Senior Elections Advisor-South Sudan

Senior Elections Advisor-South Sudan

Location: South Sudan, Juba Division: Program Management Status: International Full Time Position Number: 13:139

Project Description:

IFES is an international, nonprofit organization that supports the building of democratic societies. IFES provides targeted technical assistance to strengthen transitional democracies. Founded in 1987 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, IFES has developed and implemented comprehensive, collaborative democracy solutions in more than 120 countries. Since gaining independence in July 2011, South Sudan has struggled with the challenges of finalizing certain elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the self-imposed suspension of petroleum extraction, and establishing a number of sound democratic pillars, among others. IFES is currently responding to USAID’s Request for Application entitled “Inclusive Political Processes in South Sudan”. The purpose of this RFA is to support two key political processes: nationwide elections in 2015 (state / legislative / executive levels) and to build and empower an inclusive and participatory process for the development of South Sudan’s permanent constitution. In addition, support may be provided for a referendum in the Abyei Area. The Inclusive Political Processes in South Sudan program will have a dual track focus at both the central and sub-national levels (state, county / payam). The three expected results can be summarized as follow: (1) Increased capacity of South Sudanese institutions to implement credible and legitimate electoral and constitutional processes; (2) Political parties within and outside of power more credibly represent core constituents, and; (3) South Sudanese citizens become more aware of and involved in political processes.

Job Responsibilities:

The Senior Elections Advisor will provide technical assistance and consultation to the members and staff of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of South Sudan and related electoral institutions. Position responsibilities include assisting the newly established NEC in building an administrative and regulatory framework and providing technical assistance to election officials through mentoring and training on electoral issues. The Senior Elections Advisor will provide guidance and mentorship to the NEC’s management while building the capacity to administer, plan, and prepare for electoral events, such as the scheduled 2015 national and state elections. Similar assistance may be provided to the Abyei Area Referendum Commission (AARC) if this institution is formed to carry-out pending referendum activities. The position is based in Juba with periodic travel to the ten states. Responsibilities: •Building and fostering managerial, administrative, and technical capacity in the NEC and state-level EMBs through mentorship and training. •Evaluating EMB capacity in organizational areas and identifying limitations and opportunities for technical capacity-building activities. •Establishing technical development plans based on the electoral calendar and prioritizing areas for technical assistance. •Supporting the formulation, review, promulgation and implementation of electoral and referendum regulations and policies. •Developing training programs for the Commissioners and management team, including workshops; study tours; and research on comparative electoral systems, structures, regulations, and procedures. •Developing methodologies for establishing an EMB training department and building internal capacity of EMB officers; recommending and contributing to electoral training programs. •Providing international comparative perspectives and best practices for procedural and policy-related matters through comparative studies, seminars, and study tours. •Facilitating roundtable discussions with EMB officers, international advisors, and other relevant bodies on electoral and referendum framework issues. •Advising on the general development and implementation of electoral and referendum activities, such as voter registration and exhibition, candidate nomination, polling and counting, results aggregation, and complaints and appeals. •Developing and maintaining constructive working relationships with national counterparts, national and international assistance providers, and democracy and governance organizations and strategic partners. •Contributing to weekly activity reports and providing quarterly updates to internal performance monitoring and evaluation reporting. •Preparing and submitting a final report detailing the activities, results, deliverables, and recommendations achieved at the conclusion of assignment. •Performing other technical assistance duties as assigned by the Chief of Party.

Qualifications:

•Minimum eight (8) years of combined experience in electoral event planning and management, preferably in a post-conflict environment or in Africa, and prior experience working on USAID-funded activities, including institutional capacity building. •Demonstrated experience with budget preparation and electoral commodity selection / procurement / use management. •Demonstrated staff leadership and mentoring. •Understanding of South Sudan’s post-referendum political context. •Minimum six (6) years of experience working on institutional capacity building of electoral management bodies working closely with other actors involved in electoral development processes in post-conflict situations environment. •University degree in international development, political science, public administration, international law or other relevant field. •Fluency in written and spoken English is required, Arabic language added advantage. To Apply: You must go to http:www.ifes.org/ to the Careers section and apply online. Applications are only accepted in this way. Make sure you upload all papers together (ie. cover letter and application, etc.).  Resumes are only reviewed and accepted if submitted through our careers page.