ECONOMIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

at  United Nations

Org. Setting and Reporting
This position will be temporarily vacant for a period of 6 months. This position is located in the Economic Development Unit of the Subregional Office of ECLAC in Mexico. The Economic Affairs Officer reports to the Chief of the Unit. 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 Chief of the Economic Development Unit, the Economic Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Economic or sector analysis: - Monitors economic developments in a defined area and identifies recurrent and emerging issues of concern to the United Nations. - Designs and conducts studies of selected issues in economic development and draft resulting reports. - Interprets and applies results of econometric modelling to analysis of economic prospects and policies. - Develops draft policy recommendations pertaining to area of work. - Formulates proposals for development strategies, policies and measures for presentation to intergovernmental bodies and others. - Attends international, regional, and national meetings to hold discussions with representatives of other institutions. - Organizes expert group meetings, seminars, etc. on development issues. - Prepares speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior staff. Intergovernmental support - Provides substantive support on economic issues to intergovernmental bodies (such as the General Assembly, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Economic and Social Council, the Trade and Development Board, the regional commissions and the subsidiary bodies of each). - Represents organizational unit at international, regional and national meetings. Technical cooperation: - Designs and monitors technical cooperation projects. - Undertakes missions to member states, either alone or as a participant in a diverse 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. - Formulates technical modalities for the evaluation of individual technical cooperation projects. General - Supports junior staff, reviewing their work and providing feedback. - Participates in intra- and inter-Departmental undertakings of broader concern to represent the views or interests of the organizational unit. - Performs other related duties as required, including a variety of administrative tasks necessary for the final delivery of the work unit’s service. - Undertakes on-the-job and other training activities, both internally and externally. - Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
Competencies
- Professionalism: Ability to apply economic theories and concepts in different sectors of economic and sustainable development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. Ability to identify and develop sources for data collection. 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. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. - 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. - 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 - 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. - Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.
Education
An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.
Job - Specific Qualification
Studies with a focus on economics or economic development issues are required. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required. Research on these areas in Latin America and the Caribbean is required. Experience producing research papers and analytical reports for publication is required. Experience in analyzing and monitoring tax policies is desirable. Experience working in international organizations such as the United Nations or others is desirable. Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Spanish is a working language of ECLAC. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required; and fluency in Spanish is required. Fluent English to conduct interviews is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.
Assessment
Applicants will be assessed based on the information provided in their Administrative Profiles - APs. Short-listed applicants might be contact by the Hiring Manager for further assessment.
Special Notice
- This position is temporarily available for 6 months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. - While this temporary job opening may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. - Although there is no right or entitlement to Flexible Working Arrangements, many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways. The following types of flexibility are usually possible: staggered working hours, compressed work week, scheduled breaks for learning activities and telecommuting (maximum 80.5 Km from the duty station). Please wait until the final stage of the offer to ask more about flexibility since the agreement is voluntary between the staff members and their supervisor and will depend on the organizational needs. - At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. - The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. - The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. - A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. - Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat. - 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. - Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. - For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 30th September 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply:Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.
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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.
No Fee

Please refer the Job description for details