Background

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2009 established the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in September 2011. The UNSMIL has since commenced its support to the country's new transitional authorities in their post-conflict efforts. These range from assisting the Libyan authorities restore public security and the rule of law, promote inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation, help the Libyans embark on the drafting of a new constitution and lay the foundation for elections. Specifically, the resolution encourages Libyans to implement plans “to ensure a consultative, inclusive political process with a view to agreement on the constitution and the holding of free and fair elections”.

In February 2012, the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) was put in place and a joint UN electoral team has supported the HNEC since, in particular for the organization of the elections of the General National Congress which took place on 7 July 2012 and were widely praised as credible. The team also supported the February 2014 Constitutional Drafting Assembly elections and the June 2014 House of Representatives elections. Under Libyan leadership, UNSMIL and UNDP are jointly supporting the electoral process based on their comparative expertise to ensure uniform decision-making and effective planning. The Promoting Elections for the People of Libya (PEPOL) has been designed to provide a comprehensive range of electoral support through the integrated UN Electoral Support Team (UNEST).

While most Libyans express disappointment with the outcomes of previous elections, they still have a general sense of confidence in the HNEC. With the support of UN electoral team, and having carried out three electoral processes, the HNEC has acquired considerable knowledge and skills in electoral management. Despite these achievements, like other institutions in the country, the HNEC is in a transitional phase and continuous to need sustained capacity strengthening in order to maintain its independence and professionalism thus contributing to efforts to consolidate democracy and stability in Libya. In its request for electoral assistance to the United Nations, the HNEC emphasized the building of institutional capacity as a key objective in addition to requiring direct support for the upcoming electoral events. The international community also continues to support the HNEC and sees it as an essential institution to the consolidation of democracy in the country. 

PEPOL seeks to achieve four key outputs, namely:

• Support HNEC in the planning, preparation and conduct of national elections including out of country voting (OCV);
• Develop HNEC institutional and staff capacities and raise awareness on the requirements of electoral processes that are transparent, credible and promote inclusive participation;
• Promote public participation in electoral processes, targeting vulnerable groups with activities that enable them to exercise their right to vote;
• Raising the electoral awareness of local partners, enabling them to perform their role effectively in the electoral process and contribute to a peaceful electoral environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Chief Electoral Advisor of the UNEST and the Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager of PEPOL, and day-to-day supervision of the UNSMIL-EAD Field Operations (FOPs) Coordinator, the incumbent will support the HNEC Field Offices in the planning and implementation of electoral operations in his/her respective geographic, and responsible for:

1. Provide technical advice and support in building HNEC FOPs technical capacity in the relevant areas of the electoral activities, and work closely with the relevant HNEC FOPs staff to support the HNEC by:

• Advise the HNEC Field Offices in the respective AoR on best practices for managing a large-scale election operation in the field;
• Provide daily advice on reporting, data collection, quality control and the application of universal standards among electoral administration offices in the conduct of the election and election preparation;
• Consult with the HNEC field management staff on Lessons Learnt from past elections and develop recommendations for conducting field operations in the respective AoR;
• Conducting a formal analysis of the existing structure for management of field operations and consult with HNEC to develop proposals for reform based on best practices;
• Manage the provision of training of HNEC management and staff in the field in best field operation practices;
• Providing advisory support to enable HNEC field offices to strengthen its operational capacity and institutional preparedness for conduct of future election events.

2. Developing and advising on implementation strategies in strengthening HNEC field office operating & reporting systems including coordination between HNEC HQ and HNEC electoral field offices, including:

• Communication system and procedures;
• Internal reporting mechanisms between the field offices and HNEC HQ;
• Provide advisory support to enable HNEC field offices to strengthen its operational capacity and institutional preparedness for conduct of future election events;
• Provide advice and follow up to the planning and implementation of HNEC HQ instructions in the field, support compilation of technical briefs of the respective HNEC field offices, while ensuring contribution from relevant parties;
• Overall coordination and information sharing within the HNEC on field operations to ensure effective operations management and planning operations in the field;
• Support implementation of operational reporting frameworks from HNEC field offices 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;
• Follow-up the HNEC field offices on the formulation and implementation of appropriate security policies, guidelines, and measures, in liaison with relevant Libyan Security Agencies;
• Consulting with the HNEC HQ to review, prepare, and disseminate appropriate policies, procedures, and guidelines for different components of the Operations Plan;
• Assisting the HNEC field offices to forecast political, institutional, technical, financial, and operational risks that may affect implementation of the Operations Plan, and to support HNEC field offices to formulate and implement appropriate mitigation measures;
• The Field Operations Expert will work and coordinate closely with the UNEST Field Operations Coordinator and Chief Electoral Operations;
• The Field Operations Expert will advise the HNEC field offices on establishing and maintaining a sustainable field presence including, communications, facilities and overall long-term sustainability issues;
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by UNEST management.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity.

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of the Libyan context and the current transition would be an advantage;
• Extensive experience in presenting in public forums including high-level national stakeholders;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build trust;
• Excellent organizational, team-building and planning skill;
• Demonstrated ability to work effective in team, delivering through and with others.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualification:

• Advanced university degree (Masters’ or equivalent degree) in Management, Political Science, International Relations, Electoral Policy, Law or other related fields is a basic requirement;
• Bachelor’s degree in the above fields with additional years of experience (9 years instead of 7 years).

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in managing electoral operations, providing training and capacity development to electoral management bodies (EMBs) in a complex and challenging election operation environment;
• Minimum of 3 years of experience and skills in undertaking electoral operations and managing staff in at field level and preferably in UN or similar electoral assistance context;
• Previous experience in providing high-level electoral operations advice is desirable;
• Sound skills in political and conflict analysis, problem solving, and consensus building skills;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Access etc.).

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
• Knowledge of Arabic an asset.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposal:

• Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications;
• Motivation Letter describing their interest in the assignment and why they are the most suitable for the work;
• Curriculum Vitae and Personal History Form (P11) including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references;
• Financial Proposal Form, providing a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems) is to be provided by the offeror;
• Detail Terms of Reference, P11 Form and Financial Proposal Form can be found in the following link: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=51377
• Please submit your Technical and Financial proposals to the following e-mail address no later than 20th November 2018 to Email: tenders.ly@undp.org.