Programme Management Officer (Regional Policy Specialist), P4

In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the Development Operations Coordination Office (DCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO exercises managerial and oversight functions of the resident coordinator system under the oversight of the Chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). In 2026, DCO undertook a recalibration to ensure the RC system remains optimally configured to support the acceleration of the 2030 Agenda and embodies the UN 2.0 shift- anchored in data, digital, innovation, behavioral science, strategic foresight, and a mission driven organizational culture. The position is located in the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) Regional Office and reports to the Regional Team Leader/Senior Programme Management Officer as First Reporting Officer, with the Regional Director as Second Reporting Officer. The Chief of Policy and SDG Financing serves as an additional reporting officer to enable matrixed collaboration.

Within delegated authority, the Sustainable Development Officer (Regional Policy Specialist) will be responsible for the following duties: Programme development, implementation and policy coordination: • Develops, implements, monitors and evaluates assigned regional policy, sustainable development and SDG financing programmes and activities; analyzes regional and sub-regional SDG acceleration bottlenecks, financing and implementation risks; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed; initiates or supports corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties and ensures follow-up actions. • Coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of regional and sub-regional trends, institutional frameworks, financing dynamics and policy developments affecting SDG implementation and economic transformation; develops and supports policy recommendations and analytical products, including work related to Integrated National Financing Frameworks, SDG financing strategies, fiscal space analysis and financing prioritization aligned with Cooperation Frameworks and SDG acceleration pathways. • Coordinates activities related to programme and resource planning, including programme/project preparation and submissions, workplans, progress reporting and related documentation, and contributes to policy and financing initiatives that support SDG acceleration and implementation. 2. Policy advisory, research and analytical support: • Performs policy advisory and consulting assignments, in collaboration with Regional Offices, Resident Coordinators, UN Country Teams, Member States and other partners, by facilitating strategic policy dialogue, workshops and other interactive sessions and assisting in developing integrated and actionable responses to sustainable development and SDG-related challenges. • Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources on sustainable development issues, including integrated policy, cross-border and political economy dimensions, and prepares strategic assessments informed by regional and country-level realities. • Generates survey and analytical initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets findings; identifies problems and issues and prepares evidence-based conclusions and recommendations to support data-driven planning and decision-making. • Collects and analyzes data to identify regional and sub-regional trends or patterns and provides insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization and analytical methods to enable evidence-based planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting; contributes analytical inputs to Cooperation Frameworks, regional horizon scans, strategic foresight and anticipatory analysis in line with the UN 2.0 agenda. 3. Regional coordination, partnerships and stakeholder engagement: • Provides substantive backstopping to regional consultative processes, inter-agency coordination mechanisms, the Regional Platform for Integration and other policy and financing-related meetings and fora, including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparing analytical materials, documents and presentations, and supporting stakeholder engagement. • Initiates and coordinates outreach and partnership activities with regional organizations, development partners, International Financial Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, academia, think tanks, private sector actors and financing coalitions; conducts workshops and seminars and makes presentations on assigned policy, sustainable development and SDG financing topics. 4. Knowledge products, reporting and substantive communications: • Organizes and prepares high-quality written outputs on sustainable development and SDG financing issues, including policy briefs, thematic analyses, reports, speeches, presentations, background papers and inputs to regional and corporate analytical products. • Synthesizes programme, policy and analytical findings into substantive inputs and knowledge products to support regional and country-level planning, decision-making and reporting. 5. Field missions and other substantive assignments: • Leads and/or participates in large, complex field missions, including the provision of guidance to consultants, government counterparts, Resident Coordinator Offices and UN Country Teams, and prepares mission summaries, reports and recommendations. • Performs other duties as required.

PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to apply sustainable development theories, concepts and approaches. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic resources on the internet, intranet and other databases. 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 AND 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. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in sustainable development, political science, economics, public policy, public administration, finance, social sciences, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying 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.

Not available.

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in programme or project management, sustainable development, public policy, economic analysis, development cooperation or a related area is required. Two years or more experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in the United Nations system or a comparable international organization is desirable. Experience with sustainable development policy in the Arab States region is desirable. Experience in the private sector and its engagement for SDG financing and acceleration is desirable. Experience of partnerships involving civil society actors is desirable. Experience with assessment and reporting in a development context is desirable.

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

Appointment against this post is open for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension subject to legislative body funding availability. 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 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. 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 applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link. Please note that pursuant to the Staff selection system policy (ST/AI/2025/2): (1) Applicants for positions in the Field Service category cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located, and (2) Applicants for positions in the Professional and higher categories in a mission, field operation, or resident coordinator’s office cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located. For currently serving staff of a United Nations Common System organization, only the UN-recognized nationality will be considered for the purposes of these restrictions.

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