Economic Affairs Officer - P4

United Nations
Port of Spain - Trinidad and Tobago
S: Competitive

Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Economic Development Unit (EDU) at the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, which serves 26 countries and territories of the Caribbean. The Economic Affairs Officer reports to Coordinator of the EDU.

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. ECLAC employs over 600 staff members at its Headquarters in Santiago, its Subregional Headquarters in Mexico City and Port-of- Spain, and country offices in Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo and Bogotá, as well as a liaison office in Washington, D.C. Please visit our website at www.eclac.org, for further information.

Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Director and direct supervision of the Coordinator of the EDU, the incumbent will carry out the following duties:

Economic or sector analysis:
•Monitors developments in the areas of public finance, debt, fiscal and monetary policy and regional economic development, including emerging issues of concern to small developing economies and drafts policy recommendations.
•Monitors macro-economic performance and provides analyses and proposals for structural transformation of small developing economies.
•Designs, conducts and drafts reports on studies of selected issues in economic development.
•Interprets and applies results of econometric modelling to analysis of economic prospects and policies.
•Undertakes in depth research and analysis on current and emerging development issues.
•Organizes expert group meetings and seminars on development issues.
•Prepares and makes presentations at conferences, lectures and other forums
•Prepares speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior staff.

Intergovernmental support
•Provides substantive support on economic issues to intergovernmental bodies, such as the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), Caribbean Development Roundtable (CDR) and ECLAC Session.
•Represents ECLAC at international, regional and national meetings.
•Contributes substantively to the preparation of ECLAC flagship publications and supports requests for contributions on the Caribbean from other ECLAC Offices.

Technical cooperation:
•Designs and monitors technical cooperation projects.
•Undertakes missions to member states, either alone or as a participant in a multidisciplinary team, as part of the Organization's technical cooperation activities.
•Prepares global, regional, national or sector analyses that provide a basis for advising national governments on economic development issues.
•Conducts training seminars and workshops for government officials and others.
•Assists in designing evaluation processes for technical cooperation projects.

General
•Supports junior staff, reviewing their work and providing feedback.
•Assists in providing general editorial oversight for official work programme outputs of the office.
•Performs other related duties as required, including a variety of administrative tasks necessary for the final delivery of the work programme of the office.
•Undertakes on the job and other training activities, both internally and externally.

Competencies
Professionalism:
Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development is required. Ability to conduct independent research on economic topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources is required. Proven analytical skills in economic issues are required. Demonstrated rigour in quantitative analysis, econometrics and statistics/econometric packages for the systematic analysis of data including methods of statistical inference is required.

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.

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

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

Managerial Competencies:
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 improvement; does not accept the status quo
-Shows the courage to take unpopular stands.

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

Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation and application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required. Experience in econometric modelling, public finance and fiscal and monetary policy in the Caribbean is desirable. Experience in research and writing on development issues in the Caribbean, as evidenced by a record of publications, is desirable.

Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, advanced knowledge of oral and written English is required, as verified through relevant exams, if necessary. Basic knowledge of Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of French would be an asset.

Job summary