Senior Economist

Kyiv

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Kyiv
Grade: Mid level - SB-5 (SC10/SC11), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Economics
Closing Date: Closed

Background

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results. Working at the heart of the United Nations family and in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNDP is responding to a growing volume of requests from countries to help them prepare for, respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable.

Since the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, UNDP has been assisting the Government of Ukraine through (i) health system support, (ii) inclusive and integrated crisis management and response and (iii) an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic including its long-term effects on the country’s resilience and the ways to recover from it. UNDP ensures gender equality is at the heart of the frontline objectives, priorities, and service delivery of the COVID-19 response. UNDP is also mandated to work as technical lead in the socio-economic response to the pandemic and provides coordination support and technical inputs to the Government and all UN interventions in the country in this specific area. For this reason, UNDP is seeking the support of a national Senior Economist that can assist the organization in fulfilling its mandate and shaping the responsiveness of the UN portfolio to the needs emerging from the fight against the pandemic in Ukraine. This assignment is part of the UNDP Country Office implementation of the UNDP’s Integrated Offer of response to the consequences of the COVID- 19 pandemic in Ukraine.

Under the guidance of Resident Representative and under the supervision of Team Leader, Strategic Planning, Partnerships and RBM, the Senior Economist advises Senior Management on macro-economic policies and trends, including growth and employment rates, for women and men, investments into the care economy, and relevant linkages to UNDP programmes, drafts macro and micro-economic assessments, develops gender-responsive strategies for better economic recovery, and provides technical assistance and advice on SDG financing. The Senior Economist provides analysis for formulation of strategies and briefings to Senior Management. The Senior Economist works closely with Government counterparts to identify alternative macroeconomic policy options and to enhance the policy impact of UNDP projects and programmes on the lives of women and men from diverse groups. The Senior Economist monitors economic policy developments and advises the Resident Representative, Deputy Resident Representative and other members of UNDP and its partners on economic policy issues. S/he contributes to UNDP’s policy dialogue with the Government and donors.

The Senior Economist maintains a network of economics experts from UNDP, UN Agencies, IFIs, Government officials, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society.

The incumbent promotes UNDP’s mandate as a gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behaviour, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Advice to UNDP management on economic and development issues;
Advice to Government counterparts and facilitation of knowledge building on economic and development issues;
Building of strategic partnerships and implementation of resource mobilization strategy;
Lead the socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19;
Overall economic research and analysis on the current crisis and the pursuance of the SDGs in Ukraine;
Advocacy and promotion of UNDP’s mandate and mission.

Provides advice and support to UNDP management, programmes and projects focusing on achieving the following results:

Compilation, analysis and interpretation of economic and statistical data, thorough research of the economic and development issues in Ukraine and production of relevant reports aimed at promoting equitable economic growth and human development;
Provision of top-quality analysis and substantive inputs to corporate UN planning documents (CCA, UNDAF, CPD) and other strategic documents;
Provision of substantive and evidence-based policy advice on possible areas for UNDP support and adjustment of on-going programmes to ensure that UNDP programmes are in line with national policies and priorities;
Selection of strategic research topics, surveys and/or case studies and leading the work on the research and analysis;
Ensure the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations into all assessments, proposals, and interventions, with a focus on economic recovery of women, supporting MSMEs, financial inclusion, business continuity support, skills development and addressing unpaid care work;
Production and launch of economic reports, including National Human Development Reports;
Formulation and facilitation of UNDP inputs and CO support to national poverty reduction efforts in the context of poverty monitoring, progress towards achieving the SDG;
Participation in sub-regional, regional and inter-agency initiatives related to economic development and recovery issues (in view of the COVID-19 recovery efforts).

Provides advice to Government counterparts and facilitation of knowledge building focusing on achievement of the following results:

Facilitation of policy dialogue on economic issues with the Government, donors, civil society, private sector; contributions to development of policies as relevant;
Provision of policy options, particularly from pro-poor and inclusiveness perspectives, on macroeconomic and development issues to governments and other development actors;
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice through identification of best practices and lessons learned;
Assessment of the country’s macro-economic policies and their impact on poverty reduction, growth, equality, etc.;
Analysis of the micro-economic policies needed for the regional recovery from COVID-19 pandemic;
Training and capacity building support for UNDP staff and Government officials on economic issues.

