Uganda will go to the polls between April 2020 and February 2021 to, first, vote for the representatives of special interest groups and, later, for the president, parliament, and several district and local government leaders. The February 2021 general election will be the fourth one since the re-introduction of multiparty democracy in the country in 2005. Uganda approved a Constitutional Amendment in 2005 to restore a multiparty political system and lift restrictions on political parties’ activities. Since then, the country a has held regular general election, i.e. every five years. About 19 million Ugandans are registered as voters.

In 2018, the Electoral Commission of Uganda (EC) unveiled a strategic plan and an electoral roadmap for 2020/21 both of which commit the EC to promoting free, fair and transparent elections in 2020 and 2021 and mainstreaming stakeholder engagement and voter education. The EC also committed itself to addressing the recommendations of various election observer missions, both international and domestic, following the 2016 elections. Some of the milestones of the EC road map are: the publication of the list of 2020/21 polling stations; update of the national voter register; commencement of district consultations by presidential aspirants; national consultations by Parliament on electoral reform; and the national voter register display.

In line with its commitment to supporting development, democratic governance and peacebuilding as provided for in the key development cooperation instruments signed between UN/UNDP and the Government of Uganda including the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Country Programme Document (CPD) and also in pursuance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uganda developed a two-year integrated electoral support project for implementation between February 2020 and February 2022. The 10,5m USD donor-funded project under the name “Strengthening Electoral Processes in Uganda (SEPU)” will be led by UNDP and implemented in collaboration with other UN agencies including OHCHR, UNWOMEN, and UNESCO.

The proposed project will have four outputs: i) Inclusion and transparency of the electoral process strengthened; ii) Institutional capacity for the Electoral Commission and other Electoral Stakeholders enhanced; iii) Electoral violence Early Warning and rapid response (EWER) supported; and iv) Effective and efficient management, partnership formation, and monitoring and evaluation of the project. The project interventions will target the Electoral Commission as the senior beneficiary and other national electoral actors such as Uganda Police Force, Uganda Human Rights Commission, media, Judiciary and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

The Project activities are time-bound in response to the Electoral Roadmap issued by the EC and this makes it imperative for detailed and expeditious planning on the part of the UN and other stakeholders to be responsive and make strong contribution towards the project objectives of strengthening electoral processes in Uganda.

Organizational Context of the Post

Given the need to support effective delivery on the said project results based on an electoral cycle approach (ECA), UNDP wishes to recruit the services of a Monitoring and Reporting Specialist who will lead on the production of timely internal and external project reports in line with UNDP corporate guidelines. He / she also will assist with the development of the Monitoring & Evaluation Technical Advisor, the incumbent reports to the UNDP Project Operations Manager.

The establishment and implementation of the project’s planning and monitoring system through robust a M&E framework and results-based data collection methods according to UNDP’s RBM principles:

• Develop and implement the project’s M&E plans, indicators, targets, means of verification and monitoring steps at output and activity level, and in line with the Annual Work Plan and according to UNDP standards;
• Develop plans and monitor the project’s Risks and Issues matrices in line with UNDP standards;
• Develop and refine the project-internal monitoring system to gather results-based project progress data and input from primary sources (project advisors), secondary sources (HNEC) and third-party sources;
• If applicable, take the lead in the review of the project Results Resources Framework, with electoral-related project indicators.

Establish and implement a standardized project reporting mechanism including effective and timely reporting to internal and external stakeholders:

• Draft project reports, such as quarterly reports, annual report, and donor-specific reports, capturing in a comprehensive analytical manner project progress against Results Framework; including the documentation of success stories, achievements, lessons learned, risks and issues;
• Produce project updates to donors and stakeholders in a timely manner by using the professional writing and formatting requirements;
• Assist and participate in the development of project management-related documents and concise reports and power-point presentations for various project meetings and workshops;
• Ensure smooth reporting and communication to donors and stakeholders; ensure adherence to donor visibility requirements;
• Work closely with project management and the UNDP CO colleagues to ensure timely and accurate response to donor inquiries on project activities including progress update.

Advisory support to the EC to establish an internal EC Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation system.

• Assist EC efforts to set up a system of internal monitoring and regular and systematic internal data collection to monitor progress and produce internal reports for EC management;
• Support the EC to produce regular monitoring and evaluative reports in the context of the current Strategic Plan and the 2020/21 Election Road Map;
• Consult with the EC, in liaison with the project CTA and the Capacity Development and Training Specialist, to assess needs of staff and to organize opportunities for training, as appropriate.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;

Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the DEP.

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

Treats all people fairly and without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Technical Expertise

Specialist knowledge and high-level advisory experience in the area of Elections, preferably in Africa, in a normal (non-conflict) development context.

Theoretical and practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development and governance issues

Strong understanding of political dynamics in government, civil society and the donor community in developing countries

Knowledge Management and Learning

Shares knowledge and experience and contributes to UNDP Practice Areas and actively works towards continuing personal learning and development

Ability to provide top quality policy advice services on electoral issues

In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues

Development and Operational Effectiveness

Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting

Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of programmes.

Ability to apply theory to the specific country context

Management and Leadership

Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback

Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation

Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills

Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude

Demonstrates strong writing, facilitation, and presentation skills

Builds strong relationships and networks with clients and external actors.

Negotiation skills: capacity to work with diverse partners including government, donors and civil society;

Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure

• Minimum eight years of previous experience in project monitoring, reporting and evaluation especially in donor-funded project setting;
• Experience in institutional capacity building for projects/programmes in the area of governance and/or elections is a requirement;
• Experience in donor relations including reporting is highly desirable;
• Experience working with an international organization, UN agency or NGO would be an asset;
• Experience liaising with government authorities, other national institutions and NGOs would be desirable.
• Demonstrated initiative, problem solving skills and focus on outcomes;
• Excellent analytical, communication, writing and presentation skills;
• Willingness to travel frequently in Uganda and to work extensive hours and under pressure;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.