Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Investment Policies Branch of the Division on Investment and Enterprise in the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Senior Economic Officer reports to the Head of the Investment Policies Branch.

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Director, Division on Investment and Enterprise and the direct supervision of the Head of the Investment Policies Branch, the Senior Economic Officer will undertake 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 the international community and pertaining to investment for development and the development of the private sector. • Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues related to investment for development and the development of the private sector of potential concern to the international community, particularly those of a regional or global 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 investment for 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 by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus. • Manages the work unit’s contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies. • Represents the organizational unit at international, regional and national meetings on development issues. Technical cooperation • Develops and maintains relations with senior officials of member governments and ensures a response to requests for advice and/or assistance on investment for development and enterprise development issues and policies. • Negotiates with donor and recipient governments on technical assistance programmes and projects. • Organizes and coordinates cooperation among Member States on economic programmes or issues. • Leads or participates in technical cooperation missions. Programme support • Functions as the head of an organizational unit. • Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the unit and participate in the formulation of the organization's overall programme of work and other similar endeavours. • Attends to various administrative matters concerning the larger organizational unit. • Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development foreign direct investment in particular. Ability to conduct independent research on economic topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. Ability to develop economic policies to promote investment 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. 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. Creativity: Actively seeks to improve 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. 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.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in economics or related fields is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification
Not available.

Work Experience

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. Seven years of experience in international investment for development is required. Experience dealing with investment policies at the international level is desirable. A record of publications on international investment for development is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and French and Spanish are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).