Participates in the building of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy focusing on achievement of the following results:

Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
Research and analysis of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation;
Production of periodic updates and briefs on country development situation to be used by stakeholders, CO and HQ;
Undertaking of selected studies/research on emerging development concerns that feed into government/development partners processes;
Promotes a safe and enabling environment free of any kind of discrimination and abusive behaviour

Leads the updates of the socio-economic impact assessments (SEIA) of COVID-19:

Work on the update of existing assessments by providing guidance on primary and secondary data collection and leading on the analysis thereof;
Assisting in the development and use of digital solutions for collecting and managing socio-economic data to update assessments and guide current portfolio design for prompt recovery from the COVID-29 pandemic;
Produces thematic analysis as part of the updates of the SEIA.

Overall economic research and analysis on the current crisis and the pursuance of the SDGs in Ukraine:

Leading teams, when required, and collaborating with other colleagues within UNDP, the UNCT and other Development Partners to fulfill SDGs related studies and research;
Authoring chapters and sections of SDGs progress reports as required;
Providing quality assurance of all socio-economic analytical work conducted by UNDP and the Socio-economic recovery and SDGs working group.

Advocacy and promotion of awareness of UNDP’s mandate as the lead development agency focusing on achievement of the following results:

Policy advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals, Human Development and pro-poor and equitable economic growth using the UNDP principles of gender-responsive communications;
Production of high-quality research papers for UNDP presentation at international workshops and conferences;
Support to monitoring progress and formulation of strategies towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
Management of events and publications on economic issues, including annual Global Human Development Reports launches in the country, advocacy of the main Reports findings among relevant Governmental agencies, civil society organizations and donors and leading the development of the national human development report.

Measurable outputs of the work assignment:

Compilation, analysis and interpretation of economic and statistical data, thorough research of the economic and development issues in Ukraine and production of relevant reports aimed at promoting equitable economic growth and human development;
Provision of top-quality analysis and substantive inputs to corporate UN planning documents (CCA, UNDAF, CPD) and other strategic documents;
Provision of substantive and evidence-based policy advice on possible areas for UNDP support and adjustment of on-going programmes to ensure that UNDP programmes are in line with national policies and priorities.

Performance indicators for evaluation of results:

Advice to UNDP management on economic and development issues is provided in timely and efficient manner;
Advice to Government counterparts and facilitation of knowledge building on economic and development issues is provided;
Building of strategic partnerships and implementation of resource mobilization strategy is facilitated;
Leading the socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19 is provided;
Overall economic research and analysis on the current crisis and the pursuance of the SDGs in Ukraine is ensured;
Advocacy and promotion of UNDP’s mandate and mission is delivered on ongoing basis.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Communication;
Delivery;
Innovation;
Leadership;
People Management;
Gender Mainstreaming;
Demonstrates corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Ensures that programmes and projects are consistent with UN/UNDP values;
Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility;
Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions;
Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures. Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must;
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

Shares knowledge and experience and contributes to UNDP Practice Areas and actively works towards continuing personal learning and development;
Ability to provide top quality policy advice services on economic issues;
In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of programmes;
Ability to work with minimal supervision;
Ability to lead formulation and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
Ability to apply economic theory to the specific country context, carry out high-quality economic research.

Management and Leadership:

Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;
Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation;
Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.

Professionalism:

Demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNDP;
Technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNDP procedures and rules;
Discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients;
Ability to apply good judgement;
Ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions;
Where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; Resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures;
Ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially;
Responsive and client-oriented.

Strong communication skills:

Proven interpersonal skills;
Good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports;
Ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely;
Ability to make and defend recommendations;
Ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, Counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds;
Capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups.

Judgment/Decision-making:

Identifies the key issues in a complex situation;
Gathers relevant information before making a decision;
Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them;
Proposes a course of action based on all available information;
Checks assumptions against facts.

Client Orientation

Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout.

Team Management

Demonstrated ability to manage a team and to foster team spirit and synergy.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (PhD) in Economics, Law, Business Administration, Public Administration, International relations, Social Sciences, Environmental Science or relevant scientific discipline is required. Masters’ degree with additional 9 years of relevant experience can be accepted in lieu of Advanced university degree (PhD).

Experience:

A minimum of six (6) years (with PhD degree), or minimum 15 years (with Masters’ degree) of relevant experience at the national or international level, with demonstrated track record in conducting socio-economic analyses and assessments; the design, management and M&E of large complex projects in Ukraine and other countries, project management and/or programme/project coordination, project component coordination, managing team of experts;
Extensive experience in research and policy-level analysis. Deep knowledge of the SDG agenda and ongoing dialogue in Ukraine;
Demonstrated knowledge of socio-economic research methodologies;
A track record of teamwork and ability to produce high-quality reports and other outputs in English with minimal supervision;
Familiarity with the UN system in general, UNDP in particular and other international organizations of the aid community an advantage;
Proficiency in use of office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English, Ukrainian, Russian.

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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