Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Division on International Trade and Commodities, within the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch of the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Senior Economics Affairs Officer will report to the head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch.

Responsibilities

The Senior Economics Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Economic or sectoral analysis • Participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes and the formulation of possible economic strategies, policies and actions related to competition and/or consumer protection policies. • Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues of potential concern related to competition and/or consumer protection policies, particularly those of a regional or global nature, and designs and develops programmes to address them. • Commissions studies and analyses that cannot be undertaken internally in coordination with the Head of the Branch. • Prepares speeches for senior staff and makes presentations on economic issues related to competition and/or consumer protection policies for specialist or non-specialist audiences. Intergovernmental support • Provides direct substantive support on development issues to intergovernmental bodies, concretely to the Intergovernmental Groups of Experts on Competition Law and Policy and on Consumer Protection and Policy as well as the United Nations conferences to Review All Aspects of the Set on Competition, as well as the UN Trade and Development Commission and Trade and Development Board, by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus. • Manages the contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies in coordination with the Head of the Branch. • Represents the organizational unit at international, regional and national meetings on development issues. Technical cooperation • Develops and maintains relations with senior officials of member governments and ensures a response to requests for advice and/or assistance on economic issues related to competition and consumer protection policies. • Assists the Head of the Branch in fundraising, donor relations management and recipient governments on technical assistance programmes and projects. • Organizes and coordinates cooperation among Member States on economic programmes or issues related to competition and consumer protection policies. • Leads or participates in technical cooperation missions. Programme support • Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the Branch and participate in the formulation of the organization’s overall programme of work and other similar endeavours. • Attends to various administrative matters concerning the Branch and the Division as appropriate and in coordination with the Head of the Branch. • Recruits staff for the Branch in coordination with the Head of the Branch taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. • Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised as regards competition and consumer policies at national, regional and international levels. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues relating to competition and consumer protection policies, and to review and edit the work of others, including consultants’ work. Ability to supervise an implement capacity building programmes on competition and consumer policies. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. 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. • 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. • Building Trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to others; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately. • 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, law or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience in competition and/or consumer policies may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in analysis and formulating policies and regulatory instruments related to competition and/or consumer protection laws is required. At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in designing and leading technical and capacity building assistance in the fields of competition and/or consumer policies at country, regional and international levels is desirable. Carrying out in-depth research and analysis in competition or consumer policies fields, as evidenced by publications, is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge in French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available for three months. Extensions may be considered provided availability of post and funding, continuing need of the service and satisfactory performance. 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 assignment 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. • Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. • This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. • Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. • Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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

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.