Consultant: Michigan Nonpartisan Election Observation – Operations Manager
About The Carter Center
The Carter Center is guided by a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights, alleviating human suffering, enhancing freedom and democracy, and improving health conditions. The Center seeks a highly qualified, motivated, and energetic consultant to serve as Operations Manager for the Center’s nonpartisan election observation efforts in Michigan.
The Center’s Democracy Program works globally to support and strengthen participatory democracy, consistent with human rights. Beginning in 2020, The Carter Center began efforts to support good election administration in the United States, including expanding nonpartisan observation, bolstering dispute resolution, tracking disinformation and dangerous speech, contributing to electoral reform and accessibility, and promoting principles for trusted elections.
In Michigan, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and The Carter Center have announced a partnership to conduct nonpartisan election observation of the 2026 midterm elections. The Ford-Carter Election Observation Network (FCEON) will monitor critical stages of the election process and assess the quality of the elections to increase transparency and trust in Michigan’s elections. The initiative will train and support Michiganders to serve as nonpartisan election observers throughout the state to assess whether election laws and procedures are consistently and accurately followed. The election observers will document how those procedures are implemented, impartially and accurately reporting what they see using structured forms and standardized observation tools. Their reports will be aggregated to provide a detailed, data-driven assessment about the integrity of elections in Michigan.
Employment Details
- Level of effort: Up to 22 days per month
- Start date: As soon as possible
- Location: Michigan (U.S.); travel throughout Michigan may be required; work in Grand Rapids and/or Ann Arbor and remote work are also expected
- Pay: Commensurate with experience
- Length of assignment: Through January 30, 2027, with the possibility of extension/renewal depending on performance and project requirements
Scope of Work and Responsibilities
Working under the supervision of a Democracy Program associate director, and in close coordination with the Atlanta-based project team, the consultant will:
Operations and Project Management
- Serve as the primary point of contact for operational and logistical planning and implementation for the Michigan election observation effort;
- Manage the project’s planned observation operations and contribute to overall implementation of the Michigan workplan;
- Support strategic planning related to observation activities, staffing, timing, and operational readiness across the election cycle;
- Coordinate closely with the Michigan-based team, Atlanta-based project staff, and other consultants to ensure smooth execution of project activities;
- Help ensure that operational systems, workflows, and internal coordination mechanisms support effective and timely implementation of the observation effort.
Logistics, Deployment, and Observer Support
- Lead operational planning and logistical support for observer recruitment, trainings, deployment, and any debriefing processes;
- Coordinate logistics related to observer travel, deployment schedules, and related arrangements, as needed;
- Support preparation and distribution of briefing materials, deployment packets, and other operational materials for observers and project staff;
- Coordinate with observer coordination and data management personnel to help ensure reporting, communication, and deployment systems function effectively;
- Support planning for key observation periods, including early voting, Election Day, canvassing, post-election processes, and other project activities as assigned;
- Participate in observer briefings, debriefings, and team meetings to share relevant operational guidance and updates.
Procurement, Administration, and Compliance
- Manage procurement and administrative processes for project equipment, materials, services, venues, and other operational needs;
- Maintain accurate records and documentation related to purchases, contracts, operational plans, and project assets;
- Help ensure compliance with Carter Center policies, project procedures, and donor requirements related to procurement, budgeting, and administration;
- Support tracking of project expenditures and operational needs in coordination with relevant team members;
- Maintain organized systems for files, inventories, and operational documentation;
- Assist with planning and coordination of meetings, trainings, stakeholder sessions, and other mission-related events.
Reporting and Products
- Contribute to internal updates, weekly reports, supplemental memos, and project reporting related to operations and implementation; as needed
- Support preparation of logistics and operations summaries, lessons learned, and internal planning documents;
- As requested, assist in drafting and editing sections of project reports, or other written products related to operational aspects of the Michigan effort;
- Complete other tasks as requested to support the good functioning of the project.
Qualifications
- Relevant experience in operations management, project coordination, election observation support, democracy programming, nonprofit administration, or related work;
- Demonstrated experience managing logistics, procurement, and administrative processes in fast-moving environments;
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and operational details simultaneously;
- Experience coordinating field-based activities, events, deployments, or distributed teams;
- Experience supervising staff, consultants, volunteers, or vendors is strongly preferred;
- Familiarity with compliance, budgeting, procurement, and risk management processes;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills;
- Familiarity with U.S. elections is strongly preferred; ability to quickly learn Michigan-specific election procedures and project needs is required;
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and comfort using shared systems for planning, tracking, and documentation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting election observation, election administration, civic monitoring, or other democracy-related field programming;
- Familiarity with Michigan’s election environment and operational landscape;
- Experience supporting large-scale volunteer or observer deployments;
- Experience with grant compliance, budgeting, or vendor and contract management;
- Knowledge of Carter Center systems and processes, or experience with comparable nonprofit operational systems.
How to apply
Please submit an application at the following link, including your CV and contact information: https://thecartercenter.formstack.com/forms/michigan_consultancy_application
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only applicants selected for an interview or additional consideration will be notified.
The Carter Center is looking for an experienced professional with knowledge of the U.S. & Michigan’s electoral system that can design, implement and track work plans as we work to increase transparency in the electoral process and support election officials. In consultation with Carter Center staff and other consultants with relevant expertise, the Program Advisor will have the following responsibilities: