Economist (UNHABITAT) at UNDP

UNDP

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Position: Economist (UNHABITAT)

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

Posted date: 1 year ago

Application Deadline: Submition date is over

Background

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. 

Through its Regional Office for Africa (ROAf), located in Nairobi, Kenya, UN-Habitat has been supporting African governments to take early action to position themselves for predominately urban populations to achieve sustainable urbanization and the right to adequate housing for all, within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda – particularly Sustainable Development Goal 11 to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” – and the New Urban Agenda.

Since 1998, the UN-Habitat has implemented several projects in Ethiopia. Key areas of partnership include Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Development, Implementation of the Habitat Agenda, Integrating Local Development Planning and Slum Upgrading in Urban Policy,  Cities without Slums, Water for African Cities Programme - Phases I and II, Promoting Sustainable Transport Solutions for East Africa (SUSTRAN), Support to the improvement of Public Spaces in Addis Ababa,  Support in the rehabilitation of Solid waste dumpsites in a number of cities, Support in the development of Structural plans, Supporting the Ethiopian Cities Sustainable prosperity Goals (ECSPGs),  and Development of the State of Addis Ababa Reports.

Together with the Ethiopian Ministry of Urban Development and Construction (MUDCo), UN Habitat’s latest endeavor is the preparation of Regional Development Spatial Plans to strengthen coordination and cooperation among spatial development plans at all levels (federal, regional, local) and to identify unique opportunities and comparative advantages to support regional economic development, complementarity for growth and also to attract investments. 

The main objective of the project is to prepare regional development spatial plans for the regional states of Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Benishangul Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities and People (SNNP), Gambella, Harari and Sidama that can enable them define and achieve their own development goals in line with the national development goals. 

Objective of the Project: 

The main objective of the project is to prepare regional development spatial plans for the regional states of Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Benishangul Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities and People (SNNP), Gambella, Harari and Sidama that can enable them define and achieve their own development goals in line with the national development goals.

The specific objectives of the assignment for each Regional Development spatial plan are:

• To conduct situational analysis: this includes regional spatial diagnosis and base-mapping at the Wereda level, a summary of the key strategic issues (constraints and opportunities), and determination of the emerging spatial structure which influences regional development, based on desk review, data collection (Matrix of Function and spatial documents), and consultative workshops;
• To identify the existing resources and plan utilization of such resources in each region;
• To prioritize and guide investment decisions as per the regional spatial development plan;
• To prepare a complete Regional Spatial Development Framework (SDF) comprising of vision for 2040, spatial development strategies (i.e. goals, objectives, targets, and strategies), and planning guidelines for the desired future, in the context of the national development goals as stipulated in strategic development plans of the country (i.e. NUSDP and the Ten-Year Perspective Plan) and other relevant global agendas, especially the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda (NUA);
• To identify and prepare regional development policies and measures (i.e. policy statements, programs, projects, etc.) that can achieve the objectives under the SDF following the regional spatial structure proposed based on a preferred scenario;
• To develop a comprehensive implementation plan, including an investment roadmap, institutional arrangements, legislation framework, and organizational capacity development program;
• To prepare a monitoring and evaluation system that inform government budgeting, private investments, public-private partnership, etc…  

Duties and Responsibilities

As an economist, the incumbent is expected to closely work with team members, and the following duties and responsibilities are expected: 

• Support the design and collection of the economic data collection method including applied analytical tools and overall study approaches from the perspective of a spatial development framework;
• Support the collection and analysis of secondary data through literature review, the drafting of preliminary findings, and the refining of  primary data collection method; the latter will include both qualitative and quantitative components;
• Assess policy environment with regards to socio-cultural, economic, and infrastructure linkages and interactions that exist between cities, clusters, and the hinterlands;
• Support organization of the inception workshop aimed to gather all the concerned stakeholders and to ensure participatory planning processes and in writing the workshop proceedings;
• Support the organization of stakeholder discussions with relevant stakeholders to review the findings from the analysis of both the secondary and primary collected data during the mid-term review workshop and assist in presenting a detailed outline of the report during the workshop;
• Support drafting of the substantive chapters of the RDSP in coordination with the team leader and the other team members, including the formulation of key recommendations; pictures, maps, graphs, and illustrations that may be used to make the report more attractive and communicative;
• Support finalization of the RDSP by integrating all inputs received including the recommendations/conclusions, and assist the team leader in reporting it to the main stakeholders;
• Support the team leader in presenting the validated report at public events.

Expected putputs:

The following is the list of expected deliverables for the RDSP:

• Support the collection and analysis of secondary data through literature review, the drafting of preliminary findings, and the refining of primary data collection method; the latter will include both a qualitative and a quantitative component. Work closely with the socioeconomic cluster. Assess policy environment about socio-cultural, economic, and infrastructure linkages and interactions that exist between cities, clusters, and the hinterlands. Support the international counterpart with the provision of local knowledge and context; 
• Support organization of the inception workshop aimed to gather all the concerned stakeholders and to ensure participatory planning processes and in writing the workshop proceedings;
• Collect data and assess key Socio-Economic indicators that reflect urban functions and linkages between cities and the hinterlands. This includes the identification of potential resources and the accompanying functions for each region and /or cluster;
• Guide the collection of primary qualitative Socio-Economic data collection by designing a questionnaire and producing a preliminary data analysis;
• Guide the design of field survey (i.e. the quantitative primary socioeconomic data collection) and provide support during the various stakeholder’s consultations;
• Support the primary data analysis and, derive key findings related to the economic geography and regional themes being investigated;
• Support the organization of stakeholder discussions with relevant stakeholders to review the findings from the analysis of both the secondary and primary collected data during the mid-term review workshop and assist in presenting a detailed outline of the report during the workshop.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Professionalism:  

• Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities, and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals.  Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operations.  Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment  Shows pride in work and 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.  

Planning & Organizing:  

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates 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 the client. 

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. 

Judgment/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 before making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and 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.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Proven ability for building and managing effective partnerships; 
• Excellent writing skills, with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for the preparation of quality reports.
• Ability to work independently or with minimal supervision with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner, and often under pressure;
• Knowledge of financial resources and human resources management, contract, asset and procurement, and general administration;
• Capacity to coordinate and organize a team and to support project implementation;
• Ability to conduct interviews, surveys, and other data collection techniques. 

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in urban economics, economics, economic geography or equivalent, and relevant research projects;
• Formal training in project management is an asset;
• Recognized experience and knowledge on spatial economic planning, urban socio-economic linkages, urban sociology, economic geography, local economic development, rural-urban linkages, and related field;
• Excellent knowledge of the Ethiopian context and particularly aware of the regional economy 

Work Experience:

• A minimum of four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in urban economics, economics, economic geography, or equivalent and relevant research projects and programs at the national level and at least three (3) years of similar experience in planning and development related international projects or international level is required;
• Proven experience in planning projects/program design and implementation with the UN or other international agencies is desirable;
• Recognized experience and knowledge with excellent knowledge on the Ethiopian context

 Language: 

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of any of the local languages is an asset.

Disclaimer

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