Vacancy Notice –Senior Advisor in Municipal Association

Assignment Description: Senior international expert in respect to the municipal associations to advise on its establishment and to provide best practices and strategic guidance on its formation

Assignment Location: Home Based

Employment Type: Short-term assignment

Assignment Period: December 2022

Level of Effort: 2 expert days

How to apply: Please send the application documents to info.lebanon@democracy-reporting.org cc’ing e.haddad@democracy-reporting.org by 04 December 2022, 11.59 PM local time.

DRI is looking for a Senior Advisor in Municipal Association to provide technical expertise in municipal association best practices.

Background

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions worldwide.

In the framework of its Lebanon project “A bottom-up reform agenda for Lebanon: Supporting youth, women, and civil society actors to expand civic space” funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, DRI is organizing for Peer-to-peer sessions between municipal officials and the line ministries to jointly reflect on common challenges and devise citizen-centric and gender-responsive local governance solutions. A re-engagement plan with municipalities and unions of municipalities was developed and will be implemented before the municipal elections, scheduled for May 2023. Its aim is to establish a network or association consisting of the Union of Municipalities covering Lebanese Geographical areas/regions.  

Since 2020, DRI has been supporting peer-to-peer exchange between Lebanese municipalities and unions of municipalities through a series of national thematic consultations. These meetings provide a platform for local authorities to build a network that facilitates the joint identification of common challenges and the co-creation of a solution-oriented agenda for improved local service delivery and decentralization reform.

In September 2021, DRI organized a series of workshops to draft the purpose, scope of work, and structure of a National Association of Lebanese Local Authorities. The workshop examined international models and drew on the bylaws of these associations to reflect on the development of a Lebanese model; and policy recommendations relayed to municipalities to assist them in forming a unified entity that represents them and defends their interests.

To this end, DRI is recruiting a Senior Advisor in Municipal Associations to advise on the establishment of municipal associations and to provide best practices and strategic guidance on their formation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of DRI Programme manager and in close coordination with the Project Coordinator, the Expert will:

1. Deliver one full day and another half-day consultation sessions covering comparative expertise on the establishment of municipal associations in different country contexts through a presentation and active contribution in the discussions with Lebanese municipal officials (one and a half expert days);
2. Advise on the founding principles of municipal associations and suggest guidelines to design a successful municipal association in Lebanon;
3. Submit end assignment report summarising the key takeaways of the consultation session, providing policy recommendations for the association’s purpose and scope of work (half an expert day).

Your Skills & Experience  

• An advanced university degree in law, political science, social studies, or relevant fields;
• At least 7 years of experience working on local governance issues in different country contexts;
• Excellent comparative knowledge of municipal associations in developed and developing countries – a relevant publication record is an asset;
• Familiarity with the Lebanese municipal context is an asset;
• Strong presentation skills;
• Working Proficiency in English; knowledge of Arabic is preferred