Assistant to the Inclusion of Ethnolinguistic Groups and IDPs LTA: Ethiopia 27 views

The National Democratic Institute is seeking eight Assistants to Long-Term Analysts with background in the following thematic areas: election administration, election security, civic engagement, legal framework, inclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs), inclusion of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs, political context and campaigning, and media for the International Election Observation Mission in Ethiopia (IEOME). In partnership with the International Republican Institute (IRI), the IEOME will assess Ethiopia’s 2021 general elections and the degree to which they are inclusive, transparent and accountable and are conducted in accordance with international and regional standards for democratic elections, including the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers and relevant laws of Ethiopia. The LTA Assistants are full-time, temporary employees and are expected to work in Addis Ababa from approximately mid April through mid/late July.

The LTA Assistants will be based in Addis Ababa and paired with an LTA working on the same thematic issue. LTA Assistants will be paired with an LTA based on their contextual knowledge of Ethiopia’s democratic governance and electoral issues. Primary responsibilities include supporting the work of the LTA as well as the core team by assisting with access to key interlocutors, providing contextual frameworks and analysis of Ethiopia’s political and electoral context as it pertains to the specific thematic issue, scheduling meetings and interviews, and providing occasional interpretation and translation as necessary.

Number of Positions: 1 (of 8)

General Responsibilities:

• Work closely with LTAs to support qualitative and quantitative analysis of the election in the thematic issue area of inclusion of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs;
• Provide on-the-ground support to the Core Team and LTAs by scheduling meetings and interviews with relevant stakeholders;
• Work closely with other LTA assistants to ensure the integration of various issues into the overall analysis of the electoral process;
• Provide occasional interpretation and translation needs as necessary, including written translation of legal documents and simultaneous or consecutive interpretation during meetings and other program events;
• Provide regular media monitoring of relevant thematic issues and update on key developments in a specific issue area or more generally;
• Participate in virtual staff meetings and facilitate meetings in real time/fast paced environment as needed;
• Support the activity of the IEOME and of the LTAs other LTA Assistants or other members of the organisation in any other aspect that is required;
• Provide advice on any election-related issues as required;
• Provide input and research into the process of preparing briefings for delegations and other individuals or groups, either online or in-persons, as required;
• Help liaise with the IEOME regional assistants, gather and record information from the field in a competent and presentable manner;
• Assist in the drafting of IEOME documents and reports, in particular carry out research tasks as required by the LTA;
• Acquire general knowledge of the election law and other relevant legislation and regulations;
• Acquire knowledge of international standards for democratic elections;
• Become familiar with the IEOME methodology reflected in relevant publications;
• Acquire general knowledge of the electoral and political situation in the country, with specific emphasis on inclusion of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs.

Specific Duties:

Under the guidance of the LTA, the Assistant to the Inclusion: Ethnolinguistic Groups and IDPs LTA assists in the assessment of the participation of ethnic and linguistic groups as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) as candidates, voters and election administrators, in the electoral process in line with international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. He or she will:

• Help prepare overview of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs in Ethiopia;
• Assist the LTA in the review of existing material on the effective participation of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs in elections;
• Help perform an initial review of election legislation from ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs’ perspective;
• Help assess impact of electoral system and/or constituency delimitation on ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs;
• Assist in monitoring and analyzing the participation of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs in the elections;
• Work closely with other LTA Assistants (e.g. Election Administration, Campaign and Political Parties, Legal Framework, Information Environment and Disinformation) to assist in the assessment of the participation of ethnolinguistic group and IDP representatives as candidates, voters and election administrators;
• Help collect relevant data for internal and external reports on the participation of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs in the electoral process;
• Help establish contact with and interview candidates, party activists and electoral administrators representing ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs;
• Assist in liaising at both the central and regional level with domestic ethnolinguistic group and IDP non-governmental organizations;
• Help analyze information collected by the LTA, other LTA Assistants and regional assistants (if applicable).

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience and expertise in the area of inclusion of ethnolinguistic groups and IDPs and/or their rights, or similar (including monitoring and analysis thereof);
• Bachelor’s degree in a field of study related to international development, such as political science, public policy, law, gender or related field preferred;
•  A minimum of three (3) years relevant professional work experience at the national or international level providing research assistance, ideally within civil society, academia, think tank environments;
• Prior experience in election observation missions desired;
• Ability and adherence to remain unbiased and impartial when providing analysis;
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure in a sensitive political environment;
• Demonstrated ability to work as a member of an internationally and culturally diverse team, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Exceptional interpersonal and managerial skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of local stakeholders and government personnel;
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills to effectively present information in a clear and persuasive manner;
• Analytical skills for interpreting complex program and political issues;
• Experience in PC-based word processing, e-mail technology, virtual meeting platforms and other basic computer literacy skills as needed. Database management is desirable but not required;
• Fluent in written and spoken English as well as one or more of local languages.