Elijah RUBVUTA

Experience

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  Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP)

  Aug 1996 - Jan 2009

  Provided overall strategic management and direction of the operations of FODEP to ensure effective achievement of the mission, vision and objectives of FODEP:Duties and Accountabilities:1. Had overall oversight role on financial, personnel and administrative management of FODEP, including Resource mobilization;2. Held periodic management meetings to strategize and resolve operational bottlenecks;3. Originated performance appraisal reports for information and action of the Board;4. Appraised the Board of Directors and provide guidance/advice on policy;5. Planned, coordinate and manage the day-to-day running of the National Secretariat operations and activities in an efficient and effective manner with oversight role on Programs and Projects; Field Support; Research, Information and Publicity; Finance and Accounts; Coordination, liaison & representation; and periodic project reporting.Achievements:1. Mentored subordinates and motivated them to become proficient in elections and governance matters;2. Managed the organization in a manner that earned it more respect and support from stakeholders;3. Influenced Electoral Reforms through Advocacy work;4. Effectively steered FODEP’s re-organization & restructuring process;5. Helped restore the organization’s institutional reputation among partners and secured continued financial support from regular and alternative sources Show less Responsibilities:1. Formulated & coordinated programs at national level;2. Supervised Provincial Coordinators on field program implementation;3. Developed community and leadership capacity building modules/manuals civic education & election monitoring; 4. Developed brochures, flyers and car stickers for promoting good governance and the electoral process;5. Mentored volunteer monitors; 6. Trained District Councillors & community civic educators on the Electoral Process;7. Formulated project field implementation guidelines, logistics plans, and project resource allocations;8. Reviewed Project Proposals, Program projections and scheduling;9. Undertook Program/project Monitoring & Evaluation;Achievements:1. Coordinated Programs and Projects in an efficient and timely manner, as a result I earned recognition by the FODEP Board of Directors.2. Designed catchy materials that helped raise the profile of voter education in Zambia during the 1998 Local Government Elections.3. Developed FODEP’s Elections Monitoring Database for Zambia’s 1998 Local Government Elections Show less Responsibilities:1. Formulated field Projects and Administer & coordinate their Implementation;2. Supervised Community Civic education programs in all Districts of the province;3. Coordinate volunteer recruitment, and stakeholders’ training and election monitoring operations in the Province.4. Appraised community proposals and administered project funds and funding to District and Constituency structures based on their project Proposals.Achievements:1. Successfully executed the 1996 Election monitoring project and my performance recognized as outstanding by the Board & Management; Show less

  • Executive Director

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2009

  • Programmes Manager

    Jul 1997 - Dec 2002

  • Provincial Coordinator

    Aug 1996 - Jul 1997
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  Various (Commowealth Secretariat; NDI; EISA; SADC-ESN)

  Nov 1999 - Dec 2009

  International Election Observer

  Served on several Long and Short-Term Election Observer Missions to assess the electoral environment, results management process, and contribute to drafting statements and Election Reports for, among others, the following Observer Missions:-• Nov 28 – Dec 12, 2009 – Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) – Mozambique’s 2009 General Elections;• May 12 - 25, 2009 – National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) – Malawi’s 2009 General Elections;• March 9 -6 April, 2008 - Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) – Zimbabwe 2008 Harmonized Elections;• Oct-Nov, 2006 - Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 2006 General Elections;• Observer Team Coordinator: - June 12–30, 2000 - SADC Electoral Support Network (SADC-ESN) Observer Mission to 2000 Zimbabwe Parliamentary Elections;• Election Observer/Expert Team Member- Dec. 2004: I served as a Post-election Expert Team member of the Commonwealth Secretariat in Mozambique to examine the results management and tabulation process on behalf of the Commonwealth Group;{Complete list of the Missions I have served can be availed on request} Show less

• 

  Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)

  Jan 2010 - Jan 2011

  Regional Coordinator - (Election Integrity Index)

