Regional Adviser on Connectivity, P4

Org. Setting and Reporting

The mandate of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region. The role of ESCAP as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy-oriented research and analysis and with normative, technical and capacity-building assistance to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of countries in Asia and the Pacific This position is located in the Subregional Office for North and Central Asia (SONCA), Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Office covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The incumbent reports to the Head of SONCA.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of SONCA and the overall guidance of the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, the incumbent will be expected to perform the following duties: • Provides policy advice online and/or through short-term field missions to governments of the SPECA participating states and other relevant stakeholders in the subregion upon their request on aspects of connectivity, particularly in the areas of trade and transport, in support of the United Nations Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), including its related priorities. • Monitors, studies, and analyzes the trends and best practices on connectivity and regional economic cooperation, including emerging regional cooperation opportunities relevant to SPECA participating states, and prepares policy advisory notes to inform governments as well as feed into the intergovernmental process. • Contributes to the design/redesign of national policies and strategies upon requests from the SPECA participating states for regional economic cooperation and for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and/or other relevant international norms and standards. • Participates in the design and development of capacity development programmes, projects and activities under the SPECA framework at national and regional levels, supporting monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes to ensure alignment with SPECA priorities and effective achievement of programme outcomes. • Monitors implementation of gender mainstreaming guidelines by assessing the implications for men and women of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. • Makes substantive contributions to SPECA-related workshops, seminars, and capacity-building events at national and regional levels, including development of training materials and knowledge products and agendas aligned with SPECA priorities; identification of key stakeholders and participants from participating states; and preparation of background documents and presentations supporting SPECA implementation. • Supports resource mobilization efforts for SPECA by contributing to the development of project proposals and engagement with partners and donors, particularly to secure extra budgetary funding aligned with SPECA programme priorities. • Assumes additional assignments in support of the implementation of the SPECA Programme of work, in line with capacity development guidance as requested by the supervisor.

Competencies

• Professionalism: In general: a) Shows pride in work and achievements; b) demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; c) is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; d) is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; e) shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; d) remains calm in stressful situations. In particular, ESCAP is looking for staff with the following technical competence: 1) a strong commitment to high-level technical expertise with capacity building in economic development areas relevant to SPECA priorities in North and Central Asia; 2) proven ability in preparing robust project proposals aligned with the SPECA Programme of Work; 3) familiarity with the policies, programmes and activities of potential donors, including member states, UN funds and programmes, global funds, International Financial Institutions etc to support SPECA resource mobilization; 4) familiarity with concepts and approaches related to capacity development and conversant with Result-based Budgeting/Result-based Management (RBB/RBM) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), applied in the context of SPECA implementation; 5) proven ability to be a broker of knowledge and brokering issues close to ESCAP normative analytical mandates; 6) proven ability in building partnerships with national institutions and other organizations involved in the development process to advance SPECA objectives; 7) proven ability in mobilizing resources and fostering strategic partnerships in support of SPECA activities; 8) taking responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men across all SPECA-related initiatives. • Communication: a) Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; b) listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; c) asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; d) tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; e) demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • Client Orientation: a) Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; b) establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; c) identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; d) monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; e) keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; f) meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, business administration, or related fields is required. A relevant first-level university degree in the above fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience within the UN development system and/or related to operational activities for the development of the UN system in the area of connectivity, project or programme management, administration, or a related area is required. A minimum of four (4) years of professional experience of advisory work in developing countries (including transition countries), preferably in more than one region, is required. Experience in international technical cooperation and capacity development is required Experience in preparing policy advisory notes, reports, and knowledge products for governments and international stakeholders is required. Demonstrated experience in providing policy advice to governments or intergovernmental organizations, preferably within the context of Central Asia or other transition economies, is desirable. Experience working with multilateral organizations, regional institutions, or international development agencies is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Russian and French are desirable. 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).

Required Languages LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Desirable Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingRussianUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIFrenchUN Level IUN Level IUN Level IUN Level I

Assessment

Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods.

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. This post is funded under the resources of the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation. The initial appointment is for a period of one year. Extension of appointment will be subject to annual renewal based on performance, funding availability, and continuation of function. The selected candidate will be granted a fixed-term appointment limited (“FTA-limited”) in accordance with section 2.2 (c) of administrative instruction ST/AI/2025/3 on the administration of appointments. United Nations Secretariat staff members who meet the definition of "internal candidate" in staff rule 4.10, who are selected for a position subject to FTA-limited will be reassigned to the position without a lien to their parent position. ESCAP is committed to promoting diversity and gender equality within the Secretariat. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. Pursuant to section 6.9 of ST/AI/2010/3/Rev. 1, interns, consultants, individual contractors, and gratis personnel may not apply for or be appointed to any vacancy in the Professional or higher categories within six months of the end of their current or most recent service. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position.

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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. 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.