Senior Economic Advisor – P5  

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for knowledge and capacity across sectors to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the six signature solutions, enablers and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results- based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP’s Strategic Plan and the Asia Pacific Regional Programme articulate the corporate requirement to bring timely and effective substantive and technical services to the country offices through strengthened practice architecture at the global, regional and country level. The Bangkok Regional Hub provides the UNDP Country Offices in the region with reliable and easy access to quality advisory services and technical support based on UNDP’s mandate to address poverty and inequality challenges, inclusive green growth and prosperity issues, achievement of the SDGs and promotion of sustainable development. The Bangkok Regional Policy and Programme Team is organized around five main pillars (focus areas) corresponding to the main pillars of the UNDP global strategic plan, including:

• Inclusive Growth and Livelihoods (Prosperity)
• Governance and Peacebuilding (Peace)
• Nature, Climate and Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction (Planet)
• Health and Gender (People), and V) SDG Finance (Partnerships). 
• The Team also provides advisory support and solutions to the complex and emerging issues in collaboration with the Regional SDG Integration Team, the Bangkok Regional Innovation Centre, and the Economist Network.

 

Position Purpose

The Senior Economic Advisor, stationed in Bangkok and reporting to the Chief Economist/Inclusive Growth Team Leader, will be a champion of advancing human development through robust economic growth that is of the right kind – i.e. economically sound, fiscally prudent, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable – and economic governance that is accountable, effective and transparent. 

The role will involve leading on technical and policy analysis on economic growth and economic governance, as well as their interlinkages, providing high-level advisory support to country offices in this domain, helping position UNDP at the regional level, and facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building. A strong emphasis will be laid on integrating the economic growth and economic governance agendas into the multiple dimensions of UNDP’s programming.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Lead technical analysis on economic growth, economic governance, and their interlinkages. 
• Provide high-level advisory services to country offices to embed the economic growth and economic governance agendas into UNDP programming and national development strategies.
• Lead t UNDP positioning on inclusive and sustainable economic growth and economic governance at the regional level, including through the regional program.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Lead technical analysis on economic growth, economic governance, and their interlinkages. 

Lead the technical analysis of the determinants of inclusive and sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the context of a rapidly changing landscape marked by disruptive shifts in globalization amidst rapid demographic and technological change.

Lead the technical analysis on economic governance with the aim of providing a conducive foundation for human development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Champion the development of growth strategies that produce growth of the right kind, i.e., growth that is compatible with and supportive of economic, fiscal, social, and environmental sustainability.

Lead technical work to strengthen the interlinkages between economic growth and economic governance at the national and subnational levels, including local economic development strategies.

Ensure follow up of the Summit of the Future recommendations of relevance to the inclusive growth areas, including the Pact for the Future, such as measures beyond GDP and implications for countries in the Asia and Pacific region. 

Provide high-level advisory services to country offices to embed the economic growth and economic governance agendas into UNDP programming and national development strategies.

• Manage the policy and programmatic requests received from UNDP Country Offices to ensure timely and quality response by the Inclusive Growth Team, covering all thematic areas under the team’s portfolio.
• Deliver high-level policy advisory services to country offices, tailored to their specific requests and circumstances, with focus on the areas of economic growth, economic governance, and their interlinkages.
• Collaborate with the Regional Bureau’s Country Advisors and with the Bureau for Programme and Policy Support/HQ Teams to provide relevant, prompt, and interdisciplinary responses to policy analysis needs, policy options, and program design or adjustments.
• Proactively identify new initiatives where UNDP can establish its presence as per evolving country needs and develop capacities in those domains.

Lead UNDP positioning on inclusive and sustainable economic growth and economic governance at the regional level.

• Spearhead the implementation of the 2024 Human Regional Development Report’s recommendations related to economic growth and economic governance.
• Take a leadership role in new initiative to promote greater future orientation in UNDP programming in relation to risks to economic growth and governance.
• Lead and participate in cross-country studies, regional and subregional studies relating to economic governance and the socio-economic dimensions of sustainable development.
• Identify and scale up investment opportunities in UNDP’s work on inclusive growth.
• Manage corporate requests, including annual reporting exercises (e.g., Results Oriented Analysis Report/ROAR), donor reporting, thematic evaluations, annual workplans (including regional and global), and support to the preparation of Country Programme Documents (CPDs); and
• Participate in external fora and support and represent the Chief Economist and the Team in areas relating to the above. 

Facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building.

• Organize and lead training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms to build capacities in economic growth and governance within UNDP and among partner institutions.
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices from within and outside the region to foster a learning environment and continuously improve strategies and programs.
• Act as a liaison between UNDP, academic institutions, think tanks, and other knowledge partners to stay ahead of the curve in areas of relevance to the inclusive growth portfolio and relevant to UNDP’s mission.
• Develop and manage a repository of resources, case studies, and research materials that can support the learning and development needs of UNDP staff and partners.
• Contribute to the Global Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality to ensure the best practices and lessons learned on the inclusive growth portfolio are adequately disseminated.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities 

The incumbent reports to RBAP Chief Economist and Inclusive Growth Team Leader and will have no direct reports.

 

Competencies

Core:
Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact. 

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems. 

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility:

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands. 

Act with Determination:               

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

 

Cross-Functional & Technical:

Business Direction & Strategy: System Thinking 

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management: Portfolio Management 

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment

Business Management: Partnerships Management         

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Business Development: Knowledge Generation 

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. 

2030 Agenda: Prosperity: Inclusive Growth         

• Economic Transformation, Policy, and Planning

2030 Agenda: Prosperity: Inclusive Growth         

• SDGs/National Development Strategy, Planning and Budgeting

2030 Agenda: Prosperity: Inclusive Growth         

• Development Planning

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university (master’s degree), in Development Economics, Sustainable Development or related Social Sciences is required.  OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) or equivalent as stated above, in a relevant field plus two additional years of relevant work experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

 Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years (with master’s degree) or 12 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience in leading research, providing policy advice, and advancing the development and implementation of economic growth and economic governance approaches in different development contexts. 
• Proven track record in the UN System or in a Government Institution related to economic growth, economic governance, and development planning is required.
• Proven track record of strong analytical skills in economic and social dimensions of sustainable development, including the Sustainable Development Goals is desired.
• Proven track record of strong analytical skills in development diagnostics, strategy formulation and advisory relating to economic growth and economic governance is desired.
• Demonstrated experience and well-rounded knowledge of development economics and demonstrate ability to connect across thematic areas is desired.
• Experience working in the Asia and Pacific region is highly desirable. 

Language:

• Fluency in English, verbal and written, is required. 
• Working knowledge of another UN language is considered an asset.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

 

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

 

Applicant information about UNDP rosters.

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
 

Non-discrimination.

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
 

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