Head of office, D1, Incheon City

Job opening number: 11-ADM-escap saenea-18375-R-INCHEON CITY

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Org. Setting and Reporting

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote regional cooperation for inclusive economic and social development in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP's role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership, through its analytical, normative and technical cooperation work, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.

The key objectives are to: (a) foster economic integration at the subregional and regional levels; (b) promote the regional implementation of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals; and (c) support regional sustainable development by helping to bridge economic, social and environmental gaps among member States and subregions.

Assembly, in its resolution 63/260, approved the establishment and operation of three new ESCAP subregional offices, which would promote and support specific subregional priorities and programmes. The ESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia covers the following six countries: China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.

Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the ESCAP Executive Secretary or her designate, and within delegated authority, the Head of Office will be responsible for the following functions:

• Acts as the representative of ESCAP in the East and North-East Asian subregion, including promoting the active participation of member governments in the subregion in the work of ESCAP;
• Advises the Executive Secretary on emerging issues and concerns in the subregion, including those gathered from consultations/discussions with government officials and representatives of other key intergovernmental organizations, institutions and stakeholders, and provides advice toward developing ESCAP policies, programmes and courses of action, taking into consideration the socio-economic and political context of the subregion;
• Ensures the effective utilization of resources for the timely delivery of mandated outputs under the programme of work; and
• Promotes partnership and knowledge-sharing among member countries, private sector, civil society and other relevant development partners in addressing priority areas of the subregion;
• Formulates and implements, in consultation with the concerned entities at ESCAP Headquarters, the programme of work of the Subregional Office by determining subregional priorities and utilizing resources effectively for the timely delivery of mandated outputs;
• Actively promotes south-south cooperation through harnessing the subregion’s member states’ best practices in achieving sustainable development, taking into account the green growth approach, and energy efficiency, including the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), and acting as NEASPEC’s dedicated secretariat
• Assists governments in designing poverty reduction strategies, including food security;
• Provides recommendations and advice on information and communications, technology, disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management;
• Facilitates governments’ efforts towards improved infrastructure, trade and transport facilitation, including connectivity;
• Provides policy advice and technical assistance in economic and social development policies and programmes to governments in the subregion in coordination with other existing entities, including those within the UN system;
• Provides inputs to the ESCAP Headquarters entities, including the concerned substantive divisions on the development, formulation and implementation of the ESCAP work programme related to the countries of the subregion through: a) Coordinating with relevant government officials, UN entities, UN Country Teams, sub-regional organizations and other stakeholders, to identify needs and priorities for technical assistance and cooperation and to facilitate the implementation of those programmes; b) Providing support for missions, intergovernmental meetings, workshops, ESCAP flagship publications, training and other relevant activities held in the subregion; c) Acting as knowledge sharing centre in the subregion for ESCAP matters and activities.
• Manages the operations of the Subregional Office and provides guidance and supervision to all staff;
• Performs other duties as necessary.

Competencies

Professionalism:
Demonstrated in-depth understanding of political, socio and economic sustainable development issues, strong analytical skills combined with good judgment. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply the UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situation; knowledge and understanding of UN programme planning and management, and administrative and management policies and procedures. Ability to apply knowledge of the organization's intergovernmental processes; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; remains calm in stressful situations. Proven managerial skills and ability to motivate people.

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 the audience
-Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed

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.

Managerial Competencies:

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

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, environmental sciences, social sciences or a related field. A relevant combination of academic qualifications and professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience, including several years of experience at the international level, in economic and social analysis, environment and/or sustainable development, policy formulation and implementation, and programme management. Working experience in the Asia-Pacific region, preferably in the subregion, highly desirable. Experience in advocacy work and establishing partnerships with key stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

United Nations Considerations

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Assessment Method

An assessment and competency based interview are required for this post.

Special Notice

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.

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.