Senior Economic Affairs Officer, P-5

UN DESA - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

New York, United States

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Office for Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC), Operational Activities Policy Branch (OAPB) (https://www.un.org/ecosoc/en). The Senior Economics Affairs Officer reports to the Chief of OAPB.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, under the guidance and overall supervision of the Chief of OAPB, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Economic or sectoral analysis

Leads or participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated monitoring and reporting on UN system operational activities for development; including the conceptualization and drafting of reports on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR); manages, develops and/or updates the Branch's tools, mechanisms and instruments for data collection, monitoring, analysis, and reporting; prepares draft analyses and recommendations based on the evidence collected and research for consideration by Member States.
Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues of potential concern to the international community, particularly those of a regional or global nature, and designs and develops initiatives to address them in the context of the branch's portfolio.
Supervises a team of staff on the branch's work.
Develops terms of reference and concept notes, identifies consultants and contractors, if needed, and oversees economic studies and analyses that cannot be undertaken internally.
Conceives, plans and manages ECOSOC's Operational Activities segment, expert group meetings, workshops, seminars, briefings and similar consultations that contribute to the finalization of the work unit’s outputs.
Reviews drafts and finalizes reports on development for issuance by the United Nations.
Prepares briefing notes, talking points, speeches for senior staff and makes presentations on operational activities for development issues for specialist or nonspecialist audiences.

Intergovernmental support

Provides direct substantive and technical support on development issues to intergovernmental bodies (such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council) by acting as the Secretariat in support of resolutions on operational activities for development.
Manages the work unit’s contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies.

Technical cooperation

Develops and maintains relations with senior officials of member governments and ensures a response to requests for advice and/or assistance on economic issues and policies.
Liaises with all parts of the UN development system, and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) in particular.
Supports the Branch's activities related to the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), its Strategic Results Groups and Task Forces.
Supports implementation and reporting on extra-budgetary projects.

Programme support

Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the unit and participates in the formulation of the organization's overall programme of work and other similar endeavours.
Attends to various administrative matters concerning the larger organizational unit (Division/Office).
Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic and development cooperation topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. Ability to develop economic policies and make recommendations on their implementation. 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.
Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.
Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, social policies or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required. Experience in reviewing and drafting reports, briefing notes and talking points on policy issues related to sustainable development and development cooperation is required. Experience working in the UN system or a comparable international or intergovernmental organization, is required. Experience in delivery or analysis of development assistance at the country level is desirable. Experience in monitoring, reporting and evaluation, including in results-based management is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

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