Electoral Operations Specialist

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is an independent constitutional body mandated to conduct free, fair, credible, and transparent elections in accordance with Proclamation No. 1133/2019. In June 2026, NEBE has successfully administered the 2026 General Elections under a complex operational and security environment. Following the conclusion of the electoral process, NEBE is transitioning into a critical post-election phase focused on institutional consolidation, operational review, preservation of electoral systems and expertise, implementation of lessons learned, and strengthening preparedness for future electoral events, including re-elections, and subsequent national elections. To support this transition, NEBE seeks to engage a Electoral Operations and Institutional Strengthening Specialist to provide technical and operational support in strengthening institutional systems, enhancing sustainability of election operations, and supporting strategic operational planning for future electoral processes including the post election activities of the 7th general elections and conducting on the remaining and re-elections. The Strengthening Ethiopia's Elections for Democratic Sustainability (SEEDS II) implemented by UNDP has been partnering with NEBE since July 2023, superseding previous cycle of electoral assistance to Ethiopia (SEEDS I). The overall goal of the project is to strengthen electoral systems and processes that promote inclusion, gender equality, transparency and accountability through an effective and sustainable electoral management body and strengthened electoral stakeholders. Duties and Responsibilities The objective of this assignment is to support NEBE in consolidating operational gains from the 2026 General Elections, strengthening institutional systems and operational readiness, documenting lessons learned, and improving long-term planning, procurement, logistics, and operational frameworks for future electoral events. Results Verification, Post-Election Operational Review and Lessons Learned Lead results verification process for the remaining and re-elections by; - Establishing verification teams. - Ensuring accuracy and integrity of the results received from constituencies. - Participate in post-election lessons learned and operational review of the 2026 General Elections. - Document key operational successes, bottlenecks, and risks. - Develop recommendations for improving future electoral operations. - Support preparation of post-election lessons learned reports. - Facilitate internal debriefing sessions across departments. Support Remaining and Re-Elections processes under the NEBE management - Support operational planning for possible re-elections, and other special electoral events. - Assess readiness gaps and operational requirements. - Develop rapid deployment operational plans. - Manage development and finalization of election materials for the remaining and re-elections. - Work with international graphic designer to produce standardized materials, review and approve artworks. - Monitor the production and delivery of sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials including ballot printing. Institutional Strengthening and Systems Sustainability - Support NEBE in preserving operational knowledge, systems, tools, and procedures developed during the election cycle. - In collaboration with the NEBE ICT team, revise the software developed for both electoral and non-electoral periods, and upgrade the systems to improve internal coordination mechanisms and the execution of elections. - Strengthen institutional SOPs and operational workflows. - Support archiving and knowledge management systems. International Procurement Planning and Framework Development - Review procurement process of the 2026 elections. - Identify efficiency gains and cost-saving opportunities. - Update technical specifications of all the internationally procured electoral materials. - Prepare a document/guideline with the updated specifications and flow of the process to be used as a reference document for future use. Capacity Building and Professionalization - Support institutional capacity development of NEBE operational staff. - Participate in designing training plans and operational manuals. - Strengthen operational planning capacities. - Deliver targeted operational training. Operational Data and Planning Systems - Strengthen data-driven operational planning. - Improve polling station planning methodologies. - Support operational dashboards and monitoring systems. - Improve reporting and tracking systems. Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement - Support engagement with operational stakeholders by conducting regular coordination meetings and progress reviews. Strategic Operational Planning - Contribute to NEBE’s medium-term operational strategy. - Support long-term election calendar planning. - Support scenario planning. - Improve operational risk management frameworks.