Country: Pakistan
Closing date: 18 Sep 2017
Title of Position: Senior Elections Advisor
Duty Station: Home-based; Islamabad, Pakistan
Contract Period: Short-term assignment of five days’ duration in October 2017. Future assignments of similar duration are subject to planning and stakeholder needs.
Background
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. Democracy Reporting International promotes the political participation of citizens, the accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.
With support from the German Federal Foreign Office, DRI is currently implementing the project “Supporting Advocacy for Human Rights and Good Governance in Pakistan”. The project aims to support Pakistan’s state institutions, public bodies and civil society to formulate, implement and advocate for priority human rights reforms and advance democratic governance.
With Pakistan’s next general elections slated for mid-2018 and landmark electoral reforms due to be passed by the Parliament and become law well before then, DRI plans to hold a series of expert briefings for parliamentarians and other policymakers on the operationalisation of electoral reforms in light of international good practices. DRI therefore requires the services of a Senior Elections Advisor to develop and conduct the series of expert briefings in Islamabad, Pakistan. Moreover, DRI has drafted a briefing paper on the operationalisation of the electoral reforms based on the Election Bill 2017 as introduced in the National Assembly on 20 August 2017. The briefing paper requires updating based on the latest version of the Elections Bill 2017 set to be passed by the Parliament.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the overall supervision of DRI Pakistan’s Country Representative, the Senior Elections Advisor will perform tasks and deliverables which include the following:
- Update DRI’s briefing paper on the operationalisation of electoral reforms based on latest version of the Elections Bill 2017 approved by the Parliament.
- Develop and conduct expert briefing sessions on the operationalisation of electoral reforms for policymakers, including but not limited to members of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms and other relevant parliamentary committees, ministers, officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan and Electoral Support Group;
- Participate in debates and discussions organised as part of social media outreach;
- Perform other tasks as required.
Qualifications and Experience:
- University degree in law, political science or a related discipline;
- At least 10 years’ experience in the field of elections and democratic governance;
- Sound understanding of and ability to apply international electoral standards and best practices in elections and democratic governance;
- Excellent analytical skills and ability to conceptualise policy formulation within the subject area;
- Demonstrated experience of providing expert support to policymakers and familiarity with the Pakistan’s legal framework for elections and electoral reforms process;
- Excellent English language skills (spoken and written);
- Excellent report writing, communication and presentation skills;
- Ability/willingness to travel to Pakistan.
How to apply:
For interested applicants, please send your application (cover letter and CV) to asia@democracy-reporting.org with “**Senior** Elections Advisor (Pakistan)” as the subject heading and supporting documents in the following format: SURNAME_FIRSTNAME_SEA
Closing date for applications: 18 September 2017
DRI values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.
This position may be filled before the end of the deadline, so early applications are encouraged.
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.