Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Economics of Climate Change Unit, Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division . The Senior Economic Affairs Officer will act as Chief on the Economics of Climate Change Unit and report to the Chief of Division.
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the five regional Commissions of the United Nations. It was founded in 1948 with the purpose of contributing to the region’s economic and social development. Its mission includes the design, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and the provision of advisory services, expertise and training to Governments, as well as support for regional and international cooperation and coordination activities. Please visit our website at www.eclac.org for further information.
Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Division, the Senior Economic Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
Economic and 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 in line with the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the New Urban Agenda.
•Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues of potential concern to the international community related to climate change, and designs and develops programmes to address them.
•Supervises a team of staff o a team of experts in climate change undertaking this work.
•Commissions economic studies and analyses.
•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 ECLAC. 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 ECLAC and its subsidiary bodies ) by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus.
•Manages the Economics of Climate Change Unit’s contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies.
•Represents the Economics of Climate Change Unit 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 economic 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 the Economics of Climate Change Unit.
•Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the Economics of Climate Change Unit and participates in the formulation of the organization’s overall programme of work and other similar endeavours.
•Attends to various administrative matters concerning the Division.
•Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies
•Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development. Knowledge of the economics of climate change in LA and Caribbean countries and sub regions, including techniques for estimating losses and damages caused by extreme events, costs of adaptation and mitigation measures, including policies for reducing land –use changes. 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. Ability to do publications on economics of climate change (please makesure to list relevant publications under the relevant section of your PHP). 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.
•Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
•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.
•Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master degree or equivalent) in economics or related field is required. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. PhD is desirable.
Work Experience
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic research, analysis and policy formulation on climate change topics is required.
Experience in the economic analysis of climate change adaptation and mitigation impacts as well as in the design and assessment of economic instruments for climate policies is required.
Experience in econometric models and other quantitative tools related to the analysis of climate change is desirable.
Experience in the provision of technical cooperation to governments in the Latin American and Caribbean region in climate change issues is desirable.
Working experience in the United Nations system or other international organization is desirable.
Experience supervising a team of 3 or more is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in Spanish and in English is required.
NOTE: ‘’Fluency’’ equals a rating of ‘’fluent’’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and ‘’Knowledge of’’ equals a rating of ‘’confident’’ in two of the four areas.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
– Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.
– 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.
– A staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments.
– 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. ECLAC is fully committed to the implementation of the UN system-wide strategy on Gender Parity introduced by the Secretary-General in September of 2017.
– A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories, on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments.
– For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 November 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, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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.
United Nations Considerations
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, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, 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. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
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.
