutional strengthening and capacity consolidation. 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 1974 (2011). This assistance is closely coordinated with UNAMA, UNDPKO and EAD.

The three key outputs for ELECT II are:

Output 1: Operational and technical capacity of the IEC is developed to ensure well organized, future Afghan-led electoral processes;
Output 2: The quality of the national voter registry is improved;
Output 3: Capacity of the IEC to encourage broader democratic participation is strengthened.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Planning Specialist will be part of a team of Specialists supervised and guided by the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and will report on delivery to the Senior Electoral Advisor – Output 1. Her/his primary task will be to advise IEC on the revision of procedures and the strategic planning for the upcoming elections. S/He will be embedded with the IEC and will be responsible for continuously providing technical advice and help to develop the technical capacity of IEC in the relevant areas of the electoral activities. S/he will work closely with the IEC strategic planning unit in the preparation of the upcoming elections as well as the IEC Department for Procedures.

Key responsibilities of the Planning Specialist will include:

Provide support to IEC strategic and operational planning;
Provide advice to IEC concerning the review of election procedures.

Support to strategic planning:

Assist and advise the IEC in its strategic and operational planning for the upcoming election, including planning for staffing, training and budgeting;
Assist capacity building within IEC management regarding strategic and operational planning and budgeting.

Advise concerning the review of election procedures:

Support and advise IEC in an assessment what procedures have to be produced or amended in order to bring them in line with the Afghan electoral law and international best practice and to secure an effective election operation;
Advise and support the IEC in assessing and reviewing all the IEC procedures to improve their efficiency, strengthen the anti-fraud design, and to promote cost effectiveness and sustainability in accordance to the applicable legal framework. S/he will provide advice on how to bring procedures in line with the domestic Afghan legislation, international standards and best practice on democratic elections;
Advise on planning and develop a systematic approach in assessing the IEC procedural framework. S/He will support the IEC in carrying out the procedures review as approved by the IEC;
Plan, design and carry out her/his assignments based on the 2011 IEC Lesson Learnt Report and the IEC Capacity Building Plan to ensure consistency with shared experience and feedback, and identified recommendations;
Contribute to ELECT II regular reporting and will document ELECT II capacity building support for best practice knowledge sharing;
Perform any other assignment as requested by the CTA.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Encourages and strengthens team work;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office;
In-depth knowledge on development issues;
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development of Operational Effectiveness

Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programs and projects, mobilize resources;
Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit;
Strong IT skills;
Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/attitudinal change.

Management and Leadership:

Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy and positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in related field.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of experience providing professional advice in the area of electoral procedures and capacity development in the area of electoral administration and process;
Experience in designing and reviewing procedures of electoral administration and process;
Demonstrated technical skills and knowledge, which are transferable to the Afghanistan environment.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in Written and Oral English is required;
Dari/Pasto desirable.

Interested and qualified International candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://jobs.undp.org/ or http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm .

Please ensure that you upload your UN Personal History Form-P11 (available at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm ) in the relevant field of the on-line applications.

Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date 27 June 2012 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.