Electoral Integrity Assessment Subject Matter Experts – Mali Consultancy

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is conducting an Electoral Integrity Assessment (EIA) in Mali. The Assessment will map out critical aspects to the electoral reform process and will provide key insights to Malian electoral stakeholders on critical vulnerabilities, risks and possible mitigation alternatives related to the electoral architecture of the country. IFES is looking for subject matter experts in the following areas to be part of the Assessment team:

• Referendum Process
• Legal Framework
• Institutional Framework
• Election Budgeting/ Funding
• Training and Capacity Building
• Voter Registration
• Political Parties and Candidates
• Electoral System and Constituency Delimitation
• Media
• Political Finance
• Public Information and Voter Education
• Infrastructure and Planning
• Election Security
• Election Observation and Oversight
• Voting Operations/Voter Services
• Counting
• Aggregation and Certification of Final Results
• Election Dispute Resolution

Job Responsibilities: Each Subject Matter Expert will provide input and knowledge on specific focus areas by completing the following deliverables:

• Work with Team Lead, other Subject Matter Experts and program team to prepare for deployment, including taking part in trainings, briefings, and other activities to ensure understanding of the EIA methodology and his or her specific responsibilities;
• Take part in in-country meetings and briefings;
• Determine vulnerability type (fraud, malpractice, systemic manipulation) and assign scores for assigned categories;
• Take part in team meeting to review and refine category scores; and
• Deliver chapter drafts according to the assessment timeline and respond to editorial reviews

Deliverables:

• First, interim, and final drafts of each assigned assessment category

Level of Effort:

• Each Subject Matter Expert will work remotely, with the possibility of travelling to Bamako, Mali for in-country meetings. The overall level of effort is estimated at 25 days.

 Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (advanced degree preferred) in relevant field and proven knowledge and expertise in the topics covered by the Electoral Integrity Assessment.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience working on elections, related topics; experience evaluating electoral systems is a plus. Experience with the IFES Electoral Integrity Assessment methodology preferred but not required.
• Strong command of the French and English languages.
• Excellent English-language writing skills.
• Ability to work well with minimal supervision, plan activities, and meet deadlines.
• Strong professional and collaborative skills when working with a team.
• Competency with Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience engaging high level officials and senior electoral officers within election commissions, governmental departments, and civil society organizations.
• Availability to deploy to Bamako, Mali during the period of the consultancy.