Chief of Staff

Org. Setting and Reporting

ECA’s mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. The mission will be guided by ECA’s five strategic directions which are advancing ECA’s position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent’s problems and take local solutions to the continent; developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; advocating Africa’s position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues. This position is located in the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Executive Secretary and in close collaboration with the Deputy Executive Secretaries for Programme and Programme Support. The Chief of Staff will be responsible for providing thought leadership and strategic support to the Executive Secretary and the Senior Leadership Team, promoting internal strategic coordination and coherence, and enhancing ECA’s external visibility to ensure the delivery of the Commission’s mandate and working with relevant stakeholders to improve Africa’s socioeconomic development.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Chief of Staff will be responsible for the following duties: • Provides substantive technical advice to the Executive Secretary on issues relating to the work of the ECA. Reads and provides comments on substantive work from divisions on behalf of the Executive Secretary and assists the Executive Secretary carrying out key leadership functions in policy development, strategy, priority, and goal setting. • At the request of the Executive Secretary, may serve as spokesperson for the Commission and advocate for ECA’s position on policy and development issues. • Ensures that the outputs produced by areas of responsibility maintain high-quality standards; and that reports are clear and objective and based on comprehensive data. • Ensures that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates. • Oversees the substantive and organizational arrangements for the effective functioning of the Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team and ensures liaison between these bodies and other supporting management committees. Serves as Cabinet Office liaison to ECA substantive and administrative divisions, advising the Executive Secretary and key officials on policies, programmes, and administration, in order to support the Commission’s mandate. • Manages calendar and timing of ECA events in close coordination with Divisions, UN bodies, and other local and international organizations. • Coordinates all requests for Member States and reviews, collects, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates requests from Member States and advises the Executive Secretary as appropriate. • Directs and manages the Office of the Executive Secretary. Organizes all invitations and responses to meetings and special events of the Commission and serves as secretary at meetings as requested by the Executive Secretary. • Responsible for contacts at the highest level on behalf of the Executive Secretary for Heads of State, Government, Ministers, and Ambassadors. This includes responsibility for politically sensitive follow-up actions. Liaises with all relevant Divisions, Member States, the host government, UN organizations, Embassies, and other entities to ensure appropriate protocol arrangements for ECA events. • Advises on the nature and level of ECA representation for official visits to member States and organizes visits of senior officials from outside organizations to ECA. • Supports the Commission’s relations with member States, host countries, Commission policy organs, and major stakeholders. • Acts as focal point of the Commission and maintains liaison at the executive level with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and United Nations Headquarters departments in general, as well as the Regional Commissions, Headquarters of UN Specialized Agencies, Funds, and Programmes, and other multilateral organizations and institutions. • Oversees the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Office of the Executive Secretary, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget and programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (e-Performance), interviews of candidates for job openings, and evaluation of candidates. • Ensures an integrated approach to the results-based budget process, including alignment with strategic and operational plans and adequate provisions to meet resource requirements, and oversees the process as it relates to substantive programmes. • Ensures the proper conduct of processes critical to the delivery of ECA work, particularly strategic planning, policy coordination, and senior-level decision-making. The Chief of Staff also ensures a clear understanding between substantive priorities and support capacities and liaises with all components to advise and ensure the use of the best methods for achieving the objectives and priorities of ECA. Facilitates the translation of policy intent and high-level direction by the leadership of ECA into viable world plans and works with components to ensure the implementation of those work plans. • Periodically reviews, with the senior leadership team, the delivery of component work plans, identifying necessary adjustments to ECA plans and/or revised assumptions as appropriate. • Recruits staff, taking due account of gender and geographical balances. • Manages, guides, develops, and trains staff under his/her supervision. • Provides guidance on United Nations policies and procedures. • Ensures that advice and information on cross-cutting issues are coordinated with all relevant components of ECA prior to submission to the Executive Secretary. • 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. • Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in their areas of responsibility and across organizational boundaries. • Ensures effective functioning of coherent communications structures and systems and serves as the focal point for communication with United Nations Headquarters in New York. • Oversees ECA-wide integrated procedures and systems for information analysis and management, reporting requirements records management, and implementation of knowledge management approaches throughout ECA. • Advises the Executive Secretary on protocol matters and supervises and provides guidance on the preparation and coordination of official visits. • 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. • Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Proven ability to manage a diverse spectrum of individuals and opinions, to identify core issues, and to present them in a clear manner to top management. Sound political judgment and proven managerial skills. 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. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and in 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. • 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. • Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within the prescribed time, cost, and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight, and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. • 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. • 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 that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, business or public administration, finance, accounting, law, social sciences, or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics, or data science programs is an advantage.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management, public or business administration, logistics, general and financial management, budget, management, or related field is required. A proven track record of leadership and management in multicultural settings and coordination of interdisciplinary teams is required. Experience in streamlining and reorganizing organizational processes is required. Experience serving in a senior advisory or managerial capacity in support of operations of the United Nations Common System or comparable international organization is desirable. Experience in socioeconomic and development policy analysis, including at the international level is desirable. Experience in high-level dialogue on policy development with senior government representatives, and heads of bilateral or multilateral institutions is desirable. Demonstrable diverse regional experience is desirable. Experience with development issues in Developing Countries is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related areas is desirable.

Languages

English and French are of the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English or French, is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

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

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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Pursuant to section 6.4 ST/AI/2010/3/Rev. 3, staff members must ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements as shown below: 6.4 (a) Staff members who entered on duty before the effective date of the present administrative instruction shall have at least one geographical move, as defined in section 1 (h) before being eligible to be considered for jobs at the P-5 level and above. The following transitional measures will apply: (i) Staff members who entered on duty before the effective date of the present administrative instruction (other than staff members serving in language jobs, see section 6.4 (a) (ii) below) can be considered for higher-level jobs on the basis of having satisfied the lateral move requirements as set out in section 6.4 of ST/AI/2010/3/Rev.2 or on the basis of having satisfied the geographical move requirement under the present administrative instruction, whichever basis best facilitates the staff member's eligibility, up to and including the last day of the fifth year following the effective date of the present administrative instruction. 6.4 (b) Staff members (including staff serving in language jobs) who enter on duty on or after the effective date of the present administrative instruction will be required to have the following number of geographical moves before being eligible to be considered for jobs at the P-5 level and above: (i) Staff members who enter on duty at the P-4 or lower level shall have at least one geographical move, as defined in section 1 (h), before being eligible to be considered for jobs at the P-5 level and at least two geographical moves before being eligible to be considered for jobs at the D-1 level and above. (ii) Staff members who enter on duty at the P-5 level shall have at least one geographical move, as defined in section 1 (h), before being eligible to be considered for jobs at the D-1 level and above. 6.4 (c) There is no requirement for geographical moves for consideration for jobs at the same level. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of the 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 background, 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. Applicants, who successfully go through a competitive recruitment process and are recommended for selection and/or inclusion in the roster of pre-approved candidates for subsequent job openings at the same level and with similar functions, may have their application information and roster status shared with other UN Organizations. Such applicants may be contacted by other UN Organizations for similar job openings, subject to the confirmation of their interest. Placement on the roster is no guarantee of a future selection. 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. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 March 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

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. 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.