  To pilot test and refine the Regional Electoral Integrity Index (EII) Assessment Tool based on the findings, and to distill policy implications and compile a Regional Policy Brief.Duties and Accountabilities:• Reviewed the Research instrument, overseeing and guide data collection and report writing;• Prepared a regional comparative report;• Conducted an in-country stakeholder validation workshop in Zambia, • Reviewed Country Reports for Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Zambia, and compiled a Regional comparative report;• Distilled policy implications from the Regional Report and compiled a Policy Brief for the project. Show less

• 

  Department for International Development (DFID), Zambia

  Feb 2010 - May 2010

  Consultant (National)

  Contracted to work with an International Expert to review and design of a new Four (4) Year "Deepening Democracy in Zambia Programme : 2010/11 – 2014/15" for DFID ZambiaAccomplishments:Successfully drafted a new Programme Support Design and Framework to DFID Zambia, and the programme has since been launched for implementation by DFID

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  National Democratic Institute (NDI)

  Mar 2010 - Jan 2011

  Resident Senior Program Officer

  Main Responsibilities1. Provided managerial oversight to Field Program Managers in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Greater Upper-Nile Regions of Sudan, in their coordination and execution of all NDI Civic Engagement Program to ensure timely, quality and coordinated implementation of activities;2. Provided Technical support and capacity enhancement to the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SUNDE) on Domestic Election Observation program planning, execution, as well as supportive advice and direction to its functional sub-committees;3. Facilitated and train local staff and volunteers on election observation and voter education.Achievements:1. Contributed to the restructuring of the SUNDE Network, and to the review of the strategy and plan for SUNDE's comprehensive Observation of the 2011 South Sudan Referendum covering Voter Registration, Polling and Tabulation processes;2. Contributed to the successful implementation of observation program by SUNDE for the historic 2010 Sudan Elections Show less

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  United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)

  Jan 2011 - Apr 2011

  Electoral/Field Reporting Officer

  Staff member of the UN Secretary General's Panel on the Referenda in Sudan

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  Civil Society Elections Coalition (CSEC) - c/o Caritas Zambia

  Jun 2011 - Dec 2011

  National Coordinator

  Main responsibilities:1. Reporting - providing CSEC Steering Committee with timely, relevant, adequate and quality information on the electoral process as and when required;2. Planning - developing & reviewing CSEC structures, provincial and constituency coordination and reporting systems on elections;3. Networking - developing and promoting and sustaining effective and relevant networks with identified organizations working on elections;4. Monitoring & Evaluation - monitoring and keeping track of all the election programmes to ensure timely and effective implementation of all activities; Facilitate CSEC project reviews and evaluation;5. Training - ensuring effective and timely conduct of training for election ‘trainer-of-trainers’ and monitors in collaboration with provincial steering committee members;6. Technical Support - providing support to both provincial and constituency structures to effectively participate in community, district, provincial and national election forums and activities; Show less

• 

  The University Of Zambia (UNZA)

  Feb 2012 - Jul 2015

  Lecturer

  Lecturing/Tutoring- Teaching/lecturing and assessment of Third and Fourth-year students in two courses:(i) Civil Society & Development Course(ii) Good governance and development course

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  SADC Secretariat, Gaborone, Botswana

  Apr 2012 - May 2012

  Consultant/Facilitator

  Delivered presentations and Facilitated training sessions for the High-level SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) held in Gaborone, BotswanaContributed to the writing of the final Report of the Workshop proceedings

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  Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC)

  Jun 2013 - Aug 2013

  Elections Consultant/Team Leader

  Main Duties:• Led implementation of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ)/ZCBCs election response strategy in close collaboration with the Diocesan coordinators, through strategic deployment of observers, provision of logistical, technical, training and organizational support for election observers at national and local levels.• Provided expert and international best practice advice on effectively conducting election observation to related teams via Diocesan coordinators. Show less

