CHIEF OF SECTION, ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE AND PLANNING

This position is located within the Economic Governance and Planning Section (EGPS), Economic Development and Integration Division (EDID) of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Chief of EGPS reports directly to the Director of EDID.

Within delegated authority, the Chief of Section will be responsible for the following.

1. Provides policy guidance to the Director of EDID, on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional/departmental policies and procedures;
2. Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Section; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Section, and, in liaison with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate;
3. Monitors economic developments on issues relating to governance and financing for development and institutional development and identifies recurrent and emerging issues of concern to ESCWA Region in order to propose, design and carry out substantive, analytical and policy research related to economic governance, financing for development and national planning;
4. Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Section under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others;
5. Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, the Financing for Development Office in DESA, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate;
6. Leads and/or contributes to the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes addressing economic governance questions and in the formulation of possible strategies, policies and actions for adoption nationally, regionally and/or internationally;
7. Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports;
8. Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates;
9. Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery;
10. As part of technical cooperation, develops and maintains relations with senior officials of member governments, ensures a response to requests for advise and/or assistance on economic governance and national planning issues, as well as negotiates with donors and recipient governments on technical assistance and programmes and projects;
11. Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Unit/Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates;
12. Recruits staff for Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values;
13. Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision;
14. Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries;
15. Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues;
16. Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions;

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.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

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.

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 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, development economics, international policy, business or public administration, or related area. 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 ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis including on economic governance, on finance for development, on development issues, on policy formulation, and on application of economic principles in development programmes or related area. Work experience in developing countries is desirable, Work experience in the Arab Region is also desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. Arabic is also a working language at ESCWA. For the post advertised, fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic are required.

The shortlisted candidates will undergo a substantive assessment related to the functions of the post, in addition to a competency-based interview. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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 career in accordance with the established rules and procedures.

Staff Members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff Members at P-4 level are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PhP) and cover note.

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

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 Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (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.