Position description
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation Secretariat of the Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO) in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Senior Economic Affairs Officer reports to the Principle Economic Affairs Officer in the secretariat and ultimately to Director of the Financing for Sustainable Development Office.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the duties of the Senior Economic Affairs Officer will be:
Economic or sectoral analysis
- Leads in the formulation, organization and management of negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, including analysis of proposals, formulation of possible approaches, policies and actions for adoption by Member States.
- Conceives, plans and manages Member State and expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that contribute to the finalization of the work unit’s outputs.
- Leads analysis of tax treaty and tax cooperation developments and practices globally, with particular focus on their implications for international tax cooperation in the sustainable development context.
- Designs and conducts studies on different approaches to drafting the substantive provisions of tax treaties relevant to the elaboration of the framework convention.
- Supervises a team of staff supporting the negotiations and analysing the implications of proposals.
- Prepares speeches for senior staff and makes presentations.
Intergovernmental support
- Coordinates the substantive work on the framework convention, and provides direct substantive support to the intergovernmental negotiating committee, including provision of technical advice.
- Provides direct substantive support to the intergovernmental negotiating committee, and coordinates other staff work on the framework convention, and provides direct substantive support, including by offering strategic advice, giving technical guidance and assisting in developing a consensus.
- Oversees the preparation, finalization and dissemination of pre- and post-committee session documentation.
- Represents the organizational unit at international, regional and national meetings.
Programme support
- Functions as the head of the Framework Convention unit.
- Contributes to the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the secretariat.
- Attends to various administrative matters concerning the unit, and overall negotiations secretariat.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies
- Professionalism: Ability to apply economic or legal theories and concepts in international tax cooperation and its implications for sustainable development. Ability to conduct independent research on economic/legal topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. Ability to develop economic policies and make recommendations on their implementation. 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. 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.
- 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.
- Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
- Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.
- 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 degree) in taxation, economics, law or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
- A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in economic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of economic principles in development programmes or related area is required. Experience in tax policy and administration issues is required. Experience at a senior level in international tax cooperation is required. Experience in international tax cooperation agreements is required. Experience in international tax policy and administration issues and the particular challenges of developing countries is required. Experience in managing a high-performing, multidisciplinary team is desirable. Experience in creating networks and contacts with key officials and stakeholders in the international tax cooperation community is desirable. Experience working in a multilateral context, and particularly in negotiation of multilateral legal instruments, is desirable.
Languages
- English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Application instructions
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