Background

As part of strengthening democratic governance in Afghanistan, UNDP is developing the capacity of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to organize democratic elections in Afghanistan. UNDP is managing a multi-donor (22 donors) funded programme, (ELECT), which has most recently supported the voter registration process and organized Presidential and Provincial Council elections on 20 August 2009. The ELECT Project is expected to support the IEC in organizing the parliament election in 2010 and continue long-term assistance for capacity building of the IEC beyond 2010. UNDP support is in accordance with the Security Council Resolution 1806 (2008).  

 

The IEC took over the full mandate of all electoral activities in the country supported by the international community through an extended transition phase from November 2005 to 20 October, 2006. To support the IEC in carrying out the activities needed and to scale up its ability to fulfill its mandate in a sustainable manner the project "Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow" (ELECT) was designed and launched on 14 November 2006.  

 

The August 20 Presidential and Provincial elections were always destined to be historic; because they would be the first ever elections in Afghanistan organized and executed by an Afghan Independent Electoral Commission.  

 

UNDP assistance through ELECT is closely coordinated with UNAMA, UN DPKO and UNDP Headquarters. The ELECT Project in its current version is up to 31st December 2010 and its mandate also includes supporting the IEC in conduct of 2010 parliamentary election and laying the foundation for long term support to electoral process in the country. The total budget of ELECT project is $224million for Presidential and Provincial Councils elections and will be increased for 2010 election.  

 

Note: UNDP 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 at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and education requirements. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief (Technical Specialist (Outreach), and in close collaboration with the Independent Election Committee, the Technical Specialist (Public Outreach) will play a key role in the development and implementation of a voter education system that facilitates the dissemination of information with regard to the electoral process. S/he will be help in the establishment of a national framework for voter education and prepare voter education material and provide quality control.  

 

Specific Responsibilities:  

 

Advises the IEC in the planning, set up, development and implementation of Voter Education: 

·          Advises the IEC in developing, coordinating, managing and implementing the work of the IEC Public Outreach Department (POD) and implementing the IEC Public Outreach campaign; 

·          Works closely with the IEC staff based at the POD; 

·          Assists the IEC POD staff in developing public outreach materials; 

·          Advises on the production of all public outreach materials; 

·          Provides advice on new projects/initiatives designed to contribute to the development or the better implementation of the public outreach campaign; 

·          Ensures that gender is mainstreamed across all the products and activities of POD; 

·          Works closely with the IEC Gender Unit to develop and implement public outreach programmes aimed at increasing the awareness and the participation of Afghan women in the electoral process; 

·          Assists the IEC POD to liaise and create synergies with local and international NGOs, UN agencies, embassies, government departments [Ministry of Women’s Affairs] and national machineries for gender; 

·          Liaises with the IEC External Relations Department to ensure optimal coordination with local and international NGOs and Afghan political parties to improve the knowledge and build the capacity of women to participate as candidates in the election process; 

·          Provides support and assistance to the IEC POD on all the activities developed to reach the electorate at local level (e.g. face-to-face meetings, Small Grant Projects etc.); 

·          Assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the work of the IEC Provincial Public Outreach Officers and the IEC Civic Educators and, if necessary, advises on how to increase their capabilities to inform the population; 

·          Supports the co-ordination between the field (IEC Civic Educators and IEC Provincial Public Outreach Officers) and the IEC POD in Kabul for the best implementation of the IEC Public Outreach campaign; 

·          Assists the IEC POD on the reporting system from the field; 

·          Advises the IEC POD in developing and implementing a capacity building programme for the staff of the IEC POD to increase awareness, knowledge and skills at all levels; 

·          Supports the IEC POD management in developing training programmes for its team, support and encouragement to increase confidence and ability, and involvement of the staff - in particular the IEC female staff of the POD - in decision making; 

·          Performs other tasks as requested. 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

·          Demonstrates integrity by modeling the  UN’s values and ethical standards; 

·          Promotes the mission, vision and strategic goals of UNDP; 

·          Displays cultural , gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; 

·          Treats all people fairly without favoritism.  

 

Functional Competencies:  

Knowledge, Management and Learning  

 

·          Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example; 

·          Seeks and applies knowledge , information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP Programme; 

·          Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills; 

·          In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues.  

 

Development and Operational Effectiveness  

 

·          Proven record of strong diagnostics, analytical and problem solving skills; 

·          Experience in post-conflict electoral programs; 

·          Ability to contribute to formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of elections initiatives; 

·          Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.  

 

Management Leadership  

 

·          Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; 

·          Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; 

·          Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;

·          Ability to advise effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills; 

·          Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills; 

·          Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure; 

·          Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills; 

·          Sound time management and organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks; 

·          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; 

·          Good organizational and administrative skills; 

·          Excellent written and oral communication skills; 

·          Ability to adapt to a difficult working environment, under pressure and with limited timeframes; 

·          Ability to travel and work long hours; 

·          Knowledge of Afghanistan’s culture, tradition and Islamic context an advantage. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:  

 

·          Master’s degree in Communication, Civic Education, Media, Journalism, Social Sciences or related field.    

 

Experience:  

 

·          Seven years relevant professional work experience in diversified and progressively responsible posts in civic / voter education / media / public information activities; 

·          Experience of working in electoral administration, management and project management; 

·          Proven track record in the development and conduct of training programmes and in the design of capacity building programmes; 

·          Experience of training and capacity building for elections an advantage; 

·          Exposure and familiarity with international institutions dealing with electoral administration training; 

·          Prior experience in Afghanistan or other Islamic countries, in particular on previous election management programmes, an advantage. Knowledge of the media landscape in Afghanistan an asset; 

·          Experience in an advisory role, a distinct advantage. 

·          Fluency in written and spoken English is essential; knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto is desirable.  

 

Language Requirements:  

 

·          Fluency in written and spoken English is essential; knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto is desirable.  

 

Interested and qualified International candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at 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 (30 November 2009) 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   

 

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.