National Economist (Analyst)

The brutal economic collapse has had severe social and humanitarian consequences, disproportionally affecting vulnerable groups especially women and youth. Vulnerable groups including women, youth among others have been bearing the brunt of the crisis: women unemployment rates reached as high as 32%[2], exacerbating the existing gender gap. 

UNDP Lebanon is implementing a comprehensive approach that would foster women equal access to resources, tools and economic opportunities (markets) that would enable them to do business better, while making sure that institutions (public and private) are more responsive to women’s needs and are able to provide them with the needed tools, systems and opportunities to be the main drivers of their economic success and empowerment. Emphasis will be put on supporting the most vulnerable women to improve their economic opportunities and their access to and control over productive assets and income.

By supporting women access to economic opportunities, the project will be supporting job stabilization as well as job creation directly and indirectly, thus contributing to poverty reduction. More specifically, by providing women with the tools to compete nationally and internationally, and by ensuring they are prepared i.e. their products and services have the needed quality to enter markets and generate opportunities, the project will ensure that women-led businesses can continuously generate the needed income to grow and sustain livelihood, thus contributing to poverty reduction. Furthermore, the various skills trainings provided for women in will also bridge the gap between the supply and the demand sides of the job market, thus directly supporting target beneficiaries in accessing employment. 

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[1] World Bank Data 

UNDP Lebanon is seeking an Economist to effectively manage and support the implementation of the UNDP Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Advancing Women-Led Enterprises in Lebanon project, oversee and coordinate the implementation of institutional as well as the implementation of the access to finance initiative  

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Economist will be primarily responsible for the following work streams:

• Support in the implementation of the Trade Readiness Activities 
• Support in the implementation of the Access to Finance Activities 
• Provide substantive technical knowledge in economic and trade development activities. 

Support in the Implementation of SME Trade Readiness Activities 

• Provide technical analysis to support in the shortlisting and prioritization of economic sectors that will form the basis of intervention  of the project 
• Oversee all survey development, dissemination and analysis 
• Provide technical analysis for the development of the modus operandi of the Trade Help Desk leveraging data gathered by the research and the survey findings 
• Review the structure and content of the information that will be made available on the Trade Help Desk leveraging the needs assessment conducted and mapping of institutions functions and capacities 
• Oversee the selection and training of the technical team that will support the Trade Help Desk and the communication campaign that will be implemented to promote the Trade Help desk services 
• Provide technical analysis for the prioritization of one trade process that will be automated 
• Closely coordinate with the IT Departments in the concerned ministries to ensure synergy and complementarity in the support provided to the automation 
• Engage with various stakeholders including the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, regional chambers and relevant private sector associations as needed 
• Coordinate with UN partners on the implementation of the Access to Market Programs 
• Draft internal UNDP briefing notes and talking points when needed 

Participate actively in the Implementation of the Access to Finance Initiative 

• Support in the implementation of the Access to Finance initiative that UNDP is leading on, including the piloting of the Grant Scheme and Equity Matching Fund for this project 
• Support in short-listing of potential financial institutions that will be responsible for managing the financing schemes and support UNDP in building and maintaining linkages and alliances with the different types of financial players in the country 
• Review and provide feedback on the training material and content developed by financial institutions in relation to the Financial Literacy Training and the Investment Readiness Training 
• Coordinate the development and implementation of the business matchmaking platform 
• Staying abreast of changes in the financing landscape in Lebanon including the emergence of new financial players, the issuance of new regulations, etc 
• Review investor roadshows proposals including investor list, monitor and track their implementation and report on progress 
• Coordinate the development of policy papers to promote the development of new funding instruments for SMEs in Lebanon 

Ensure Knowledge Management:

• Facilitate setting up the interventions under the project as well as coordinate their implementation as per standard operating procedures, including knowledge capture from past initiatives.
• Collaborate on evidence collection and lessons-learned including promoting best practice sharing and peer learning through case-studies.
• Collaborate on knowledge management between various stakeholders, including between various UN agencies  
• Develop concept notes for technical workshops/webinars/side-events related to access to finance  

Ensure Outreach Engagement:

• Collaborate on project communications, including Annual Reports and Newsletters.
• Facilitate consultations with women-led SMEs and associations  
• Coordinate the organization of events, including high-level launches of the project.
• Collaborate on lessons-learned from the project activities, including through case-studies.
• Develop resources to enhance capacities within UNDP on private sector support 
• Follow technical discussions in other fora and represent UNDP in relevant meetings.
• Perform other duties, as may be required by the Supervisor.

Institutional Arrangement

The selected incumbent will be working under the overall guidance and under the direct supervision of the WEE Project Manager.