Senior Economic Affairs Officer and Head - Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Secondary Crops Development in Asia, Bogor, Indonesia

Closing Date: Sunday, 16 May 2010

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. Staff of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy and are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.

Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity Responsibilities Under the direction of the Deputy Executive Secretary and with the support and oversight of the chief of the division charged with back-stopping the substantive work of the Centre, the Senior Economic Affairs Officer and Head of Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Secondary Crops Development in Asia and the Pacific (CAPSA) will be responsible for coordinating, directing, implementing and managing the work programme of CAPSA. The incumbent will be responsible for placing programmatic emphasis on the normative, analytical and operational priorities of the poverty reduction programme including initiating, coordinating, synthesizing and disseminating policy studies in the region on food security and sustainable agriculture , promoting knowledge networking, assessing development trends and disseminating good practices to enable ESCAP to respond more effectively to the needs of its Member States.In particular, the incumbent will be responsible for the following functions: Plan, manage, supervise, monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes for poverty alleviation of the Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Secondary Crops Development in Asia and the Pacific (CAPSA), including formulation of strategies, policies and actions for food security, sustainable agriculture and rural poverty alleviation, for adoption by Member States and the international community; Provide leadership in the formulation of regional research agendas and manage the analysis/assessment of key or new/emerging issues related to CAPSA's mandate, and design and develop programmes to address them; Lead the development and implementation of technical assistance projects to address issues related to food security and sustainable agriculture including rural poverty alleviation through the development of secondary crops, as well as development of training programmes; Mobilize Extra Budgetary resources to effectively implement CAPSA's mandate, liaise with donors and supervise the preparation of progress and terminal reports of Extra Budgetary projects; Maintain relations with senior officials of member governments and ensure a response to requests for advice and/or assistance on issues and policies related to CAPSA's mandate, and negotiate with donor and recipient governments on technical assistance programmes and projects; Establish and/or strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, civil society groups and other regional partners on promoting knowledge networking and implementation of strategies and policies related to CAPSA's work; organize and coordinate cooperation among Member States, including provision of advisory services on a range of relevant issues and programmes, and multi-sectoral collaboration; Represent ESCAP at meetings and present institutional views/policies on issues relevant to CAPSA in the Asia-Pacific region; Conceive, plan and manage expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that disseminate good practices to fulfil CAPSA's work programmes; Coordinate and provide substantive services to inter-governmental and legislative committee meetings related to CAPSA and oversee the preparation of parliamentary documentation and reports; Prepare speeches and make presentations for specialist or non-specialist audiences; Contribute to the formulation of the strategic framework, the programme of work and the budget of the Centre and participate in the formulation of the organization's overall programme of work on poverty alleviation; Manage, supervise teams of staff and foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Centre and across organizational boundaries; Perform other related duties as required. Competencies Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. 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. 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. 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 improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. 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. Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. QUALIFICATIONS Education Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in the field of agricultural economics, agricultural sciences or agricultural policy. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualification and experience in agricultural economics or agricultural science or policy may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Work Experience Ten years of experience, including technical experience, in fields related to agricultural economics, agricultural sciences or policy. Proven record of research and programme/project planning, analysis and budgeting is required. Experience of working in the UN system is an advantage. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in written and spoken English is required; Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. Other Skills Proficiency in using computer software applications, including Internet and MS Office is required. 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). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. 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UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reports to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: staffing@un.org,  Fax: 1-917-367-0524 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying.