Regional Adviser

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the Subregional Office for South-East Asia (SROSEA) in Bangkok, Thailand. The Regional Adviser on South-East Asia reports directly to the Senior Economic Affairs Officer leading SROSEA. Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Regional Adviser on South-East Asia will be responsible for the following duties: •Develops, implements and evaluates assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation and other activities in shaping the overall direction of ESCAP’s strategic engagement in the South-East Asia region and plays a critical role in anticipating and creating new opportunities for ESCAP to better serve government and other stakeholders; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and initiates corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; ensures follow-up actions in support of the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership. •Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with the ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Sectoral working groups and committees, and the ASEAN Secretariat, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan ASEAN will use to manage the change. •Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources on delivering and strengthening collaboration with ESCAP and other UN agencies in technical areas for supporting inclusive, resilient and sustainable development in ASEAN countries, specifically related to climate action, environment, social development, trade and financial integration, and other cross-sectoral issues. •Coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies on the implementation of the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action (2021-2025) as well as new initiatives such as the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement leveraging on the experiences of previous Plan of Action as well as the various community blueprints of ASEAN Community Vision 2025. •Generates survey initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions for achieving inclusive and sustainable development, including for the implementation of the ASEAN-UN Complementarities Roadmap (2020-2025). •Organizes and prepares written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc., to ensure effective responses to complex, multi-sectoral and development solutions in South-East Asia countries. •Provides substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc., including representing ESCAP in high-level policy dialogues and inter-governmental meetings that will position ESCAP as knowledge and programmatic leader in regional development. •Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities for effective institutional and policy positioning in South-East Asia. •Leads and/or participates in large, complex field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc., by positioning ESCAP as a valued partner in the delivery of development solutions in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ASEAN Community Vision 2025. •Coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.) in order to advance ESCAP’s work and influence policy directions in the region. This includes strong coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat, Committee of Permanent Representatives, Dialogue Partners, ASEAN governments and various sectoral bodies responsible for implementing the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action (2021-2025). •Performs other related duties as required. Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, management, economics, law, or a related field. A 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. Ph.D. degree in any of the above fields is desirable. Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, administration or related area is required. Experience in economic and social development is desirable. Experience working in Southeast Asia and in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is desirable. Experience working with ASEAN and its intergovernmental and technical processes and mechanisms is desirable. Experience in establishing partnerships with key stakeholders is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage. Application deadline: 19 June 2021