Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
ECA’s Mandate and Role:
The mandate of the Commission is to promote the economic and social development of its 54 member states, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development. ECA has a unique and dual role as the regional arm of the United Nations and as an integral component of the African institutional landscape.
Org. Setting And Reporting:
The Director, Sub-Regional Office for North Africa, will be located in Rabat, Morocco, and reports directly to the Deputy Executive Secretary for Knowledge Delivery. The position is under the oversight of the Knowledge Delivery Pillar of the ECA, comprising of the following Offices: Public Information and Knowledge Management Division (PIKMD); Capacity Development Division (CDD), Division of Administration (DoA), ECA five Sub-Regional Offices (SROs) and the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP).
Mandate of the Sub-Regional Office for North Africa:
The mandate of the Sub Regional Office is to strengthen the capacity of member states to formulate evidence-based plans and policies in support of economic and social transformation in North Africa by contributing to and promoting the results of ECA's policy-oriented research and facilitating linkages and information exchange between development actors in the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of economic and social development, with a focus on gender and youth issues; regional integration dynamics; sustainable development and sustainable management of natural resources; climate change impact and food security; and innovation and knowledge management. The Sub-Regional Office for North Africa serves the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia.
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Knowledge Delivery and within delegated authority, the Director of the Sub-Regional Office will perform the following functions:
Leadership:
•Leads the implementation of ECA’s vision and strategy to support Africa social and economic transformation with a particular focus on the sub-region priorities and context. The director leads the alignment of the office capacities and resources to ECA priorities, programme of work and business plan. The Director communicates and translates the vision in a clear programmatic and operational framework enabling all staff to effectively contribute to the sub-regional development priorities in line with ECA mandate;
•Coordinates the efforts to transform the sub-regional office (SRO) into a data center of excellence to support member States to formulate evidence-based plans and policies in support of economic and social transformation in Northern Africa;
•Provides strategic leadership and guide the formulation of country and sub-regional profiles for Northern Africa and other relevant publications;
•Provides the intellectual and substantive leadership in critical areas of work of ECA in North Africa.
Strategic planning and coordination:
•The Director is an active participant to the ECA strategic planning process and leads the programmatic and operational planning of the sub-regional office. The Director oversees the management of activities undertaken by the SRO; ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and adequate resources are allocated for the completion of outputs of the substantive programme of work of the SRO ; He/She co-ordinates work in the different areas both within the SRO and ECA and with other organizations of the United Nations System, as appropriate;
•Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Inter-governmental Committee of Experts and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and other policy-making organs, as appropriate;
•Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports;
•Ensures that the research outputs produced by the SRO maintain high quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates and are disseminated to policy makers in the sub-region;
•Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive issues, and coordinates the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars
•Coordinates technical support and advisory services to member states and regional economic communities in the region in collaboration with relevant divisions of ECA.
Operational management of the office:
•Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the sub-regional office , including mobilization of resources and capacities, preparation and timely execution of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for ECA wide results-based budgeting;
•Ensures that the office meets performance standards of ECA performance dashboard;
• Recruits, interviews and evaluates candidates for job openings, taking due account of geographical and gender balance;
•Manages, guides, develops and train staff under his/her supervision, and evaluate staff performance;
•Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the SRO and across organizational boundaries;
•Ensures that management and accountability systems are in place to manage office resources in a transparent and efficient manner.
Strategic partnership, resource mobilization, communication and advocacy:
•Develop, establish and sustain strategic partnership with Member states in the region, regional economic communities and key national and international partners ( bi-lateral and multilateral partners, UN development system, Think Tank organizations, Academic Institutions civil society organizations);
•Lead outreach campaigns and efforts to disseminate the sub-region products and ECA flagship publications, and organize country and sub-regional policy dialogues on development issues with a focus on structural transformation and regional integration;
•Support the implementation of the ECA Knowledge Management and communication Strategies including the establishment of relevant knowledge networks and thematic workspaces for communities of practice;
•In line with the ECA Capacity Development Strategy, identify sub-regional priority issues of interest to member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and other stakeholders and lead the conceptualization and implementation of relevant strategic initiatives and the provision of advisory services and capacity building for the Northern Africa member States, regional economic community and inter-governmental organizations;
•Leverage system-wide coherence and synergies through the UN system to support structural transformation in Northern Africa and promote greater programme alignment, coherence, coordination and impact in the delivery of services to member States, REC and IGOs in the sub-region;
•Provide strategic leadership to ensure the smooth functioning of the UN Sub-regional Coordination Mechanism and linkages to regional coordination mechanism.
Representation:
Represents the SRO and ECA at international, regional or national meetings or high level fora and provides substantive expertise on development issues relevant to ECA’s mandate and work
•Perform other special assignments as directed by the Executive Secretary or the Deputy Executive Secretary- Knowledge Delivery.
Professionalism:
Expert knowledge in the promotion of economic and social development, including regional integration and trade; ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Demonstrated ability to provide successful delivery of economic, sectoral and social development programmes and proven networking skills in establishing collaborative working relationships with governments and relevant organizations. 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 & 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.
Accountability:
-Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments;
-Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards;
-Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules;
-Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments;
-Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
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;
Managing Performance:
-Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority;
-Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member;
-Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills;
-Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines;
-Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff;
-Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative;
-Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff;
-Appraises performance fairly.
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, development management or related areas is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A PhD in Economics or Development Economics would be an asset.
A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in research, management and analysis of socio-economic development issues in Africa is required. Demonstrated evidence of management abilities of development programmes in an international organizational units is required. Experience in facilitation and conducting of intergovernmental processes is desirable; experience in handling a multidisciplinary portfolio of tasks and duties is required. Ability to lead a team of specialists in and interdisciplinary effort is required. Experience of regional integration and economic structural transformation in the context of Africa is desirable.
Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of Arabic language is highly desirable.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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, 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 or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.