International Consultant – Senior Expert on Elections, Independent Evaluation of the OSCE’s work on Elections (SSA)

Background:

Note: This is a home-based assignment with possible on-site field visits in the OSCE region.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counterterrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States (pS) enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions. The Office of Internal Oversight (OIO) is part of the OSCE Secretariat and is responsible for planning and delivering internal audits, investigations, and independent evaluations of the Organization’s activities. The work of OIO assures the adequacy of governance, risk management, and internal control, ensures compliance with the Organization’s internal control framework, and enhances performance and the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. The Evaluation Section of OIO conducts independent evaluations and contributes to organizational learning and helps to ensure the quality and relevance of the OSCE’s work.

As part of its annual work plan, the Office of Internal Oversight (OIO) will be conducting an Independent Evaluation of the OSCE’s work on Elections, during the period 2013-2023 .The OSCE’s work on elections, falling under OSCE’s “human dimension” of security, includes election observation activities and follow-up on election recommendations, as well as various initiatives to support democratic processes and the rule of law. The ODIHR is the main institution within the OSCE responsible for election observation and follow-up work. Other OSCE structures and bodies that implement election-related activities, to various degrees, include the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) and OSCE’s field operations (FOs). Geographically, the OSCE’s work on elections covers the whole OSCE region. 

Objective of Assignment: 

The purpose of the Independent Evaluation of the OSCE’s work on Elections is threefold: 

• Ensure accountability for results, by assessing how the OSCE has implemented its mandate on elections and with what results. The evaluation aims to provide insight in the portfolio of election-related work and the progress made over the last decade in terms of the effectiveness and (where possible) sustainability of results. It will also include an assessment of internal and external coherence, as well as gender mainstreaming of OSCE election-related activities;
• Enhance learning and organizational development, by providing insights in the election-related portfolio and its results, as well as factors that support or hinder the achievement of results in practice. To this end, the evaluation aims to highlight good practices and lessons learned related to OSCE’s electoral work;
• Contribute to decision-making processes, by providing insights in OSCE’s comparative advantage in promoting free and fair elections in the OSCE region that can inform future activities as well as OSCE’s position vis-à-vis other key international actors focused on electoral work.

The scope of the evaluation will be further outlined in the evaluation Terms of Reference, it is foreseen that the evaluation will primarily focus on the OSCE electoral work in South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In terms of OSCE executive structures, the main focus will be on the work implemented by the ODIHR and OSCE Field Operations, while work of other OSCE institutions and bodies will be also taken into account where relevant.
The final product of this evaluation will be a report with findings, conclusions and recommendations related to Comparative Advantage of the OSCE’s work on elections, its Internal and External Coherence, Effectiveness and plausibility of Impact. The report will identify lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations at the operational level as well as at the strategic level. The evaluation core target groups are OSCE program managers and higher staff categories that are involved in program and project level decision-making and design (decision-making and organizational learning) and OSCE pS (accountability for results).

Management of the Evaluation The scope of the evaluation

The evaluation will be managed by a Senior Evaluator at the OIO, and largely conducted by an external Senior Expert Consultant (supervised by the Senior Evaluator). The OIO Senior Evaluator, along with the Evaluation Reference Group will have a quality assurance role in the evaluation process. The Senior Evaluator will also support the consultant with the data collection and analysis throughout the evaluation process.

Duration of Assignment:

The duration of the contract is estimated at 45 working days between June 2024 – December 2024, however this is a results-based assignment where payments are linked to the submissions and approvals of key deliverables.  

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The selected Senior Expert Consultant will be expected: 

1. to perform qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis through, inter alia, desk research, portfolio analysis, interviews with staff from the Secretariat, OSCE Institutions, and Field Operations and with other stakeholders;
2. to carry out an in-depth review of the OSCE’s work on elections over the last decade;
3. to conduct field visits as appropriate . Following each field visit, the consultant will prepare a brief field visit report of major observations and findings. 

Deliverables:

Upon analyzing all collected information, the consultant will prepare the following documents (in cooperation with the Senior Evaluator at the OIO):

• An Inception Report (IR, Deliverable 1): Outlining the evaluation approach and methods, an Evaluation Matrix with refined EQs and Indicators, interview protocols and timelines based on the approved evaluation Terms of Reference. The IR includes an in-depth review of OSCE’s work on elections and related reconstructed Theory of Change of OSCE’s work on Elections, and a detailed evaluation work plan (with key steps and milestones);
• A portfolio analysis of OSCE’s work on elections over the last decade, incl., inter alia, insights in type of activities and interventions, UB and ExB expenditures, geographical distribution;
• Field Visit Reports (Deliverable 2): Based on observations and data collected during the field visits (5 pages each);
• Evaluation Report, Executive Summary and Power Point Presentation Slides (Deliverable 3): The final report will have max. 40 pages, excluding annexes and incorporates any feedback received from the OIO, the ERG and relevant OSCE staff. The final report will include main evaluation findings (linked to the EQs), conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations following a predefined report template and structure. The Executive Summary needs to be a stand-alone document in a predefined template. The Power Point Presentation is based on the report and focuses on emerging evaluation findings and draft recommendations for discussion with the ERG.

Necessary Qualifications:

• A second-level (Masters) or higher-level university degree in social sciences, economics, public policy, law, evaluation, business, management or related field(s) from an accredited university;
• A minimum of 10 years of documented and relevant professional experience related to elections – incl. analytical assessments, research, monitoring and evaluation (incl. theory-based evaluation), policy advice and project/programme management (in the context of international organization, an NGO, governmental department or an academic institution). An experience with a follow-up process on election recommendations would be an added value;
• Experience with/knowledge of international and/or regional organizations;
• Documented experience in qualitative and quantitative analysis;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Excellent report writing skills and the ability to convey complex information in a logical, clear and concise manner;
• Professional fluency in the English language (written and verbal)
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications. Ability to use relevant software and other applications. Advanced skills in using software suitable for quantitative analysis, e.g., Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and GIS would be of added value.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant’s/expert’s qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

Interested candidates should describe in their cover letter their suitability for the assignment and briefly outline their previous experience with similar evaluations.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE’s online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.