DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION OFFICER – RAPID ECONOMIC ASSESSMENTS - TEMPORARY

Org. Setting and ReportingUnder the overall management of the ASG for Development Coordination through the DCO Surge Manager, and under the guidance of the Regional Director and Director of PPB, the Development Coordination Officer will provide Resident Coordination Offices (RCO) management expertise, strategic and operational guidance and support to enable effective inter-agency collaboration, programming and coordination to deliver on development results in crisis contexts, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The Development Coordination Officer will be a global Resident Coordinator System (RCS) roving capacity pre-positioned at the regional level for rapid deployment to RCOs and UN Country Teams in the event of a significant development. The incumbent will support RCOs with political economy analysis and economic impact assessment of the crisis in contexts experiencing a rapid chance in the development landscape. The Development Coordination Officer will partner hand in hand with the RCO Economist in the duty station of deployment and will work in close collaboration with the Regional Director, Resident Coordinator and UNCT members, programme and operations teams of the agencies and UNDCO staff. During the deployment will support the RC and RCO Economist engagement with government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society to unpack the economics of the crisis and develop scenario planning and to advice and to jointly advice on stabilization options and financing opportunities. The Development Coordination Officer is expected to undertake frequent deployments to RCOs (up to three months each time) and travel within short notice (up to 5 days) to provide surge capacity support to priority crisis-affected RCOs in a specific region or globally, as required. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Development Coordination Officer /Economist will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Plans, facilitates, and consolidates evidence-based political economy analysis and rapid crisis economic impact assessment, understanding the implications of changes in inflation, exchange rate, fiscal space, debt sustainability, trade disruptions, and external financing conditions and quantifying how the crisis affects vulnerable groups, sectors, and regions (e.g., employment, smallholder farmers, SMEs, women, displaced populations), and ultimately how these will result in set backs in SDG implementation. • Use foresight tools to develop best-, medium-, and worst-case projections to help the RC and government plan under uncertainty. • Working in close collaboration with RCO Economist and UNCT members, researches, develops, and presents policy papers, guidance notes, and other knowledge-based tools, and supports discussion in country-level forums to help influence and advance policy dialogue and advocate to reframe economic policies and practices in response to the crisis and to build resilience • Coordinates the preparation of UN flagship reports, including the analysis of data and the provision of evidence to build the case for policies and interventions to advance multiple SDGs at a time of crisis; • Conducts and consolidates analytical work to strengthen the understanding of the catalytic role of SDG Financing pathways, exploring how crisis recovery plans can be tied to SDG acceleration (health, jobs, climate resilience).; identifying opportunities to align key SDG Financing stakeholders around recovery plans and SDG acceleration. • Analyzes trends and provides advice and support on new and innovative mechanisms to leverage SDG financing linking emergency to resilience and identify measures that stabilize in the short term and build resilience in the medium to long term (e.g., social protection systems, green investments, trade facilitation). • Advise on potential access to IFI support (IMF, WB, regional banks), reallocation of domestic resources, or innovative financing mechanisms.• Coordinates with the RCO Economist the provision of inputs for briefing papers and discussion/talking points on issues related to SDG financing, plugging in specific political economy and economic impact of crisis elements, for consideration by the RC/ the UNCT. • Provides economic analysis and advice as inputs into the cross-pillar (humanitarian-development-peace) nexus approaches in the country. 2. Provide evidence-based advice to RCs and UNCTs in advocacy efforts with national counterparts in government and other relevant partners, including International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Development Partners, to support the urgent reframing of fiscal and monetary measures, policies, and practices in response to the crisis (e.g., subsidies, social protection, debt reprofiling, etc). • Clarify costs/benefits of short-term measures versus long-term sustainability (e.g., food subsidies vs. targeted cash transfers) • Fosters peer-exchanges and supports the RCO Economist in the coordination of the UN Economists Group at the country level to create and consolidate common, convergent, analytical, and coherent advocacy opportunities on topics related to the economic impacts of the crisis on vulnerable groups, sectors, and regions and implications for long-term development prospects. • Working in close collaboration with the RCO Partnerships Officer, ensures effective engagement of all relevant counterparts to develop collaboration and partnerships around crisis response and SDG acceleration, economic transformation, and SDG financing. 3. Support the development by the UNCT of a new generation of an integrated SDG programming cycle (including the development of roadmaps, CCA, UNSDCF, UN joint programmes as well as Annual Reports and others) mainstreaming elements about the economic impact of crisis in long-term development efforts by quickly mapping existing relevant data (food prices, household surveys, fiscal data, remittances, fuel costs) and setting up crisis dashboards to track impacts and inform UN programming at country level. Push for gender and distributional analysis so that crisis responses do not exacerbate inequalities • Support the RCO Economist in identifying issues and proposing recommendations for the UNCT on how UN country-level programming around SDG acceleration, economic transformation, and integrated policy responses can be optimized and better respond to sustainable development needs and emerging trends in the country. • Assists UNCT Results Groups in the implementation of joint workplans to ensure SDG-relevant and SDG-responsive UN operational activities for development; • Proposes recommendations to enhance UN support to governmental and multi-stakeholder processes on policy development and capacity development for crisis response that enables SDG acceleration. 4. Contribute to knowledge management efforts at the RCO by establishing a clear “before the crisis” baseline to measure disruption against, including by collecting what’s already been done by government (Ministry of Finance budget notes, Central Bank Reports, etc), IFIs (IMF Article IVs, WB briefs, others), UN Agencies (food security, livelihoods, humanitarian needs assessments, etc) and research institutes; and spot critical missing elements. • Promotes collaboration, peer support, innovation, good practices, lessons learned, needs, and opportunities through active facilitation and/or participation in local, regional, and global communities of practice and knowledge networks within the Resident Coordinator System, across the UN (including the RCO Economist Network and UN Economists Network), and beyond. • Researches, analyzes, and presents best practices and lessons learned from implementation of UN policy initiatives and programming for crisis response and SDG acceleration and economic transformation, with a view to advising the RC and UNCT on actions to strengthen the policy orientation of the UN. • Monitors and analyzes good practices and successful models to leverage SDG financing implemented by the UN in the country and elsewhere, and suggests options for developing these into bankable national crisis response and SDG investment policies and programmes. • Reflects on processes of their work area at key milestones and generates knowledge valuable to others in the RC system/ UN Country Teams. • 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 sustainable development and economic theories, concepts, and approaches. Ability to identify issues, analyze, and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual, analytical, and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic resources on the internet, intranet, and other databases. Knowledge and ability to apply foresight methodologies. 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 AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates an 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. • CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. EducationAdvanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in economics. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development policy, economic research and analysis in the context of development cooperation and political economy analysis in crisis settings or related area is required. Knowledge of development economics and relevant development experience at the national or international level is required. Ability to apply development economics theory and specific global agendas/processes to the specific country context and carry out high-quality economic development research is desirable Knowledge of the SDGs and the UN Normative agenda and their application at the national level is desirable. Demonstrated understanding of issues related to SDG financing in crisis settings is desirable. Proven experience coordinating multi-stakeholder spaces and participatory assessment processes; ability to collaborate with others, to give his/her own perspective, and to be open to diverse perspectives is desirable. Outstanding analytical and writing skills with an ability to convey complex ideas in a simple, clear, and lively style is desirable Experience using computers and office software packages, including programmes for statistical analysis of data is desirable. At least three years of experience in inter-agency and multistakeholder coordination in a crisis management context is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and French are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).