Gblcareers

We are Searchers.
We are over 600 strong worldwide. We believe in our mission to end violent conflict.
It’s our purpose- our call to action.
A Searcher understands our vision of a world where:
Differences stimulate social progress, rather than precipitate violence
Respect for and cooperation with those we disagree with is considered the norm
A Searcher is a dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate individual, committed to our values.
Shared Humanity. Empathy. Impartiality. Inclusivity. Courage. Hope. Humility. Audacity.
With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, we implement projects from 55 offices in 34 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. You will be joining other highly motivated Searchers with a good team spirit and through commitment and dedication, have opportunities to grow.
We are searching for…
The Elections Technical Expert (ETE) will join the Standing Together for Democracy Consortium in Sierra Leone – led by Search for Common Ground – to provide elections-related technical support and strategic thinking and planning around elections and activity implementation for the UKAID-funded project titled: Standing Together for free, fair and peaceful elections in Sierra Leone. The ETE will work under the direct supervision of the Consortium Team Leader and will focus on providing strategic and technical coordination support to the Consortium to promote context analysis and consortium-wide coordination to align activities with the electoral context and promote synergy among external actors. The ETE will be based with Search for Common Ground providing elections programming and technical support to all members of the Consortium through a centrally-coordinated plan and support system. Specifically, the ETE will support the Consortium’s elections observation component led by National Election Watch (NEW), by supporting NEW’s electoral context analysis, strategic thinking and planning, support the development of elections observation strategy, checklist and other strategic elections programming and planning. In addition, the ETE will also spend his/her time providing elections strategic planning and coordination within the Consortium and with other stakeholders within the electoral context such as UN system. Close to election day, when NEW will be busy with coordination and planning; especially in the deployment of over 10,000 observers, the ETE will spend almost a 100% of his/her time supporting NEW’s deployment coordination and planning process.
Your contribution
The roles and responsibilities include:

• Provide ongoing elections context analysis and technical support to all members of the Consortium
• Liaise with other external actors (such as UNDP) to promote coordination and synergy between the Consortium and other external actors supporting or involved in the electoral process
• Conduct a Consortium-wide assessment to identify strategic priorities for the remaining period of the electoral cycle where additional coordination and/or technical support to the Consortium will be required.
• Provide ongoing elections technical planning and forward thinking around elections and elections-related activities and processes and develop a plan that aligns Consortium activities and the unfolding electoral context
• Review NEW ‘s capacity building assessment report (with the EU-funded project) and respond to specific capacity priorities identified in the assessment report
• Support the development of elections observation strategies, training manuals and tools for elections observation.
• Support the development of a comprehensive deployment strategy for election observation and runoff elections.
• Support NEW’s situation room and general elections preparedness and management
• Attend the Consortium Management Structure Meeting – the Strategic Management Team and the Project Implementation Committee to provide support on elections-related policy issues
• Support the observation report and public communication/messaging methodology and process for NEW and other Consortium partners
• Provide other election technical support to the Consortium as the political context unfolds

You are… You meet the following qualifications:
Expected profile: Political neutrality: Considering the nature of the project, as well as Search’s internal guidelines and necessity to remain a neutral actor, we expect the successful candidate to be politically neutral: She/he MUST NOT be a card-carrying member of a political party and should not be perceived / recognized as an active supporter or activist in the Sierra Leone political sphere.
Key competencies: These are the key competencies that have been identified as very important for the position holder to perform at the level required:

• We seek an Elections Expert with previous experience on elections technical management in Sierra Leone or the sub-region;
• A collaborative and proactive communicator and team player;
• Understanding and familiarity with Sierra Leone’s electoral laws and governance systems will be a strong asset;
• Ability to anticipate problems before they arise, and adapting to context and issues as they unfold;
• Excellent understanding of development of training manuals around election management and observation.
• Understanding of the use of communication and media as a tool for attitude, knowledge and behavior change.
• A calm, confident and decisive self-starter vastly experienced in strategic electoral planning and management in the sub-region.
• Able to work in multi-cultural environment and adapt to gender and religious sensitivities;
• Excellent understanding of international best practices in electoral management.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs, outcomes and results;
• Ability to effectively prioritize workload, anticipate and meet deadlines.
• Excellent research skills is an asset.
• An excellent planner at ease with project management tools;
• Excellent computer literacy, including the use of Excel as planning and finance tools;

Required education and Experience:

• The position holder must have a Masters degree in the Social Sciences, preferably in Political Science, International Relations, Electoral Management, International Development or any other relevant sectors from a reputable university.
• 5- 10 years’ experience providing strategic leadership and guidance on governance and elections management in Africa
• 5-10 years’ working with or providing capacity support for local and international organizations in programme management;
• 5-10 years’ experience working in a senior program management capacity;
• An experience managing or providing technical support for DFID funded grants
• Previous experience providing technical support for an elections project in Sierra Leone or in Africa will be an added advantage