Elections Expert – Pakistan

Location: Home-based, with travel to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal capital of Pakistan.

Duration of contract: Short-term assignment. A total of 10 working days between July 2018 – August 2018.

Background

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.
With support from the German-Federal Foreign Office, DRI’s Pakistan office is currently implementing a project entitled “Supporting Human Rights, Good Governance, and Elections in Pakistan”. The project aims to strengthen the state’s Human Rights Institutions to promote human rights and enhance democratic stability.

Objective of the assignment

Pakistan’s 2018 General Election represents a critical opportunity to promote and assess the political participation of women. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) aims to undertake election observation to assess women’s participation in the 2018 general elections, especially in light of the provisions of the Elections Act 2017. DRI aims to contribute to KPCSW’s election observation efforts through provision of technical and financial support in training KPCSW’s election observers.
For the assignment, DRI requires the short-term services of a local Elections Expert to develop and carry out election observation training and draft election observation report for the KPCSW.

Scope of the assignment

The assignment involves: 1) developing training content on how to undertake election observation to assess women political participation; 2) conducting the training for the election observer selected by KPCSW; 3) drafting an election observation report for the KPCSW.
The training content will be developed based on/adapted from the approach for election observation on assessing women’s participation in elections available in national and international resource materials and literature. The training content will be focused on how to observe elections to assess women’s political participation in the 2018 general elections in Pakistan. The training content will be developed catering to the specific needs and context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Pakistan, while adhering to the international standards for election observations. The training will then be carried out for election observers selected by the KPCSW, who will be undertaking election observation in different districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the 2018 general elections. An election observation report will then be prepared, documenting and analysing the data collected by the election observers, assessing the compliance with the Elections Act 2017, and providing recommendations for advancing women’s political participation in elections in Pakistan.
The scope of the assignment will be as follows:
• Develop training content on how to undertake election observation for assessing women’s political participation in 2018 general elections;
• Deliver trainings to election observers on how to undertake election observation for assessing women’s political participation in 2018 general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
• Collect, document and analyse the data gathered by the election observers
• Draft the election observation report for the KPCSW, revise and finalise based on comments by DRI and other experts

Tasks and deliverables

The Human Rights and Civil Society Expert will work under the overall supervision of DRI’s Country Representative in Pakistan and in coordination with the project team to deliver the following:
• Develop training content, based on desk review and analysis of existing information and resource materials on election observation to examine women’s political participation in elections;
• Prepare training agenda, resource materials and handouts for the participants;
• Conduct training for the election observers selected by the KPCSW;
• Compile, document and prepare draft analysis of all data collected by the election observers
• Draft election observation report on women political participation in the general election 2018; revise and finalise the report based on comments by DRI and other experts .
• Adhere to DRI’s Style and Formatting Guidelines in writing and formatting the document;
• Be available for in person meetings or Skype calls with DRI team during the assignment;
• Perform any additional task assigned relevant to the assignment.

Qualifications

• University degree in law, political science, social sciences, humanities or a relevant discipline;
• At least 10 years of professional experience of working in election observation;
• Proven experience in conducting trainings and/or providing technical support to civil society on election observation;
• Familiarity with the reference methodologies and instruments for citizen election observation and ability to adapt them to different election contexts;
• Proven familiarity with the election context in Pakistan;
• Excellent writing, analytical and communication skills;
• Excellent English language skills (spoken and written);
• Ability and willingness to travel within Pakistan

Timelines

For interested candidates, please submit your application (cover letter and CV) to [email protected] with “Elections Expert (Pakistan GSP+)” as the subject line.

Deadline for applications: Closing date for applications is 4 July 2018 (midnight CET). DRI values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. The position may be filled before the close of the application period. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.