Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Soft Copies of Strategic Plans that the Candidate has been involved in and a Proposed Methodology and Workplan.

Travel:   

a) UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services.

b) Include any official travel expected to be associated with performing the functions.

UNESP Description and Purpose of Assignment

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 Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

Organizational context

The UN Electoral Support Project (UNESP) is the international community’s programming vehicle to support the electoral process in Afghanistan. The Project has two overall objectives: 1) to build the capacity of the Afghan electoral institutions (the Independent Elections Commission [IEC] and the Electoral Complaints Commission [ECC]) to implement elections in line with the national electoral legal framework and Afghanistan’s international commitments; and 2) to allow a programming mechanism for the international community to partially finance the elections as per the request of the Government of Afghanistan. The project follows previous UN projects in support of the Afghan electoral process, most notably the Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) projects, from 2006-2011 (ELECT I) and 2012-2015 (ELECT II), and the UNDP Project Initiation Plan that is in place since July 2015 – October 2017.

Elections are an integral part of the global push towards a better tomorrow. Sustainable Development Goal 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” offers specific guidelines to tackle imperative challenges such as building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions; guaranteeing election integrity and trust; and ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels. Towards this goal, UNESP provides technical and operational support with international technical election experts to the electoral management bodies (EMBs). The overall focus is on providing a more cost efficient and effective project business model by using best technical and operational practices, encompassing UNDP’s values of integrity, transparency, mutual respect, professionalism, accountability, and results orientation. The UNESP also contributes to SDG 5 by mainstreaming gender throughout the project activities and in output indicators related to women’s participation, reflecting the importance that the project places on increasing the position of women in Afghan electoral and political processes. The support through UNESP reflects the growing sustainability of the Afghan electoral process, as evidenced by the Government of Afghanistan’s financial commitment to both electoral institutions, and the provision of significant in-kind support to the implementation of elections.

Electoral assistance in Afghanistan is placed under the political and supervisory oversight of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and is delivered by an integrated UNAMA and UNDP electoral support team led by the UNAMA Chief Electoral Advisor. The UNESP is managed by a UNDP project manager that also serves as deputy to the UNAMA chief electoral advisor and reports to the project Board.

The UNESP is currently in its final year and is focused on supporting the IEC and ECC in sustaining the achievements already made and working towards strengthening capacities further in the following areas:

• administration of election events by the IEC.
• credible electoral dispute resolution by the ECC.
• capacity building for IEC and ECC.
• public outreach (through IEC/ECC) to encourage engagement in the electoral process.
• polling center specific voter list produced for upcoming election events; and
• IEC and ECC undertake relevant activities regarding electoral reform.

To support these efforts, UNDP is seeking a International Senior Electoral Strategic Planning Expert to work closely with the ECC to conduct a Strategic Review of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) of Afghanistan, and to assist the ECC in formulating their 5-year Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025.

The UNESP will be implemented under Direct Implementation Modality (DIM). UNDP rules and regulations will govern the project implementation including, but not limited to, resource management, procurement, recruitment, audit, and evaluation. IEC and ECC are the main partners of the project. The Project will be managed by a Deputy Chief Electoral Advisor/Project Manager, reporting, on fiduciary and operational matters, to the UNDP Resident Representative, and substantively to the UN Chief Electoral Advisor. The Country Office will ensure that the project’s monitoring, reporting, procurement, and recruitment functions are carried out fully in line with UNDP’s programming requirements, and, in this respect, the Project will develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to track project progress and results. The Deputy CEA/Project Manager through the project structure will ensure adherence to project implementation requirements, stakeholder coordination and timely project reporting, while the CEA will ensure effective donor coordination.

Institutional Arrangement

The Senior Electoral Strategic Planning Expert - ECC will be supervised by UNESP's Deputy Chief Electoral Advisor/Project Manager and will be required to provide daily oral reporting and participate regularly in project meetings weekly case status meetings. Administrative/Logistics support provided will be provided by UNESP to facilitate his/her work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a Strategic Review of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) of Afghanistan, and to assist the ECC in formulating their 5-year Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025.

The member will be required to:

a) Conduct a review of the ECC present Strategic Plan to determine the most effective and efficient arrangement for functions under the ECC mandate.

b) Conduct an organisational review of the ECC in a technically focused, consultative, and participatory planning process, to include extensive consultations with public and private sector partners that assesses the strategic framework for the ECC and develops proposals for high-level business process changes.

c) Produce a Strategic Review Report that presents the detailed findings of the Review

and provides solid proposals for transforming of the ECC.

d) The substantive outcome will be a 5-year Strategic Plan for the period 2020-2025 in line with the ECC gazetted mandate. The 5-year Strategic Plan will include institutional arrangements, specific activities, proposed programmes, timelines, targets, and detailed budget, as well as Communication and Monitoring plans. 

The Senior Electoral Strategic Planning Expert (international) will work under the overall guidance of the UNESP Project Manager and in coordination with the ECC and UNESP Advisors to undertake the following work: 

Methodology 

 The Senior Electoral Strategic Planning Expert, with support from the National Electoral Strategic Planning Expert, will review available materials and reports, coordinate with the ECC Commissioners and staff, UNESP Advisors and external stakeholders in identifying priorities of the institution by assessing its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and learning from the past electoral events for development of its Strategic Plan. 