• 

  UNDP

  Aug 2013 - Apr 2014

  Senior Regional Electoral Advisor

  • Provided electoral technical advice and support to the Electoral Commission of Nepal (ECN) under the UNDP Election Support Project (ESP), working in close collaboration and coordination with the ECN district election offices in Midwestern Region, relevant government officials, Election Support Programme (ESP) team, project partners and providers of electoral assistance. Advised on development and implementation of electoral operational plans, continuous voter registration, contingency plans and ensuring the electoral process was in line with International principles and best practices; effective coordination and execution of activities, troubleshooting potential security issues, and implementation of election operations Show less

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  African Union

  Apr 2014 - Jun 2014

  Long-Term Observer Coordinator

  As principle point of contact for the LTOs, I had overall responsibility in managing the strategic deployment and reporting by LTOs, providing Electoral expertise, Coordination, and Reporting:• Electoral Expertise: Acquired substantive information and knowledge on the Election Laws, relevant legislations, the political and electoral situation in the country, and used the information to compile periodic assessments • Coordination Role: Coordinated logistics for both LTOs and Short-Term Observers (STO) deployment including transport, accommodation and communication; Organized and schedule Election Day and Election night reporting by LTOs to ensure that full and timely reports;• Reporting Role: Received, reviewed and analyzed all LTO reports; compiled regular concise periodic reports on the findings and conclusions of LTOs; led the drafting of Mission’s Preliminary findings, conclusions and final analytical report with recommendations. Show less

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  UNDP Afghanistan

  Aug 2014 - Sept 2014

  Vote Audit Advisor

  My responsibilities were:• Supervised and facilitated the on-going audit of disputed votes from the Presidential election.• Provided technical advice to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Secretariat staff conducting the audit, based on international standards and best practice as relating to audit procedures;• Advised and facilitated the mitigation of any disagreement among the Afghanistan counterparts - particularly among the candidate representatives - to ensure adherence with the established audit procedures. Show less

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  African Union

  Sept 2014 - Nov 2014

  Long Term Observers' Coordinator

  As principle point of contact for the LTOs, I had overall responsibility in managing the strategic deployment and reporting by LTOs, providing Electoral expertise, Coordination, and Reporting:• Electoral Expertise: Acquired substantive information and knowledge on the Election Laws, relevant legislations, the political and electoral situation in the country, and used the information to compile periodic assessments • Coordination Role: Coordinated logistics for both LTOs and Short-Term Observers (STO) deployment including transport, accommodation and communication; Organized and schedule Election Day and Election night reporting by LTOs to ensure that full and timely reports;• Reporting Role: Received, reviewed and analyzed all LTO reports; compiled regular concise periodic reports on the findings and conclusions of LTOs; led the drafting of Mission’s Preliminary findings, conclusions and final analytical report with recommendations. Show less

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  United Nations Electoral Mission in Burundi (MENUB)

  Aug 2015 - Nov 2015

  Electoral Officer/Political Analyst

  Main Duties:• Ensured the leadership of MENUB as well as UN Headquarters is kept fully appraised of all developments necessitating their attention through regular, high-quality analysis, reporting and recommendations:• Provided periodic analyses, overviews & contexts on the political and security aspects of the electoral process.• Drafted and contributed to daily situational and weekly reports, talking points, Briefing Notes, Periodic internal reports, and thematic Code Cables on political and security developments on the Electoral Process;• Drafted and contributed to the Political and Security context sections of the mission’s, Preliminary Statement, The Final Report and the Secretary General’s Report. Show less

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  United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African (MINUSCA)

  Nov 2015 - Dec 2017

  Special Assistant to Deputy SRSG

  Working with pillar units, and in relation to the mission mandate: • Provided substantive support to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG), Political Affairs, in the implementation of the Mission’s mandate as given by the Security Council.• Spearheaded and ensured respective pillar units had bankable work-plans that were aligned to the mission’s mandate and goals;• Led and ensured pillar units developed, revised and implemented clear criteria for the tracking of outputs and achievements in line with respective work-plans;• Coordinated, liaised as focal point, and advised the DSRSG-P on matters concerning, Strategic planning, Quick Impact Projects (QIP), Field visit planning and organizing, and staff recruitment as relevant Show less

