Special Notice
– Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. UNECA is committed to promoting geographical distribution and gender equality within its Secretariat. Therefore, women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the Macroeconomic Policy Division (MPD), Governance and Public Sector Management Section (GPMS) in Addis AbabaEthiopia. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is mandated to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. To find out more about UNECA, please go to www.uneca.org.
Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Director of MPD and the direct supervision of the Chief of the Governance and Public Sector Management Section (GPMS) the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:
Economic governance and public sector analysis:
•Participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes of economic governance and public administration management and in the formulation of relevant strategies, policies and actions for adoption by individual countries and/or the international community.
•Participates in the identification of new or emerging economic governance and public sector management issues of potential concern to Member States and/or the international community, particularly those of a regional or global nature and design and in the development of programmes to address them;
•Designs and conducts studies of selected issues in economic governance and public sector management and draft resulting reports and review studies and publications included in the Division’s work programme.
•Commissions and manages economic governance and public management studies and analyses that cannot be undertaken internally.
•Conceives, plans and manages expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that contribute to the finalization of the work branch’s outputs.
•Prepares policy briefs, briefing notes, speeches and presentations for senior staff and makes presentations on economic governance and public sector management related issues for specialist or non-specialist audiences.
•Prepares first drafts of sectoral, country or regional components of analytical studies on economic governance and public sector management.
Intergovernmental support
•Provides substantive support on economic issues to intergovernmental bodies (such as the General Assembly, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Economic and Social Council, the Trade and Development Board, the regional commissions and the subsidiary bodies of each).
•Represents organizational unit at international, regional and national meetings.
Technical cooperation:
•Designs and monitors technical cooperation projects.
•Undertakes missions to member states, either alone or as a participant in a diverse team, as part of the Organization’s technical cooperation activities.
•Prepares global, regional, national or sector analyses that provide a basis for advising national governments on economic development issues.
•Conducts training seminars and workshops for government officials and others.
•Formulates technical modalities for the evaluation of individual technical cooperation projects.
General
•Supports junior staff, reviewing their work and providing feedback.
•Participates in intra- and inter-Departmental undertakings of broader concern to represent the views or interests of the organizational unit.
•Performs other related duties as required, including a variety of administrative tasks necessary for the final delivery of the work unit’s service.;
•Undertakes on-the-job and other training activities, both internally and externally.
Work implies frequent interaction with the following:
Staff within work unit/section; counterparts in other UN, regional and global development organizations
Senior officials in government, academia and research institutions.
Competencies
Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic governance and public sector management topics as demonstrated by a proven record of publications in internationally refereed journals and books, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. Ability to identify and develop sources for data collection. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
•Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
•Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area. Experience in economic governance and public sector management analysis is required. Experience in the African context is desirable. Proven track record of refereed international academic publications, policy-oriented papers, articles, book or chapters on macroeconomics, economic development and economic governance is required.
Languages
Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on “The Application Process” and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
