Chief, Sub-Regional Initiatives Section

Established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions, the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its Member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development. Made up of 54 Member States, and playing a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well positioned to make unique contributions to address the Continent’s development challenges. The strategic objective of ECA is framed around delivering ideas and actions for an empowered, inclusive and transformed Africa in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 of the African Union through its three core functions, namely, its function as a think tank, its convening function and its operational function.

The mandate of the Sub-Regional Office (SRO) is to strengthen the capacity of Member States to formulate evidence-based plans and policies in support of economic and social transformation in North Africa. To implement its mandate, SRO-NA contributes to ECA's policy-oriented research, promotes its results and facilitates linkages and information exchange between development actors in the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of economic and social development, with a focus on employment issues particularly on gender and youth; macro-economic policies and governance, regional integration dynamics; sustainable development and sustainable management of natural resources; food security; and innovation, data collection and knowledge management.

The Sub-Regional Office (SRO) for North Africa serves the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia.

This post is located in the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Sub-Regional Office for North Africa (SRO-NA) in Rabat, Morocco. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Director, Sub-Regional Office (D1), and overall guidance of the Deputy Executive Secretary (Programme).

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

Economic or sectoral analysis

•Leads or participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes of economic analysis and the formulation of possible economic strategies, policies and actions for adoption by partner countries.
•Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues of potential concern to North African member states, particularly those of a regional nature, and designs and develops programmes to address them.
•Supervises a team of staff economists undertaking this work.
•Commissions economic studies and analyses that cannot be undertaken internally.
•Conceives, plans and manages expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that contribute to the finalization of the work unit’s outputs.
•Finalizes reports on development for issuance by the United Nations.
•Prepares speeches for senior staff and makes presentations on economic issues for specialist or non-specialist audiences.

Intergovernmental support

•Provides direct substantive support on development issues to intergovernmental bodies (such as the Intergovermental Committee of Experts or the Conference of Ministers) by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus.
•Manages the Unit’s contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies.
•Represents UNECA at national, regional and international, meetings on development issues.

Technical Cooperation and advisory services

•Develops and maintains relations with senior government officials of North Africa member states and ensures prompt response to requests for advice and/or assistance on economic issues and policies.
•Organizes and coordinates cooperation among Member States, focusing on south-south and triangular cooperation, on economic programmes or issues.
•Leads or participates in technical cooperation or advisory missions.

Programme Support

•Functions as the head of the sub-regional initiatives unit.
•Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the unit, mobilization of extra-budgetary resources interacting with donors and development partners, and participates in the formulation of the organization's overall programme of work and other similar endeavours.
•Attends to various administrative matters concerning SRO-NA as a contribution to corporate reports, strategic plan, etc.
•Performs other related duties as required.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

•Staff within the sub-regional initiatives Unit, Staff within the Sub-Regional Offices, and the ECA headquarters.
•Staff throughout the organization and particularly within DESA, UNDG, UNCTs, and other regional commissions.
•Senior officials in other UN organizations and regional and international development banks.
•Senior officials in member state missions, delegations, governments, universities and research institutions.

Results expected:

Develops and produces sound analysis and practical policy advice to address the development problems of North Africa member states as part of the Africa wide continental approach. Works independently, seeking advice from supervisor only when necessary. Advises and provides leadership to staff under his/her supervision.

•Professionalism:
Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic 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.

•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.

Advanced university degree (Master’s or Doctorate) in economics or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two 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, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required. Experience in social and economic structural transformation in the context of Africa is desirable. Evidence of publications on economic and social development issues is desirable. Mastery of statistical and econometric packages (e.g. Stata, SAS, SPS, E-Views) and capacity to undertake economic forecasting and modeling as evidenced by the level of familiarity and command of dedicated tools (e.g. GTAP, GAMS and RATS) is a clear advantage.

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include assessment exercises which may be followed by competency-based interview.

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.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 September 2018, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, 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.

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.

Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move(s) requirements, or geographical to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral or geographical move(s) in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.

An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.

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.