Industrial Research Expert

The Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for UNIDO’s relations with Member States and all external partners, including through the Policymaking Organs. It plays a central role for interaction and collaboration with traditional and non-traditional donors; oversees the regional bureaus as well as the network of established field offices, liaison offices and Investment and Technology Promotion Offices; and supports the implementation of particularly complex projects, programmes and special assignments, thus also fulfilling an important role in safeguarding their quality and the reputation of the Organization

The Division of ITPOs and Institutional Partnerships (GLO/ITP) will link UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Offices (ITPOs) with international corporate partners and use the ITP network to forge, in collaboration with IET/PPP and GLO/FLS, partnerships with development partners. It will engage in match-making and partnership development at corporate, institutional and political levels to support developing countries and countries with economies in transition in becoming attractive investment locations resulting in increased levels of investments and, through investors and partners that the ITPOs bring to the table, engage in technology exchange partnerships that enable them to adopt new technologies for sustainable industrial development.

This position is located under the Division of ITPOs and Institutional Partnerships (GLO/ITP), which harnesses different types of partnerships at corporate, institutional and political level to support developing countries in their endeavor to become attractive investment locations resulting in increased levels of investments (foreign direct investment, impact investments, domestic investments) as well as technology exchange and adoption. The Division expands its Investment and Technology Promotion Network by closely interlinking UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Offices (ITPOs) with investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and international corporate partners.

The incumbent (L3) works under the overall guidance of the Head of GLO/ITP/JPN and also in close cooperation with the Industrial Policy Research and Statistics Division (SPP/IPS).

The incumbent (L3) is expected to deliver: (a) work that contains in-depth analyses contributing to results achieved by the Divisions; (b) in creating an enabling environment for team work which is catalytic to achieving results; (c) in building relationships which contributes to partnerships resulting in strategic collaborations and (d) in achieving results within a professional team.

The UNIDO Staff Performance Management System reinforces the collaboration within formal units as well as among cross-functional teams. In this context, the incumbent collaborates with his/her supervisor and colleagues, in the country as well as in the region and in headquarters.

Staff -members are subject to the authority of the Director-General and in this context all staff are expected to serve in any assignment and duty station as determined by the needs of the Organization.

II. Project Context

Project ID 240001, Industrial cooperation programme in the Global South through technology transfer from Japan

The main objective of the project is to support the development of new businesses in countries of the Global South, in the form of feasibility studies and pilot demonstrations, through cooperation and co-creation between Japanese companies and partners of the Global South by providing effective and innovative technological solutions possessed by Japanese companies to address challenges currently faced by the Global South countries.

The expected outcomes are to generate new businesses and employment opportunities in Global South countries through technology transfer and skills development from Japan, which include (but not limited to) fostering of innovation, strengthening of resilient value chains, and establishment of networks of industrial infrastructure in the implementation countries.

The project complements the current phase of ITPO Japan (2023-2028) (ID 220166) to promote technology demonstration and transfer from Japan, under the mandate of GLO/ITP and ITPO Japan. It also creates synergies with the UNIDO technical cooperation project entitled, “Strengthening the capacity of developing countries to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through appropriate technology transfer from Japan (so-called STePP Demo project) (ID 200108),” which ended in December 2022, and another ongoing project entitled, “Industrial vocational training programme in Africa through technology transfer from Japan (so-called STePP IVT project) (ID 230055)”.

III. Main Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Head of ITPO Japan and Chief of SPP/IPS and as a team member of the Global South project, the incumbent will be involved in the implementation of a research project to identify the factors and conditions that contribute to successful international technology transfers, provide recommendations for upscaling of the demonstrated projects in the post-project period and draw lessons for future similar projects. The key research functions include the following:

• Investigate the essential elements needed for successfully implementing technology transfer by reviewing theories, cases, and international development projects.

• Establish benchmarks against which the progress and final achievements will be evaluated.

• Assess the progress of the demonstration projects and assess the positive and negative impacts against the established benchmarks.

• Identify the possible factors contributing to or hindering progress during this period

• Report the best practices and provide recommendations on how to scale up the project beyond the demonstration phase in an economically viable and sustainable manner.

Within the limits of a delegation of authority by the Head of ITPO Japan, the incumbent will be accountable for the achievement of project results and contribution to the outcomes of the Global South project.

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• Execute and monitor the research activities and services related to the project, ensuring that the required inputs are of high quality, delivered on time and produced within the allocated budget.

• Coordinate the execution of the project, including as/if needed:

  • Supervising and coordinating the work of project consultants, partners and sub-contractors.

  • Preparing necessary inputs (work plans, consultant job descriptions, terms of reference, training arrangements, etc.).

• Coordinate project communication and knowledge management activities.

• Support advocacy, communication and global forum activities related to the project and aimed at strengthening public relations, including the preparation of promotional materials, organization of media events, dissemination of information on the project activities through UNIDO website and network of UNIDO offices.

• Contribute to planning funds mobilization strategies and cooperate with other units in-house in mobilizing the funds necessary for follow-up projects and programmes.

• Perform other related duties and assignments as required.

Furthermore, the incumbent will support the SPP/IPS activities as follows:

• Conduct technical research and analysis with the view of informing strategies to foster inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID). In particular, design and carry out studies, drafts reports, technical papers and policy briefs examining: i) the role of industrialization in achieving SDGs, ii) adoption of new technologies to make progress toward ISID, iii) job creation, and iv) effective industrial policies for decarbonization while achieving inclusive growth;

• Actively contribute to the production of UNIDO’s flagship publication, the Industrial Development Report;

• Support the Unit’s efforts to strengthen international research networks and collaborations;

• Support the collection of firm-level data and indicators aimed at informing policy discussion;

• Support the organization of global forum activities and webinars related to the mandate of the Organization and the lines of research of the Unit, including the definition of themes, structuring of sessions, engagement with internationally renowned speakers and participants, drafting of background materials and production of other inputs required for the successful organisation of the events;

• Prepare talking points and presentation inputs for conferences, seminars and workshops on industrial development;

• Perform other special projects and assignments as required by the Unit.

IV. Core Values and Competencies

Core Values

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key Competencies

WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those, we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

V. Minimum Organizational Requirements

Education:

Advanced university degree in engineering, sciences, economics, business administration, international relations or other relevant discipline with specialization in economic development, industrial policy and/or innovation, is required.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in the field of economic development and public policy, including experience at the international level involving research in developing countries, is required.

• Familiarity with cross-country datasets on key economic variables (GDP, employment, trade, etc.) and industrial statistics is required.

• Working knowledge of statistical packages such as Stata, R or Python is required.

• Experience in evaluating the needs, conditions and problems in developing countries, is desirable.

• Previous experience conducting analytical work on the field of industrial development, including contributions to reports and international initiatives on this field is desirable.

• Previous experience working with firm-level data is desirable.

Language Skills:

     Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of other official language(s) of the United Nations, an asset.