Deputy Chief Technical Advisor – Election and Citizen Empowerment – P4

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2024 – 2028) considers Good Governance as the core to ensuring poverty reduction and sustainable development. It looks at Governance as having a maximum multiplier effect on achieving the SDGs and a leverage point for development. Governance has also been one of the strategic pillars in the development agenda of Malawi’s government. The national development strategy considers governance to be the “the backbone for an efficient and effective public sector” and acknowledges the extent to which mind-set changes and behavioral shifts are needed to sustain profound transformations. 

UNDP has recently developed its Governance Portfolio around three main pillars: Pillar I – Effective, Accountable and Responsive Institutions; Pillar 2 – Civic Engagement and Empowerment; and Pillar 3 – Oversight, Human Rights and Rule of Law.

Pillar 2 – Citizen Engagement and Empowerment focuses on enhancing the capacity of civil society to represent and advocate for the rights of Malawian citizens; supporting democratic processes through elections and parliamentary support; and improving social cohesion through conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Under Pillar 2, UN/DP has been been supporting the efforts of Malawian electoral stakeholders in strengthening the transparency and inclusiveness of their electoral processes since the country adopted a multi-party system in 1993. UN electoral support, in close partnership with national stakeholders and international partners, has included support to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in developing its institutional and operational capacity, assisting civil society organizations (CSOs), providing support to electoral reform initiatives, promoting women’s participation, and the mitigation of election related violence.  

To improve social cohesion through conflict prevention and peacebuilding, UNDP supported development of the National Peace Act and establishment of gender-sensitive National Peace Architecture. Moreover, UNDP has been leading partners in strengthening technical competencies of the Malawi Peace and Unity Commission (MPUC) at national and district levels through the District Peace and Unity Commission (DPUC), improving the capacity of community peace infrastructure to monitor and mediate conflict through early warning systems to prevent escalation, and strengthening data collection and analysis of conflict drivers.  

Under Pillar 2, three projects are currently being implemented: 

 

The Malawi Electoral Support Project (MESP) 2023 – 2025 was developed in line with the recommendation of the 2021 Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) and endorsed by the UN Focal Point for Electoral Assistance. The MESP) was set up to target three priority areas, including:

• Priority Area 1 – Capacity: Strengthened capacity and preparedness of MEC, CMD and the MPS to effectively manage activities regarding the electoral processes in a credible manner through capacity-building and technical assistance.
• Priority Area 2 – Inclusion: Improved participation and representation of women, youth, the elderly, PWDs and albinos through activities intended to foster participation and ownership of the electoral processes.
• Priority Area 3 – Peace: Reduced tensions and disputes regarding the electoral process through the establishment or strengthening and of existing mechanisms contributing to conflict prevention and mitigation.

There are two peacebuilding projects currently implemented under Pillar 2 jointly implemented with three other UN Agencies. The “Strengthening Malawi’s Peace Infrastructure for Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace in Borderland District” funded by UN Peacebuilding Funded Project. The second project, titled “Border District and Community Based Conflict Prevention and Peace Building in Malawi” funded by the Government of Ireland through the SDG-Accelerated Funded mechanism. Both projects are complementary and are contributing to the building and strengthening of national and subnational infrastructures for peace and conflict prevention, strengthening institutional capacities to manage borders. The project works in the target districts of Mangochi, Machinga, Karonga, Nkotakota and its borderland communities. 

 

Position Purpose 

In this regard, UNDP is seeking to recruit a Deputy CTA, with the primary responsibility to support the MESP project produce the results specified in the project document, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. The Deputy CTA will support the CTA in the day-to-day project management within the framework and constraints set out by the Steering and Technical Committees. He/she will also work closely with the Portfolio Manager (Governance) to support the implementation of the Peacebuilding projects under Pillar 2. In particular, he/she will ensure effective coordination of project activities between peacebuilding and election projects under Pillar 2 with other ongoing and planned interventions under the governance.  

The Deputy CTA is expected to dedicate 70% of his/her time to MESP Project and 30% to Peacebuilding and broader governance coordination function. The Deputy CTA will possess professional expertise across the areas of electoral operations, civic education and more broadly in governance. The Deputy CTA will work with team of Technical Advisers and the Project Operations and provide technical guidance to facilitate the timely resourcing of activities that meet with agreed priorities. The Deputy CTA will report directly to the CTA with parallel reporting to the Portfolio Manager (Governance).

