Director, Transport Division

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. ESCAP is committed to
promoting diversity and gender equality within the Secretariat. Women candidates are
strongly encouraged to apply.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 June 2017, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Viet Nam.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote regional cooperation for inclusive economic and social development in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership, through its analytical, normative and technical cooperation, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.

The Director of the Transport Division reports directly to the Executive Secretary, and manages staff of the Division in three main areas: transport policy and development, transport infrastructure, and transport facilitation and logistics.

Under the leadership of the Executive Secretary the Director of Transport Division will be responsible for the following:

•Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Transport Division. Oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Division, ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinates work in the different areas both within the Division, within ESCAP including Subregional Offices, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, as appropriate.
•Leads the agenda of regional connectivity and cooperation.
•Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Division, including the preparation and servicing of legislative and non-legislative meetings dealing with transport development. Thinks creatively on how to position ESCAP on the regional integration agenda.
•Co-ordinates the work carried out by work units under the Division, by other divisions and offices of ESCAP and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system in joint programmes/projects; provides programmatic/substantive reviews of the drafts prepared by others.
•Leads and coordinates collaboration with other divisions and offices of ESCAP, other UN bodies and agencies, international and subregional organizations, NGOs, private sectors and civil society on transport issues.
•Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and its subsidiary committees, 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.
•Prepares the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
•Undertakes or oversees the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance, interviews of candidates for job openings, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
•Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical and gender balance.
•Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision.
•Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries.
•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 ESCAP at international, regional or national meetings.
•Performs other related duties as necessary.

•Professionalism: Substantive knowledge of transport and regional connectivity in general and particularly in relation to inclusive and sustainable development and its financing. Ability to offer innovative solutions. Knowledge of the organization’s intergovernmental processes. 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 programme planning and management and administrative 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.

•Creativity: Actively seeks to improve and innovate programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

•Commitment to Continuous Learning: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession and available technologies; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

•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.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, transport economics, business administration, public administration, law, social sciences or related area. Ph.D is desirable. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of fifteen years (or seventeen years for candidates with a first level university degree) of progressively responsible experience in transport economics, economics, transport infrastructure, transport policy, economic development or related field. Experience in policy-making at the international level related to socioeconomic conditions and transport issues of developing countries are required. Experience in leading and managing a sizable work unit, including a budget and 8 to10 people is desirable. Research and analysis in the above fields as demonstrated through authored publications is desirable. Working experience in the Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

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

Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods.

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.

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.