Electoral Affairs Officer

Overview

Serve as a member of an Electoral Assistance team in South Sudan.

You have:

• Experience in implementing, supervising, supporting, or advising on electoral processes is required.
• Writing and reporting skills are required.
• Experience in developing countries is required, and experience in post-conflict situations is desirable.
• Ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions is essential.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2567 (2021) deciding that UNMISS’s mandate is designed to advance a three year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan, to build durable peace at the local and national levels, and to support the inclusive and accountable governance and credible and inclusive elections in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). Furthermore, Security Council Resolution 2677 (2023) called on UNMISS to provide technical assistance, to include capacity building, and logistical support for the electoral process, as appropriate, in coordination with the United Nations Country Team and regional and international partners as well as security support to facilitate the electoral cycle, consistent with the R-ARCSS.

The candidate will serve as a member of an Electoral Assistance team, usually in an advisory capacity to the national counterpart in charge of Civic and Voter Education. The positions will be located in the field offices of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The candidates will report to the Electoral Officer (Civic and Voter Education) and Senior Electoral Officer (Civic and Voter Education & External Relations) based in Electoral Affairs Division (EAD) in Juba, South Sudan.

Within delegated authority, the candidate will be responsible for the following duties:

• Contribute to the implementation of civic and voter education programs, and, in exceptional cases, supervise the implementation of, electoral programs in civic and voter education in the area of responsibility. • Support and provide technical assistance and advice to the state-level Electoral Management Body on civic and voter education. • Closely monitor dissemination and use of public outreach materials and provide regular reports to the EAD Electoral Officers. • Contribute to the capacity-building of national counterparts and strengthening of state offices of national institutions. • Coordinate on training and capacity-building issues with relevant EAD Electoral Officers deployed in the field and Juba HQ. • Establish and maintain professional and productive partnerships with national counterparts and other key stakeholders in the area of responsibility. • Support overall monitoring of the impact of domestic and international norms and processes on female participation in the assigned area of responsibility and provide advice to the state-level Electoral Management Body on appropriate corrective measures.
• Support project and programme management in the area of responsibility. • If required, supervise and manage the performance of national staff assigned to the area of responsibility. • Contribute to regular reporting requirements and provide briefings on the assigned area of responsibility in close collaboration with other relevant partners. • Perform other related duties as required.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

elections, supervising, implementing, supporting or advising on electoral processes and related areas is required.

Writing and reporting skills are required.

United Nations electoral experience in a peacekeeping operation, political mission and/or a UN agency or other relevant international electoral experience is desirable.

Experience in developing countries is required, and experience in post-conflict situations is desirable.

Living conditions vary between UNMISS duty stations. Each duty station where UNMISS has a field presence has basic residential camp facilities, which includes running water and electricity. Candidates should be aware that accommodation may be austere with the possibility of water shortages and power blackouts. On arrival in Juba accommodation will be on a share basis. Ablutions will also be shared. As the accommodation situation improves single unit accommodation, with an attached ablution, should become available in all locations. Hard wall accommodation is available in Juba.

All UNMISS duty stations apart from Entebbe, Uganda are considered non - family duty stations. The security level of UNMISS duty stations is classified by the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) who will brief on arrival. A number of locations in South Sudan are prone to conflict.

Primary health care services (preventive and curative) are provided in 11 United Nations Owned Equipment (UNOE) Level-I clinics, 21 Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) Level-I clinics, 4 COE Level-II medical facilities within the mission area and the establishment of contractual agreements for Level-III and Level-IIII care outside the mission area. The 4 Level-II facilities available in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Wau, run by the Troop Contributing Countries (TCC), take referrals from the Level-I clinics and provide hospital-based care.

The climate is tropical with a rainy season in many areas, which should normally span from around April to October. Ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions is essential.

Potential interview questions