Director, Principal Economic Affairs Officer, D-1

UNECA - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Org. Setting and Reporting

ECA's mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. The mission will be guided by ECA's five strategic directions which are: advancing ECA's position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent's problems and take local solutions to the continent; developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure, and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; advocating Africa's position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues. This position is located in the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary-Programme, at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in Addis Ababa. The incumbent reports directly to the Deputy Executive-Programme.

Responsibilities

Within the delegated authority, the Director will lead the African Centre for Statistics, subprogramme 4 on data and statistics, will be responsible for the following duties:

Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Division under his/her supervision. Oversees the management of activities undertaken Division, ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinates work in the different areas both within the Division and Commission, and with other entities of the United Nations System, as appropriate.
Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Branch/Service/Division under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by different work units under the Branch/Service/Division and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system; provides programmatic/substantive reviews of the drafts prepared by others.
Promotes methodological research with regard to standards on concepts, definitions and classifications to assist countries and other constituents in strengthening and supporting the modernization and transformation of their statistical systems.
Promotes use of Big data and data science solutions in the African Centre for Statistics, including in the Divisions of Commission including in member States, and encourages use of modern technology as well as designing and building predictive data science products, such as visualizations, models or AI/ML algorithms for initial simulations or prototypes and subsequent ingestion into mainstream software applications.
Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
Ensures that the outputs produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Branch/Service/Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical balance.
Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision.
Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Branch/Service/Division and across organizational boundaries.
Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive issues. Manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars.
Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
Represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. 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. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management.
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.
Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, mathematics, demography, data science, econometrics, business or public administration, finance, accounting, law or social sciences combined with statistics or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage. A PhD in one of the qualifying areas is an advantage.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in the area of statistical development at the national, regional and international levels, human resources management, administration, logistics, financial management, budget or related field is required. In addition, a minimum of 10 years’ experience in handling complex organizational issues at the international level is desirable. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in policy and technical development of statistical programme, as well as programme and project planning analysis, is desirable. Extensive managerial experience and abreast with the data ecosystem technological requirements to transform and modernize statistical systems is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in either English or French is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

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