Project Officer (PEPOL) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya

The United Nations Security Council mandates the UN to provide electoral assistance to Libya.  Under Libyan lead, UNSMIL and UNDP are jointly supporting the electoral process based on their comparative expertise to ensure uniform decision-making and effective planning. Through a donor basket fund, the project ‘Promoting Elections for the People of Libya’ (PEPOL) (2017-2020) has been designed to provide a comprehensive range of electoral support through the integrated UNDP and UNSMIL Electoral Support Team (UNEST).

The objective of PEPOL project is to develop the capacity of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) to prepare for and administer inclusive and credible balloting events. The project is designed in the spirit of cooperation, national interest and ownership, and is to be implemented with the HNEC as the co-chair of the project board which approves all project work plans.  The project seeks to achieve four key outputs to be implemented over a three year period, with immediate focus in 2020 on the first two outputs:

• Support the HNEC in the planning, preparation and conduct of national and local elections and out of country voting.
• Develop HNEC’s institutional and staff capacities and raise awareness on the requirements of electoral processes that are transparent, credible and promote inclusive participation.
• Promote public participation in electoral processes, targeting vulnerable groups with activities that enable them to exercise their right to vote.
• Raising the electoral awareness of local partners, enabling them to perform their role effectively in the electoral process and contribute to a peaceful electoral environment.

In pursuance of the above outputs, the PEPOL (Promoting Elections for the People of Libya) plans to recruit a Project Officer – Electoral Database Developer to join the Project Team under the guidance of Chief Technical Advisor/Project Manager. Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) is an enabling factor in conducting free and fair elections and the backnoe of PEPOL’s support in 2020 to HNEC. HNEC is promoting the use of technology in all aspects of its work that includes planning, voter registration, Out of Country Voting (OCV) and Results Management. There is a strong focus on exploring ways to integrate technology-based innovative solutions to make electoral processes more robust, transparent and sustainable. In addition to supporting the technical aspects the of the electoral process the Project Officer (Electoral

Database Developer) will contribute to the overall project management, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and timeliness of project implementation and reporting to government partners, project governance structures, and other relevant stakeholders.

Under the direct or delegated authority of the Project Manager/CTA and the overall supervision of the Project Technical Advisors, the Project Officer – Electoral Database Developer shall support the Project Manager and other electoral advisors in the planning and implementation of PEPOL project activities, and in providing technical assistance concerning project management and electoral IT operations.

UNDP, along with other partners, will provide technical and operational support to the HNEC to assist in the implementation of reliable and secure Electoral technical solutions. The emphasis will be on sustaining and improving the Voter registration system and developing an Electoral Results Management System. UNDP will be required to render direct technical and material support towards implementing aforementioned electoral technology platforms.

Summary of key functions:

• Contribute to the management of electoral technical support, specifically in the areas of electoral technology management and capacity enhancement of HNEC Information Systems Department.
• Support the management and development of the Voter Registration system and support the development of electoral results management system.
• Provide support in ensuring effective implementation of the project activities

Contribute to the management of electoral technical support, specifically in the areas of electoral technology management and capacity enhancement of HNEC Information Systems Department.

• Assist in identifying the capacity-building needs of HNEC Information Systems Department, draft terms of reference and engage experts for project training workshops and meetings.
• Support training activities envisaged in the PEPOL project Annual Work plan
• Develop, maintain, and intensify contacts with international and local institutions and trainers on issues related to capacities strengthening
• Draft and provide administrative management and support in all related to electoral technology
• Develop independent environments for the disaster recovery/backup options proposed by the organisation and assist the HNEC during the implementation of the backup solution.
• Coordinate with HNEC, UNDP and vendors on issues related to contracts, training, workshops and other relevant activities
• Provide technical support to tackle issues produced from the integration between HNEC electoral systems and the Mobile Network Operators.

Support the management and development of the Voter Registration system and support the development electoral results management system

• Coordinate the management and installation of the Secondary Backup VR system.
• Assist the HNEC during the development and installation of the Results Management System.
• Review the codebase, the architecture of the database and other technical aspects of the backup system and ensure compliance with the HNEC backup and disaster recovery plans.
• Assist HNEC in code review and version control of the HNEC SMS registration system and follow-up on the implementation process
• Test the software, reveal the bugs and errors. Create test result reports. Follow up the bug fixing process and software releases.

Provide support in ensuring effective implementation of the project activities

• Provide administrative, operational and/or logistical support to the project’s procurement and assets management processes
• On behalf of the project, when required, participate in meetings between HNEC and UNDP contracted vendors to facilitate discussions and contract management.
• Draft, provide input or follow-up on relevant project documents (planning, TORs, specifications, proof of delivery, etc.)
• Provide report to HNEC and Project Management on the status of key activities under his/her supervision.
• Liaise with UNDP and other partners supporting HNEC IT systems to ensure effective and timely sharing of information and reports.
• Undertake additional tasks as assigned by the CTA/PM.

Impact of Results:

The key results have an impact on the overall economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of the project operations as it relates to the use of corporate resources in the following areas:

• Strengthen partnership with HNEC and other key counterparts
• Improving the quality of technical assistance provided by the organisation

Functional Competencies:

COMPETENCIES:

The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following technical and behavioural competencies

Behavioural:

• Accountability – takes responsibility for action and manages constructive criticisms;
• Client Orientation – works effectively well with client and stakeholders;
• Continuous Learning – contributes to colleagues’ learning;
• Communication – listens and communicates clearly, adapting delivery to the audience;
• Creativity and Initiative – actively seeks new ways of improving programmes or services;
• Leadership and Negotiation – present goals as shared interests;
• Performance Management – provides constructive feedback to colleagues;
• Planning and Organizing – plans work, anticipates risks, and sets goals within area of responsibility;
• Teamwork – contributes to and follows team objectives;
• Technological Awareness – displays awareness of relevant technological solutions

Technical

• Strengthen partnership with HNEC and other key counterparts

Client Orientation

Contributing to positive outcomes for the client

• Anticipates client needs
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider
• Demonstrates an understanding of client’s perspective

Education:

Master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or information systems with Five (5) years of relevant work experience or a first-level university degree in combination with Seven (7) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Technical expertise:

• Five (5) years of experience in backend and front-end web application development (Python, PHP, Javascript).
• Five (5) years’ experience with database design and maintenance(PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL).
• Experience in managing cloud-based platforms, developing scalable websites/services.
• Hands-on experience developing, releasing, and maintaining large-scale software applications (web/mobile).
• Knowledge of software development life cycle in a large enterprise environment.
• Knowledge and practical skills of Linux based systems installation, administration and maintenance.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong management, problem-solving, and consensus-building skills.

Electoral background:

• Significant experience working on ICT systems of electoral programmes related to Libya is required
• Strong understanding of electoral cylces and ekectoral ICT requirements
• Experience working with an international organisation, UN agency or NGO would be desirable
• Experience liaising with and providing capacity development support to government authorities, other national institutions and NGOs would be considered

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Arabic required, both written and spoken.