Country: Thailand
Closing date: 24 Oct 2018
Under the overall leadership of the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, the incumbent reports directly to the Deputy Executive Secretary for Sustainable Development of ESCAP.
Responsibilities:
Under the overall leadership of the Executive Secretary of ESCAP and the direct supervision of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Sustainable Development of ESCAP, the Director of Social Development Division will be responsible for the following functions:
- Leads, supervises and carries out the strategic direction of the Division under his/her responsibility derived from the commitments agreed upon through relevant United Nations inter-governmental processes, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and regional mandates, with the aim to promote change at the policy and institutional levels particularly those involved in the formulation, implementation and management of social development policies and programmes.
- Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation for intergovernmental bodies and other policy-making organs, including the development of high quality reports and presentations, as appropriate. Improves, rationalizes and streamlines existing methods of work with a view to enhancing the effective functioning of intergovernmental and expert bodies, including the work of the Committee for Social Development. Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports
- Prepares the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. Implements the work programme of the Division; oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Division; ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion.
- Oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance, interviews of candidates for job openings, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting. Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values; manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries.
- Ensures that the research and publications produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures, through substantive reviews, that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates. Promotes and produces knowledge products with focus on the conduct of applied research, analysis and the dissemination of knowledge products on social development that provide policy options and strategies as a basis for evidence-based decision-making by Governments.
- Provides advisory services, training activities and technical assistance to developing countries, including those in special situations, to build national capacity, including through sharing of policy options, experiences and good practices in the context of the transfer of knowledge and skills on a range of social development issues and through South-South cooperation.
- Represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings. and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive issues. Manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars.
- Co-ordinates with all relevant ESCAP Divisions, agencies and bodies of the United Nations system working on areas related to the Division’s programme of work to promote synergies between the ongoing activities and work, make the linkages between global and national actions and maximize impact of work in the region.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Requirements:
Academic Qualification: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in sociology, economics, social sciences, public policy, demography, public administration, or related field. A recognized 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.
Work Experience: A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in the field of socio-economic development, research and policy related to social protection, population dynamics especially ageing, inequality, migration, gender and women’s economic empowerment or related field. Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining professional networks required. Experience in leading and managing sizable and diverse work units is required. Experience in working with and developing reports for inter-governmental fora desirable. Research and analysis in the above fields as demonstrated through authored peer-reviewed publications is desirable. Relevant professional experience in the Asia and the Pacific region as demonstrated by living and working in the region outside of home country highly desirable.
Languages: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
How to apply:
Applicants must submit through the UN Inspira (system) on ESCAP's official jobs page. To apply, please follow this link: http://www.unescap.org/jobs