Senior Economic Affairs Officer

United Nations
Santiago - Chile
S: Competitive

Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Division of Economic Development. The Senior Economic Affairs Officer reports to the Director of the Division of Economic Development.

Responsibilities
Under the Supervision of the Director of the Division of Economic Development, and within delegated authority, the Senior Economic Affairs Officer will perform the following duties:

Economic analysis:
Leads or participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes of economic analysis, with emphasis on financing for development policy related issues, and the formulation of possible economic strategies, and policies at national, regional and global level.
Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging financial development issues of potencial concern to the Latin American ans Caribbean countries as well as the international community, particularly those of a regional or global nature , and designs and develops policies to address them.
Supervises a team of staff economist 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 financial issues for issuance by the United Nations.
Prepares speeches and power points for senior staff and makes presentations on economic issues for specialist or non-specialist audiences.

Intergovernmental support:
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 financial development issues.
Technical cooperation
Develop and maintain 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.
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 (Section or Division)
Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies
Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and financing for development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. 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 and 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 rosks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients””and seeks to see things from "clients'point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with client by gaining their trust and respect; identifies client'needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the client'environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients onformed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

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.

Empowering Others: Delegates responsibility, clarifies expectations, and gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work; encourages others to set challenging goals; holds others accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility; genuinely values all staff members' input and expertise; shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort; involves others when making decisions that affect them.

Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in economics or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

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. Experience with the analysis of financing for development policy and with technical assistance in this policy area is required. Experience within the UN System is desirable.

Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in Spanish is required. Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of French or Portuguese is desirable.

Job summary