Director, Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes

Closing date: Sunday, 21 February 2016

Posting Title: Director, Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes

Job Code Title: DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Department/Office: UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

Duty Station: GENEVA

Posting Period: 24 November 2015 - 21 February 2016

Job Opening Number: 50853

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

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.

An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. All staff at the D2 level and above are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon appointment and annually thereafter.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Organizational Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The mandate of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes (ALDC) is to promote development of national policies and international support measures to build productive capacities for economic development and poverty reduction in Africa, least developed countries and other groups of countries in special situations (landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and other structurally weak, vulnerable and small economies) and to progressively and beneficially integrate them into the global economy. The Director of Division reports to the Secretary-General (SG) and Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of UNCTAD.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority and under the guidance of the Secretary-General (SG) and the Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of UNCTAD, the Director for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes will be responsible for the following

• Provides substantive leadership to the management and coordination of UNCTAD-wide activities concerning Africa, least developed, land-locked and island developing countries.
• Contributes to the formulation of UNCTAD's overall strategies and policies by participating in various committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the SG and/or DSG of UNCTAD; contribute to the overall management of UNCTAD's activities and operations.
• Directs the implementation of the work programme of Africa, least developed, landlocked and island developing countries including the monitoring of country- level programmes;
• Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Develops policy guidelines and supervises the preparation of reports to the Trade and Development Board concerning Africa, least developed, landlocked and island developing countries.
• Provides, plans and supervises the servicing of intergovernmental bodies and participates at a policy level in preparation for meetings of the Trade and Development Board and the quadrennial Conferences of UNCTAD.
• Liaises on behalf of the Secretary-General and/or the Deputy Secretary-General with senior government officials to provide advice and coordination on issues to be discussed and negotiated in the intergovernmental bodies of UNCTAD.
• Provides leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes.
• Ensures effective implementation of Results Based Management (RBM) in the programme of work of the division in line with UNCTAD's work programme.
• Directs the implementation of the work of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes, and helps mobilize extra budgetary resources for technical cooperation and manages the LDC Trust Fund.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Division under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Oversees the recruitment of staff for the Division taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries.
• Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

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