Archival and Records Management Consultant - Elections. UNDP, Monrovia. Open until 24 April 2012

ARCHIVAL AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT - ELECTIONS
Location : Monrovia, LIBERIA
Application Deadline : 24-Apr-12
Additional Category Millennium Development Goals
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required :
English
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Jun-2012
Duration of Initial Contract : 2 months
Expected Duration of Assignment : 2 months

Background
After successful conduct of 2011 August Referendum and October Presidential and Legislative elections, there is an urgent need to work with the National Elections Commission (NEC) to conduct capacity building projects and enhance the NEC staff knowledge and ability to manage upcoming elections.

The UNDP 2012 capacity building programme aims to improve electoral institutions, more specifically, the programme will contribute to strengthening capacity of the electoral management body; enhancing electoral processes and improving conformity of the legal and administrative framework with international standards. Establishment of the Election Resource Centre with increased electoral resource materials in the library and strengthening of the archiving system and its database is an essential and integral part of 2012 NEC capacity building programme.

Archiving has paramount importance for keeping the institutional memory of the election administration. It supports the development of election materials including operational procedures, manuals and public outreach materials for future elections. A well equipped Library will enable NEC staff access to election literature and academic books from different country experiences and observes how electoral issues are dealt with by other democracies across the globe.


Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected:

The Archival & Record Management Consultant will fulfill a number of functions, including providing technical support in establishment of the NEC Election Resource Centre Library, as well as setting up an Archiving system to ensure that key materials from the NEC are kept and catalogued for future reference. Archiving will be supported with special data base for archiving of soft copies of electoral materials. The Resource Centre will be an archiving place for public outreach materials (hard copies) and all posters/banners used for elections.

The Archival & Record Management Consultant will fulfill a number of functions, including providing technical support in establishment of the NEC Election Resource Centre Library, as well as setting up an Archiving system to ensure that key materials from the NEC are kept and catalogued for future reference. Archiving will be supported with special data base for archiving of soft copies of electoral materials. The Resource Centre will be an archiving place for public outreach materials (hard copies) and all posters/banners used for elections.

Under the overall supervision of UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Election Resource Centre the Archival & Resource Management Consultant will carry out the following tasks:
Develop library and archiving plan and will carry out an assessment of current management of information and archives;
Work with the NEC Election Resource Centre Manager to devise a step-by-step plan for collection, cataloguing, utilization and management of materials. The plan will use a phased approach, starting with a modest amount of materials and simple system and building up the resources over the course of the project;
Work with the NEC IT section on the library and archiving database development so that exploration of materials in the data base is easy for users;
Conduct on-the-job capacity enhancement trainings for ERC manager and other staff of the Election Resource Centre in information management and archiving. Technical consultant will utilize the best practice in information management and archiving.

Deliverables/Outputs :

Development of Library and Archiving plan: Week 2 of the consultancy, 10% of total contract sum: Work with NEC Resource center manager and other NEC officials to make assessment of the available resource at NEC and development strategic plan for ERC establishment
Development of library and archive databases: Week 4 of the consultancy, 10% of total contract sum
Together with ERC Manager, work with NEC IT section on developing library and archiving databases in order to make research of materials easier for users;
Furnishing and equipping of ERC: Week 6 of the consultancy, 20% of total contract sum
Prepare procurement list of materials and work with UNDP/NEC procurement units to purchase ERC all necessary equipments & materials for its functioning
On-the-job training for ERC staff: Week 7 of the consultancy, 20% of total contract sum
Conduct on-the-job capacity enhancement trainings for ERC manager and other staff of Election Resource Centre in information management and archiving
Final Report: Week 8 of the consultancy, 40% of total contract sum
A Final report containing an assessment of the capacity of the ERC and future steps to be achieved will be provided by Consultant by the end of the contract.


Competencies

Competencies & Experience:

Substantial experience in library, archiving and books cataloging development;
Ability to conduct trainings on library and archive development and maintenance;
Well developed interpersonal skills and sensitivity to local custom and traditions;
Good management skills;
Strong strategic and creative thinking;
Personal interest, commitment, efficiency, flexibility and willingness to work in a highly motivated team of professionals;
Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds;
Ability to adapt to difficult working environment, under pressure and with limited timeframes.
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of elections programme;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Substantial experience in library, archiving and books cataloging development.


Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters Degree in Library and Information Science or relevant field with equivalent practical experience.
Language Requirement:
Fluency in written and spoken English is compulsory.