Review Processes:

• Familiarisation with the ECC’s vision, mission, and mandate and strategic objectives in relation to its overall mandate to determine strategic alignment.
• Review the ECC existing programmes, institutional capacity, organizational set-up, financial and administrative systems against the ECC mandate and the identified strategic objectives and key result areas; and make recommendations, if any.
• Conduct an organizational assessment with the aim of identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats towards attainment of an overall objectives and mandate of the ECC and consequently in formulating strategic goals, objectives, and priorities over the five-year period.
• As a result of the SWOT analysis, recommend the most appropriate operational model(s) for any functions recommended to be moved out of the ECC or to be adopted by the ECC.
• Review the organisational functions and operations of the ECC to identify functions that support or do not support the ECC’s mandate and determine organisational overlaps and duplications that may exist within the ECC.

Development Process:

• Assist in the planning, facilitation, and the management of consultation meetings and workshops with the ECC staff (central and provincial level) and external stakeholders to seek feedback and inputs.
• Advise the ECC in the preparation of a tentative work plan, methodology and Strategic Plan framework as a starting point for drafting the Five-Year Strategic Plan and Two-Year Action Plan for the ECC.
• Propose a strategy for achieving the strategic objectives and key results.
• Assist the ECC in the undertaking of an organisational review that proposes a strategic framework for the ECC and provides proposals for business process changes, and which includes:

• Identification of roles responsibilities and business processes required at the strategic management and Unit levels, for the effective management of the ECC.
• A gap analysis that determines the extent to which the ECC is providing policy guidance and performance management for its Departments.
• Any related implementation risks.
• Identification of a performance framework for the ECC that identifies key outputs and outcomes, performance indicators and targets.
• Definition of a detailed Organisational Chart for the ECC with proposed recommendations for staffing including accompanying Job Descriptions.

• Advise on institutional arrangements necessary for implementation of the Strategic Plan including organizational processes, communications strategy, and decision-making structure to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Review the ECC’s current culture and advise the ECC in the inclusive of its shared values, norms and practices and style of management to determine its alignment with the strategic objectives and mission.
• Review the ECC’s gender policy to seek full implementation of Afghan NAP 1344 to be included in the Strategic Plan.
• Review of the existing legislation to determine alignment of the ECC legal mandate and its performance outcome(s), and where necessary, provide recommendations to the ECC to strengthen the legislative framework.
• Support the ECC in preparation of the draft Five-Year Strategic Plan and Two-Year Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

Reporting, Monitoring and Results Framework

• Work with the ECC to develop a comprehensive monitoring, evaluating, and reporting framework that identifies measurable and SMART indicators; establishes meaningful monitoring measures; tracks the accomplishment of objectives over time; sets key milestones and measures progress and performance with the goal of ensuring results and accountability. The framework should also have mechanisms to identify priorities for adjustments during implementation of the Strategic Plan.
• Assist the ECC in the development of a Results and Resources Framework for the 5-year Strategic Plan period.
• Work with the ECC to establish the required budgetary adjustments that need to be made to facilitate the implementation of the Strategic Plan.  
• Oversee and ensure that the Strategic Plan, Action Plan and M&E framework are inclusive and promote access, participation and representation of women, youth, people with disability and socially excluded groups at institutional and programmatic level.
• Manage and lead the team that will support the ECC strategic planning process.  

Change Management Strategy and Implementation Plan to support the recommendations of the Strategic Review.

• Advise the ECC in its Change Management Strategy, and assist in the development of:

• document standards to promote new cultural/behavioral values and attitudes.
• design and administer capacity assessment instruments to manage change.
• design a capacity development plan to support the implementation of change management strategy.
• design culture management interventions geared at promoting the sustainability of the desired behaviors and mindset.
• design a change management and communication plan to mitigate re- organisation related risks.

Knowledge Transfer

• Provide advice to the ECC in the capacity building plan to support the transfer of skills under the 5-year Strategic Plan transformation phase.
• Assist the ECC in the capacity building planning to ensure that the ECC staff who take part in the 5-year Strategic Plan transformation process, are able to contribute to and ‘own’ the systems and procedures produced, and decisions made, and consequently develop the skills to sustain the new organisation.
• To assist the ECC in the development a specific capacity building plan for skills transfer and capacity development in identified areas including: Strategic Review Process, to include Prior Options Review and Benchmarking Techniques. The capacity building plan will be with a view to enable the ECC staff to extend and adapt to the 5-year Strategic Plan 2021-2025 and to continue to effect of the transformation of the ECC.

Presentation Process

• Assist the ECC in the planning, facilitation, and the management of consultation meetings and workshops with stakeholders to review the draft 5-year Strategic Plan.

Finalization Process:

• Assist the ECC in the finalisation of the 5-year Strategic Plan 2021-2025

Implementation and beyond (post 2021):

• Once the 5-year Stategic Plan 2021 – 2025 has been approved and adopted, it will be the requirement for providing assistance and guidance to the ECC in the implementation of the said plan. This may be in the form of providing advice, assistance, conducting general meetings and discussions to the ECC BOC, CEO, DCEO’s, Heads of Departments and individual staff members to ensure full understanding and responsibilities during the phase of implementation.
• Provide assistance and advice to the UNESP Project Board on future guidance in relation to the UNESP responsibilities of the implementation of the ECC Strategic Plan, as well as input into future project document revisions.

Competencies

UN CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Professionalism: Shows pride in work and achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Communication:Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients " and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Required Skills and Experience