National Training Analyst

Kabul

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Kabul
Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Education, Learning and Training
- TRAINING
Closing Date: Closed

Background

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 Training Analyst to work closely with UNESP Senior Election Dispute Resolution Advisor to ECC and ECC CEO, ECC DCEO Planning & Coordination, ECC Training Department to ensure effective capacity building and training support in the execution of services and processes in the interest of the ECC and UNESP. The National Training Analyst to ECC will promote a client, quality, and results-orientated approach.

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.

Based on the principle that ‘we are all UNDP’, all dedicated, operations, results-based management, strategic partnerships and communications positions/capacities in all projects are pooled to provide collective support to project implementation, reporting to the respective focal points in the Country Office. This will ensure coherent support to all projects, increase efficiency with standardised processes and provide value for money to the development partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Context of the Post

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Chief Electoral Advisor / Project Manager, and direct supervision and guidance of the Senior Election Dispute Resolution Advisor to ECC, and UNESP Capacity Building Specialist, the Training Analyst will promote effective capacity building and training support in the execution of services and processes in the interest of the ECC and UNESP. The National Training Analyst to ECC will promote a client, quality, and results-orientated approach.

The National Training Analyst will be responsible for the following but not restricted to key functions to achieve desired results:

Providing Technical Advice on ECC Training & Capacity Building Planning

Providing advice and guidance to the ECC Training Department on all training and Capacity Building related matters.
Assist in support for the ECC in developing and implementing a long-term learning and development plans.
Assist in support for the ECC in developing a strategic capacity development plan that identifies the relevant areas and functions / staff based on the training needs assessment already conducted by the IEC.
Advise the ECC on designing and implementing training programme(s) to maintain ECC staff capacity at HQ and provincial level.
Advise the ECC on design and preparation of training materials for ECC staff on all levels, including election dispute resolution.
Advises the ECC in the developing of training materials, planning, preparation, and implementation of operational training programs for upcoming elections, including election dispute resolution.
Assist in the design, planning and implementation of other capacity building activities if required, such as participation in workshops and conferences.
Assist UNESP Capacity Building Specialist with ECC Management regarding strategic and operational planning and budgeting, and implementation capacity building activities.
Coordinate with all UNESP Capacity Building Specialist and UNESP Technical Advisors to support developing relevant capacity building plans with respective ECC counterparts/departments to ensure that ECC can implement the strategic plan.

Capacity Development for Institutional Sustainability:

Support the ECC in conducting a comprehensive institutional capacity assessment.
Assist and support the UNESP Capacity Building Specialist and ECC Planning & Coordination and Training departments needs assessment study findings to identify specific areas in which the ECC will benefit from capacity development, including both: a) improvement of specific technical skills; and b) strengthening understanding of democratic values and professional ethics.
Support the ECC in the development of Design curricula to guide institution-wide capacity development.
Advise ECC management in devising ways to monitor capacity development, to recognize areas in which progress is most substantive; and to identify which areas require greater attention.
Assist the UNESP Capacity Development Specialist and Technical Advisors and their respective counterparts develop and roll out department specific capacity strengthening plans - adopting innovative approaches to accommodate capacity development needs where necessary.
In support of ECC department heads and UNESP Technical Advisors develop a monitoring framework for the capacity development plans.
In collaboration with ECC HR units, incorporate learning and capacity as part of the respective commission staff TOR’s, induction and bi-annual / annual performance assessments.

Support to Electoral Operations:

Advise and support the ECC to enhance trainings in the areas of electoral operations including planning, training, procedures, design of operational forms, regulations, specifications, and review of other relevant operational documents
Support the ECC in developing, maintaining, updating, and mainstreaming capacity strengthening initiatives necessary for all types of elections within their mandate (EDR): presidential, provincial, parliamentary, district council etc.
Support the ECC in the establishment of a knowledge resource database, including learning modules, identifying relevant internal and external experts, positioned to conduct training workshops or other learning events; academic articles, reports and studies related to electoral issues (including related issues, such as corruption/fraud mitigation, participation/inclusivity, societal and behavioral change);
Support the ECC in enhancing institutional knowledge management through helping consolidate information in the database pertaining to each electoral period.
Advise the ECC to undertake a proactive role in designing and supporting the lessons learnt process following each electoral period or after key milestones within an electoral process (such as after VR, candidate nomination etc.).

Knowledge Transfer

Assist the ECC Chairperson, BOC, CEO, DCEO’s in training and capacity building planning to ensure that the ECC staff can contribute to and ‘own’ future personal and institutional training and capacity building to consequently develop the skills to sustain future initiatives.

Competencies

Core

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 4: Models independent thinking and action

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level 4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services

Technical/Functional

Risk Management: Ability to identify and prioritize risks, and organize action around mitigating them.