Agora Election Observation is looking for three young people to lead our upcoming Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the Parliamentary Elections in Poland in October/November 2023.
An EOM will be deployed prior to the upcoming elections, including Mission Coordinators and Observers. MCs will arrive five days in advance to Warsaw for preparatory activities and Observers will arrive four days before the Election Day, which is known to be a Sunday. Most probably it will be one of the following dates: 15th, 22nd, 29th of October or 5th of November 2023. The exact date still has to be proclaimed by President Duda. Although the date of the Election Day has not been announced yet, the EOM will be deployed for six nights and aims to provide valuable insights and observations. This means that you will have to arrive by the latest on Wednesday before the Elections and can leave on Tuesday after E-Day.
The EOM will specifically assess the conditions under which young people participate in the electoral process. The principal focus of the Mission will lie in its interaction with domestic stakeholders, including the electoral authorities as well as political party representatives, (young) candidates, government institutions responsible for youth matters, civil society organisations and youth networks. The EOM will present findings on the participation of young people not only as voters, but also as candidates, activists, and elections staff. On Election Day, the Mission will deploy its observers across the country to witness opening, voting and counting procedures modelled largely on established OSCE/ODIHR and EU methodology.
Mission Coordinators are appointed for a period of approximately six months, with the first four months serving to prepare the Mission and complete preliminary research online. At least one week to conduct the deployment of the Mission in Poland, and the last month to finalise and disseminate the Mission’s final report. Mission Coordinators are expected to be available for all three months.
Three different positions are open:
- Logistics Coordinator,
- Outreach Coordinator,
- Research Coordinator.
TASK DESCRIPTION
– Logistics Coordinator is responsible for arranging logistics and ensuring adherence to mission procedures and standards. The Coordinator must also become familiar with logistical conditions and constraints, collect and submit necessary documents, support observers with finding accommodations and transportation, lead in-country briefing, and monitor observer activities on Election Day
– Outreach Coordinator is responsible for mapping relevant stakeholders and developing a list of potential collaborators for Agora Election Observation mission. This involves contracting stakeholders, arranging and moderating interviews, assisting in the creation of a database of meetings and interviews for the final report.
– Research Coordinator is responsible for studying the political and electoral system of the host country, including youth participation. The Research Coordinator supervises observer research tasks, prepare observation forms for the Election Day and assist in design of the questionnaire. The Coordinator should be responsible for the drafting the final report, which serves as the reference document for everything observed during the mission.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- experience in project management and international teamwork;
- familiarity with the context of the elections; prior election observation experience is an asset;
- sufficient time in the two months preceding the Mission (1-2 hours a day, likely more in busy weeks), as well as one month after;
- swiftness and reliability in day-to-day online communication;
- great organisational skills, attention to details, dedication, independence and ability to stick to deadlines.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
- be at least 18 and not more than 35 years old;
- hold citizenship of OR reside in a Council of Europe member state, Belarus or Vatican
- not hold citizenship of Poland;
- have a professional fluency in English;
- knowledge of Polish or closely related languages is an asset, but not required;
- be available to attend the entire Mission in person;
- be available to work on the final report after the end of the Mission.
In general, our Missions are organised on a 100% voluntary basis and do not involve any remuneration or reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses. Participants are responsible themselves to have adequate health insurance coverage during the EOM. This applies to Coordinators as well as members of the Agora Election Observation team.
Please apply here no later than on 2 June 2023 at 23:59 CET. We encourage you to apply earlier as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
We will aim to contact you by 10 June 2023 if you have been invited for an interview.
In case of questions, please contact Mansiya Samambet, Mission & Methodology Manager, at m.samambet@agoraelectionobservation.org or Ana Pacu, Mission & Methodology Manager, at a.pacu@agoraelectionobservation.org
We look forward to your application!