SENIOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

This position is located in the Economics of Climate Change Unit at the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division. The Senior Economic Affairs Officer will act as Head on the Economics of Climate Change Unit and report to the Chief of Division. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the five regional Commissions of the United Nations. It was founded in 1948 with the purpose of contributing to the region's economic and social development. Its mission includes the design, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and the provision of advisory services, expertise and training to Governments, as well as support for regional and international cooperation and coordination activities. Please visit our website at www.eclac.org for further information.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Division, the Senior Economic Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Economic and sectoral analysis

• Leads or participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes of economic analysis and the formulation of economic strategies, policies and actions aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the New Urban Agenda.
• Leads or participates in the identification of new or emerging development issues of potential concern to the international community related to climate change, and designs and develops programmes to address them.
• Leads and supervises a team of staff and experts in climate change undertaking this work.
• Commissions economic studies and analyses and oversees their quality and relevance to the Unit's work programme.
• Conceives, plans and manages expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that contribute to the finalization of the work unit’s outputs.
• Finalizes reports on development and climate change for issuance by ECLAC.
• Prepares speeches for senior staff and makes presentations on economic issues for specialist or non-specialist audiences. Intergovernmental support
• Provides direct substantive support on development issues to ECLAC and its subsidiary bodies by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus.
• Leads and manages the Economics of Climate Change Unit’s contribution to the preparation and management of meetings of intergovernmental bodies.
• Represents the Economics of Climate Change Unit at international, regional and national meetings on development issues and climate change. Technical cooperation
• Develops and maintains relations with senior officials of member governments and ensures a response to requests for advice and/or assistance on economic issues and policies.
• Negotiates with donor and recipient governments on technical assistance programmes and projects.
• Organizes and coordinates cooperation among Member States on economic programmes or issues.
• Leads or participates in technical cooperation missions. Programme support
• Functions as the head of the Economics of Climate Change Unit and provides strategic and substantive leadership for its programme of work.
• Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the Economics of Climate Change Unit and participates in the formulation of the organization's overall programme of work and other similar endeavours.
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.
• Attends to various administrative matters concerning the Division.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Advanced university degree (Master degree or equivalent) in economics or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two qualifying years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

PhD is economics is desirable. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic research, analysis and policy formulation on climate change and sustainable development topics is required. Experience in the economic analysis of climate change, including impacts and adaptation and mitigation policies, as well as in the design and assessment of economic instruments for climate policies is required. Experience supervising multidisciplinary teams is required. Experience in the provision of technical cooperation to governments in the Latin American and Caribbean region on climate change and related economic policy issues is desirable. Working experience in the United Nations system or other international organization is desirable. Experience with econometric modelling and other quantitative tools related to the analysis of climate change is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in managing programmes and projects is required. Publications in climate change economics and sustainable development are desirable. Please specify and include some in your application.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

- 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 staff with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. - 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 members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Applicant Profile (AP) and cover letter. - The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. - By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the SecretaryGeneral, 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. - A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories, on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. - Although there is no right or entitlement to Flexible Working Arrangements, many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways. The following types of flexibility are usually possible: staggered working hours, compressed work week, scheduled breaks for learning activities and telecommuting (maximum 80.5 Km from the duty station). Please wait until the final stage of the offer to ask more about flexibility since the agreement is voluntary between the staff members and their supervisor and will depend on the organisational needs. - For this position, applicants from the following Member States are strongly encouraged to apply: Un and Under-represented Member States as of 31 July 2026: Un-represented: Andorra, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu. Under-represented: Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Libya, Liberia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Oman, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Turkmenistan, United States of America.

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.

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