Background

The project Support to Elections during the Transition Period (SETP) aims to support the Government of Yemen (GoY), and the Supreme Commission on Elections and Referenda (SCER), in particular, in reinforcing the electoral cycle by conducting fair, open and inclusive elections within the terms of the agreed Transition Initiative (signed in Riyadh on 23 November, 2011 by the ruling and the opposition parties). The project adopted a two-phase approach: phase one focused on the early Presidential elections which took place on 21 February, 2012; and phase two, which will focus on electoral legal reforms, supporting the update to the voter registry, as well as technical support to the expected referendum on a new/revised Constitution, as well as post-referendum elections. Support to the capacity building of the SCER will be reinforced during both phases.
The political agreement in Yemen is expected not only to put an end to the acute political crisis in Yemen, but also to open a new unprecedented possibility for cardinal change and target-oriented reforms aimed at enhancing the principles of democratic governance, the rule of law, political, economic and cultural development. These changes, however, cannot come overnight. The transition period began with the announcement of early elections and the formation of a new Government, which will take important steps, such as the adoption of a new constitution and legislation, formation and smooth functioning of a government of national unity, decentralization and enhancing local governance, socio-economic reforms and considerable empowerment of women and youth. The UN will support the political transition of Yemen through the UN Stabilization Framework and focus on key areas of the transition including the early Presidential Elections which took place in February 2012 and as outlined in the Transition Initiative.
The drastically increased intensity of the electoral events and their significance and importance in the transition requires that a separate Election Support Unit (ESU) be formed to conduct all the necessary preparatory and coordination work in order to meet the tremendous challenge of the transition period in an appropriate and targeted manner. In the 24-month period outlined under Phase II of the transitional process, the role of electoral operations, including voter registration, implementation assurances of electoral legal reforms and a prospective referendum and post-referendum elections will be crucial to the success of the transitional period in Yemen.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work:
The Election Operations Specialist will work in tandem with SCER, UNDP and other partners to initially design, implement, and monitor all of the facets of an operational plan for future electoral operations to be administered by the SCER.
The Election Operations Specialist will design, coordinate, and implement the strategies, and mechanisms necessary to implement future electoral processes and create and assist with the implementation of a targeted election operations and electoral administration education training program for the SCER to enhance their existing capabilities and organizational skills in this area. The Election Operations Specialist will work in coordination with the SCER as well as partner international organizations in addition to peer institutions such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sports and Youth, Ministry of Interior and other security and non-security forces that engage in and support election operations in the context of Yemen. It is foreseen that the Election Operations Specialist will be required to contribute to the ESU’s electoral assistance activities with the overall responsibility of planning and implementing election operations support to the SCER and other relevant stakeholders before, during and after the early Presidential Elections.
Internal functions of the Election Operations Specialist will be selecting, designing, creating and implementing plans/strategies for enhancing the cross-divisional engagement of the various sectors of SCER, in addition to any other governmental and non-governmental counterparts to support successful election operations and administration. A specific focus on enhancing the intra-communication and organizational capacity of the SCER will be highlighted (both at the HQ and regional levels), in addition to the oversight of the SCERs ability to manage its procurement requirements and inventory management. Support to a functional operations room and results management systems will also be key to the success of future election operations.
External functions of the Election Operations Specialist will include but not be limited to identifying appropriate partners, consultants and trainers, and modes of delivery for the Phase II election administration and operations training activities, creating partnerships and synergies with appropriate international and national organizations and institutions.
 
Expected Outputs and Deliverables:
Summary of key functions:

Under the direct supervision and guidance of, and in close cooperation with the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), the Election Operations Specialist will provide advice and technical assistance to the SCER President, General Secretary, and General Manager for Technical Affairs, in addition to other SCER officials and other relevant governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, on election operations matters, including:
  • Best practice methodologies for all aspects of electoral operations, including voter registration, candidate registration, voting operations, electoral results management;
  • Development of an operational plan (in conjunction with the SCER) for referendum and post-referendum elections, including training, logistics, staffing and procurement needs;
  • Periodic production of written summaries and presentations of SCER operational planning progress and challenges;
  • Direct support to implementation of voter registration operations as required;
  • The Election Operations Specialist will provide a final report at the conclusion of his/her contract period. The final report should include electronic copies of all materials produced as an annex and a written summary of activities.

Competencies

Leadership:

  • Serves as a role model that other people want to follow, is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives, does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. The CTA should present leadership during elections and referendum times, manage operations and long term support to the elections committee.

Client Orientation:

  • Ability to establish and maintain productive relations with clients, identifies clients needs and matches them to appropriate solutions, keeps clients informed of progress and setbacks in the project, meets timelines for delivery of products or services to clients

Communication:

  • Capable of writing clearly and concisely, with excellent oral communication skills. Exhibits interest having two way communications, demonstrates openness with sharing information and keeping people informed

Team work:

  • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input from colleagues and is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts responsibility for team short comings

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
Master’s level education in international relations, social science, business administration or equivalent experience.

Experience:
  • Seven years experience in administering or analyzing electoral processes; Experience in providing advisory support to senior government officials on electoral administration matters, including voter registration and election operations;
  • Experience working in the Middle East;
  • Experience in previous post-conflict elections is an asset;
  • Familiarity with working with an international organization, preferably UNDP;
  • Knowledge of UNDP/UN regulations, rules, policies, procedures and practices is an advantage.

Language Requirements:
  • English fluency;
  • Functional knowledge of Arabic, both written and oral is an asset.

Fees and terms of payment

Payments on lump sum (all inclusive) will be linked to the outputs and paid upon successful completion and satisfactory performance according to a work plan identified and agreed on.

Evaluation:

The selection shall be made on a combined scoring method, based on a 70%-30% distribution on the technical and financial offers, respectively;

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the technical score weight on technical evaluation only would be considered for the financial evaluation and further selection process.

Evaluation shall based on the following criteria:

Technical assessment: 70% (maximum 100 points)

  • Education
  • Relevant work Experience
  • Prior Knowledge and experience in Yemen
  • Prior experience of working with UNDP/UN Agencies

Financial: 30%

Interested individuals must upload the following documents/information in a single Document to demonstrate their qualifications, in the next page:

  • A one page proposal explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
  • Personal CV including past experience in similar projects including at least 3 references (email and phone of referees to be provided) 
  • Financial Proposal* - specifying a total Lump Sum Amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount:
  • Personnel Cost (professional fees, life insurance, Medical Insurance, Communications, Land transportation,…)
  • Travel Expenses (air ticket in most direct economy class, living allowances, travel insurance, terminals,…)
  • Duty Travel (air ticket in most direct economy class, living allowances, travel insurance, terminals,…)

Note: Shortlisted candidates would be required to complete and submit a UNDP P.11 form (template to be provided by UNDP at a later date)