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Advise and support the Election CTA in coordination and implementation  of the projects: 

1. Ensure effective coordination among election project partners by overseeing implementation of their activities and developing synergies.
2. Ensure effective coordination of project activities with other ongoing and planned interventions under the governance portfolio (digital, conflict prevention & peacebuilding, security sector, access to justice support etc.).
3. Foster a collaborative and synergistic environment among project stakeholders to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of project operations.
4. Implement advanced coordination mechanisms to ensure seamless integration, communication, and execution among different project components and stakeholders.
5. Provide expert advice on election operations and implementation of project activities.
6. Supervise, coordinate, and integrate the activities of technical advisors, ensuring cohesive and consistent support that aligns with the strategic objectives of the project.
7. Ensure that recommendations from midterm evaluation, past project evaluation, including consultancy reports are integrated into project implementation strategies.
8. Perform any other tasks assigned by the CTA to achieve the project objectives.

Advise and support the Election CTA in planning project resources through:

1. Develop annual work plans, timelines, and budgets, and monitor financial resources to ensure accurate and reliable financial reporting.
2. Implement robust financial monitoring and control systems to ensure transparency, accountability, and accuracy in financial reporting, minimizing the risk of discrepancies or mismanagement.
3. Provide technical advice for the design and implementation of project activities, draft Terms of Reference (ToRs), and identify, recruit and supervise consultants to ensure high-quality outputs.

 

Advise and support  the Election CTA in reporting and monitoring through:

1. Coordinate the submission of operational and financial reports and holding of Project Technical and Steering Committee meetings.
2. Lead the preparation, review, and submission of comprehensive and accurate operational and financial reports to project stakeholders, ensuring adherence to reporting deadlines and standards.
3. Identify, assess, and manage project risks proactively, maintaining up-to-date risk logs and developing effective mitigation strategies to address potential issues.
4. Implement a robust and dynamic monitoring framework to track project progress against established objectives, timelines, and performance indicators.
5. Create a comprehensive, strategic communications and visibility plan to enhance the project’s profile, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness.
6. Monitor the implementation of the plan to ensure effective dissemination of project achievements, updates, and key messages to all relevant audiences.

 

Advise and support the Portfolio Manager (Governance) to lead the effective coordination of activities implemented under Pillar 2 and integrated with interventions under broader governance portfolio:

1. Identify, and provide advice and oversight on joint implementation of activities that are synergetic under election and peacebuilding projects.
2. Ensure effective coordination of project activities with other ongoing and planned interventions under the governance portfolio (digital, conflict prevention & peacebuilding, security sector, access to justice support etc).
3. Quality assures the donor reports and other reports, including consultancy reports from peacebuilding projects and lead the development of Pillar 2 quarterly reports.
4. Quality assures the work plan, activities, targets, budget, standards for measuring progress and results and determine the processes, tools and methodologies to be used to ensure effective and efficient project implementation.
5. Oversight the development of comprehensive, strategic communications and visibility plan to enhance the project’s profile, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness.
6. Coordinate the submission of operational and financial reports and holding of Project Technical and Steering Committee meetings for peacebuilding projects.
7. Provide inputs into design and positioning of UNDP’s social cohesion, conflict prevention and peacebuilding work.

 

Ensure provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management for MESP:

1. Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.
2. Coordinate and ensure integrated support in development of policies and institutions to address country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
3. Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.
4. Organize and deliver training for the MESP staff on programme related matters.
5. Identify policy-driven issues; and identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.

 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

 

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:  Yes

 

 

Competencies

• Core Competencies

Achieve Results-LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively-LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously-LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility-LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination-LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner-LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion-LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

 

People Management

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. 

 

• Cross Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Direction & Strategy – Systems Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management – Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management. 

Business Management – Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Partnership Management – Relationship Management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust, and mutual understanding.

Partnership Management – Strategic Engagement: Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives.

Business Direction & Strategy – Effective Decision Making: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.   

2030 Agenda- Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions: Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding.  

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Political Science, Economics, Governance, Public Administration, or a related field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with Master’s degree ) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree ) of relevant experience in managing electoral projects, including strategic management, coordination, and M&E is required.
• Proven experience of working in other governance areas like peacebuilding, conflict prevention, citizen engagement is desirable.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP and advanced programmes for statistical analysis of data is requried.
• Proven track record of excellent analytical, reporting and communication, is desired.
• Experience working in multicultural environments is desired.
• Proven experience working in an institutional environment with senior national authorities, development partners, and civil society organizations is desired.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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