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  The University Of Zambia (UNZA)

  Apr 2019 - Nov 2019

  Lecturer

  - Teaching/lecturing and assessment of Third and Fourth-year students in two courses:(i) Civil Society & Development Course(ii) Good governance and development course

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  United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA)

  Jan 2020 - Jun 2021

  Political Affairs Officer

  Main Duties:Contribute to on-going analysis of political developments in the SADC region; drafting substantive documents and reports; Assist SALT in on-going liaison work with SADC Secretariat; Contribute to thematic/comparative reports on regional dynamics on topics such as Peace and Security agenda; Closely monitor news in countries covered by the Team and draft comprehensive news clippings and other media analysis reports; Maintain close working relations with UN Country Teams, PBF and other relevant UN partners active in the region; As required, undertake missions in the region to support UN delegations, UN Country Teams and DPPA projects or workshops; Play a proactive role in reaching out to think tanks, academia and civil society in the SADC region to enhance the quality and breadth of political analysis Show less

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  UNDP Afghanistan

  Jun 2021 - Jan 2022

  Senior Electoral Strategic Planning Advisor

  Main Duties: • Provided technical assistance and advice to the IEC in the development of its Five-Year Strategic Plan (2021 to 2026) and a Two-Year Action Plan (2021-2023),• Conducted a situational analysis to establish Afghanistan’s political and social-economic context • Conducted an organizational assessment with the aim of identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and consequently formulate strategic goals, objectives and priorities over the five-year period. • Planned, facilitated and managed rounds of consultative meetings with IEC staff and external stakeholders for feedback and inputs • Supported IEC preparation of a final Strategic Plan and Action Plan for implementation of the Strategic Plan • Advised on institutional arrangements necessary for implementation of the Strategic Plan including organizational processes, communications strategy and decision-making structure to improve organizational effectiveness Show less

• 

  Foundation for Democratic Process

  Feb 2022 - now

  Executive Director

  • Providing strategic policy advice and resource mobilization as well as overall oversight role over financial, personnel and administrative management of FODEP.• Conduct periodic management meetings to strategize and resolve operational bottlenecks.• Plan, coordinate and managed daily operations and activities of the National Secretariat.• Supervise Programmes and projects, research, information and publicity, finance and accounts, coordination, providing field support, and the representation function for FODEP. Show less

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  African Union

  Jun 2022 - Jul 2022

  Electoral Expert - African Union Political Mission to the Kingdom of Lesotho - 2022

  Main duties:* Appraise the country’s preparation for the elections and subsequently, identify the need and feasibility for a robust and visible role for the AU electoral support; * Assess progress made by the Electoral Authorities and the National Reform Authority (NRA) towards constitutional and governance reforms; * Recommend short to long-term plan to support the Kingdom of Lesotho in its elections and political reform and stabilization agenda; * Compile and submitted a comprehensive report on the required steps to ensure free, fair, credible, inclusive and transparent elections Show less

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  African Union

  Sept 2022 - Oct 2022

  Core Team Expert (Electoral) - African Union Election Observer Mission to Lesotho

  I was responsible for advising and managing the strategic deployment and reporting and providing Electoral expertise and coordination:• Coordinated logistics for Short-Term Observers (STO) deployment including transport, and communication; Organized and schedule Election Day and Election night reporting to ensure timeliness;• Received, reviewed and analyzed all observer reports; compiled concise reports on the findings and conclusions; led the drafting of Mission’s Preliminary findings, conclusions and final mission report with recommendations. Show less

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  UNDP Iraq

  Feb 2024 - Apr 2024

  External Evaluation Consultant (International)

  Undertook project evaluation for the UN Support to Iraq Electoral Process 2020-2024 Project