Senior Specialist (Industrial Parks Governance & Institutional Frameworks)

Sustainable Investments and Responsible Business Unit (IET/PST/SIB)

The Sustainable Investments and Responsible Business Unit (IET/PST/SIB) fosters the uptake of responsible business conduct in Member States across local, regional and global value and supply chains. To this end, it induces responsible investments into sustainable value chains working with multinational corporation networks and other platforms to advance socially-minded, youth and gender-responsive as well as responsible business conduct. The Unit supports Member States in enhancing their enabling institutional and policy frameworks and the ability to comply with international standards at the country and regional level to monitor the contribution of value chains to economic, social and environmental sustainability standards. To this end, it facilitates cooperation between firms, institutions and policy actors to advance required reforms and raise required investments. The Unit also supports the transition of public and private procurement to become greener and more socially balanced and to leverage positive market signals to facilitate supplier linkages, supplier development and transformative supply chain investments and investment-ready supply chains.

Rural Development, Agro-industries and Industrial Parks Unit (IET/AGR/RAP)

The Rural Development, Agro-industries and Industrial Parks Unit (IET/AGR/RAP) aims to improve rural livelihoods by extending and professionalizing agro-industrial production, infrastructure supply and employment. It provides TC services to develop formal and informal enterprises and entrepreneurs that produce and source agricultural products – directly or through business-development service agents – with support for business planning, technology adoption, investment planning, product improvement, quality compliance and marketing. The Unit also promotes the planning for the development of the infrastructure for the transportation of intermediary and final products and related basic infrastructure required for agro-processing and value addition, making use, among others, of sustainable agro-industrial park development schemes.

UNIDO supports the development of Industrial Parks (IPs) and Integrated Agro-Food Parks (IAFPs) as key instruments to promote industrialization, value addition, and private sector development. These initiatives require integrated expertise across policy, technical design, financing, governance, and implementation.

To support its growing project pipeline, UNIDO seeks to establish a roster of qualified experts who can be mobilized on a short-term basis to contribute to the preparation and implementation of IP and IAFP projects in line with international good practices.

UNIDO seeks to engage experts with demonstrated specialization in one or more core technical domains of industrial park and IAFP development, to be deployed individually or as part of multidisciplinary teams.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Senior Consultant may work across one or more projects and will be responsible for the following main duties:

• Contribute to assessments of policy, regulatory, institutional, and market frameworks relevant to IP and IAFP development.
• Contribute to the preparation and review of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, including technical, financial, and economic analyses.
• Advise on institutional arrangements and governance models, including roles of public authorities, park operators, and private stakeholders.
• Support the design of private-public partnerships (PPP) and investment structures, including special purpose vehicle (SPV) options, risk allocation, and financing approaches.
• Contribute to the development of technical guidelines, tools, and knowledge products related to IPs and IAFPs.
• Support the identification and analysis of priority value chains and their integration into park-based development models.
• Provide technical inputs to master planning and infrastructure requirements, including utilities, logistics, and agro-processing facilities.
• Provide technical inputs to environmental, social, and climate considerations in park design and implementation.
• Contribute to implementation planning, including sequencing of investments, institutional measures, and operational set-up.
• Support stakeholder consultations, capacity-building activities, and validation workshops.

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in economics, engineering, agribusiness, finance, or related disciplines, is required.

Technical and Functional Experience:

At least ten (10) years of professional experience in industrial park, SEZ, or agro-industrial development, with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following technical domains:

• • • Institutional and governance frameworks
    • PPP and investment structuring
    • Technical design and master planning
    • Feasibility and financial analysis

• Experience working as part of multidisciplinary teams on complex infrastructure or industrial development projects is required.
• Experience working in developing countries particularly within the African context, is required.
• Experience in preparing or reviewing bankable project documentation (e.g. feasibility studies, investment proposals) is an asset.
• Familiarity with UN technical assistance projects and international development objectives, is desirable.

Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency in written and spoken French is desirable.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Core values:
WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key competencies:
WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

Managerial and Leadership Competencies 

WE ARE STRATEGIC, DECISIVE, PRINCIPLED AND INSPIRATIONAL: As managers, we are strategic and fair in driving our team’s performance. As leaders, we are a source of inspiration, stand for norms and standards established in the UN Charter and duty bound to defend these ideals with a principled approach.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE AND ACCOUNTABLE: As managers, we are inclusive in our approach and maintain constructive engagement with all our stakeholders. As leaders, we embrace all personnel and stakeholders and are accountable mutually within UNIDO, within the system, to beneficiaries and the public and beyond.

WE ARE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL: As managers, we go beyond conventional methods to help our organizational units strengthen their own agility and adaptability to change. As leaders in the UN system, we have a vision which is integrated and engaged across the pillars of Peace and Security, Human Rights and Development.

WE ARE COLLABORATIVE AND CO-CREATIVE: As managers, we foster a team spirit and create meaningful opportunities to hear the voices of those around us, while realizing that only by working together can we accomplish our mission. As leaders we see the inter-dependency of imperatives of the UN Charter and personally champion a collaborative inter-agency, multi-stakeholders and cross-thinking approach.