JPO in Economic Affairs (Sustainable Infrastructure finance and Public-Private Partnerships)

Arbeitskreis Lernen und Helfen in Übersee e.V.; Schweiz; Vor Ort; CHF 60’000 - 80’000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is seeking a Junior Professional Officer in Economic Affairs, focusing on sustainable infrastructure finance and Public-Private Partnerships. This two-year position based in Geneva will provide extensive experience in policy research, project management, and capacity building, contributing to sustainable development initiatives across the UNECE region.

Qualifikationen

• A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in public administration or private sector.
• Knowledge of infrastructure finance and/or Public-Private Partnerships is desirable.
• Fluency in English and knowledge of Russian is required.

Aufgaben

• Conduct policy research on sustainable infrastructure and PPPs.
• Support UNECE's normative work in sustainable infrastructure finance.
• Assist in capacity-building activities in UNECE beneficiary countries.

Kenntnisse

Policy analysis

Research skills

Capacity-building

Communications

Planning & Organizing

Technological Awareness

Ausbildung

Master’s degree in economics, law, public administration or similar

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Graphic design tools

Jobbeschreibung

JPO in Economic Affairs (Sustainable Infrastructure finance and Public-Private Partnerships)

UNECE –United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2025-1-38

I. General Information

Title: JPO in Economic Affairs (Sustainable Infrastructure finance and Public-Private Partnerships)

Sector of Assignment: Economic Affairs

Organization/Office: United Nations / UNECE / Economic Cooperation and Trade Division / Cooperation and Partnerships Section

Country and Duty Station:Geneva, Switzerland (first year) and Almaty, Kazakhstan (from the second year)

Duration of assignment: 2 years with possibility of extension for another year. The extension of appointment is subject to yearly review concerning priorities, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance

Please note that for participants of the JPO-Programme two years work experience are mandatory! Relevant work experience can be counted. In order to assess the eligibility of the candidates, we review the relevant experience acquired after obtaining the first university degree (usually bachelor’s degree).

II. Supervision

Title of Supervisor: Chief of Section

Content and methodology of supervision:

Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and his/her supervisor.

Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate of the JPO’s performance.

The JPO will be directly supervised by the Chief of the Cooperation and Partnerships Section (CPS), who will serve as a mentor throughout the JPO's tenure. The supervisor will assist the JPO in adapting to the UN working environment, understanding their role, and making meaningful contributions to the work of the CPS.

The supervisor will offer an induction and orientation briefing to help the JPO familiarize with the organization's structure, rules, regulations and culture.

Throughout the JPO's tenure, the supervisor will also facilitate on-the-job training, providing continuous guidance and feedback. Regular discussions will be held to assess progress, address challenges, and adjust the work plan as needed.

III. Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations

Within delegated authority, the Junior Professional Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

The JPO will have an opportunity to contribute to sustainable development within the UNECE region by promoting the use of sustainable and climate resilient PPPs and infrastructure finance in beneficiary countries as a tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This role offers a mix a policy research, project management and multistakeholder collaboration and will provide the JPO with a diverse experience in policy analysis and practical experience on the use of climate resilient PPPs and infrastructure finance in support of the SDGs.

More specifically, the JPO will be responsible for the following duties:

Policy research on sustainable infrastructure and PPPs: Identify and analyze the latest trends and developments in infrastructure and PPP policies across the UNECE region and beyond. This can include aspects of social sustainability including gender-responsive infrastructure, environmental sustainability including climate-proofing infrastructure or financial or institutional sustainability. Produce comprehensive reports with meaningful insights and practical recommendations on sustainable infrastructure finance and on PPP programmes, policies and projects and their alignment with the SDGs.

UNECE PPP standards and practical guides: Support the UNECE’s normative work in sustainable infrastructure finance and PPPs by contributing to the development of standards and best practices guides as well as supporting their dissemination. This includes organizing and facilitating meetings of the project teams developing standards and guides, drafting policy papers, and engaging with the UNECE network of PPP experts. The JPO is expected to contribute to the development of several UNECE PPP standards and practical guides on various topics, including gender equality and women’s empowerment, PPP and infrastructure finance (especially private capital mobilization), digital transformation, artificial intelligence, climate resilience and environmental sustainability.

UNECE intergovernmental meetings on PPPs: Support the organization and servicing of UNECE intergovernmental meetings on PPPs, the Working Party on PPPs and the Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and PPPs. This includes organizing panel discussions on pressing infrastructure issues (e.g. climate action, digitization, gender equality), liaising with government officials and Member States’ Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva, and preparing reports of the meetings.

UNECE International PPP Forum: Support the organization and servicing of the annual sessions of the UNECE International PPP Forum, which has established itself as a unique platform to advance the “PPPs for the SDGs” agenda and how PPPs can be leveraged as a powerful tool for sustainable development. This includes providing inputs to programmes, organizing panel discussions, and collaborating with international partners including other UN agencies and multilateral development banks.

Capacity building and field work: Actively participate in the delivery of capacity-building activities in UNECE beneficiary countries in Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia. This includes organizing workshops, trainings and seminars, and engaging with government officials and experts and UN Offices in the UNECE region and beyond. The JPO will also travel to countries to organize capacity-building activities, present the CPS’ work, and undertake fact-finding missions to understand and review local PPP programmes and policies.

PIERS programme: Actively contribute to the implementation of the UNECE PIERS programme, a programme to deploy the PIERS methodology(PIERS is a flagship sustainability methodology approved by member States in 2022, and currently being deployed in beneficiary countries.) in UNECE member States and beyond, including in Ukraine for its priority reconstruction projects. This includes liaising with participating government entities and project proponents, and facilitating the evaluations of PPP and infrastructure projects using the PIERS methodology to assess their sustainability and their contribution to the SDGs.

Communications: Assist with preparing communication materials, such as news items, social media content, outreach emails, briefs, surveys, questionnaires, and banners to promote the UNECE work on PPPs.

Other duties: Attend various international conferences to present the work of UNECE on PPPs and listen in to discussions on a variety of topics relevant to CPS’ work. Prepare briefs and talking points for colleagues and senior management. Participate in internal task forces on gender, climate action, digitization, shaping the future of the UNECE.

Depending on their interests, the JPO will have the opportunity to shape their role beyond these responsibilities.

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in economics, law, public administration, public policy, public management, international business, international relations and related fields.

A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in public administration (national or international) or in the private sector. Knowledge of infrastructure finance and/or Public-Private Partnerships in the delivery of infrastructure and public services is desirable.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and knowledge of Russian is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Other skills:

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required. Good knowledge of graphic design tools and social media (e.g. LinkedIn) is an advantage.

PROFESSIONALISM: 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.

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 the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Workforce Diversity

The United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have a unique opportunity to develop their professional career by learning the following key elements:

• Policy analysis: By supporting the development of PPP standards, guidelines, concept papers for high- level conferences, and other official publications, the JPO will develop competency in policy analysis.
• Research skills: The JPO will acquire expertise in undertaking research on various sustainable infrastructure and PPP development issues, by gathering and analyzing data and information form various sources.
• Capacity-building: By preparing and delivering capacity building activities and training workshops in UNECE beneficiary countries, the JPO will develop a wide range of skills in analytical thinking, training and facilitation, adaptability to different environment and cultures, problem solving, and networking with various stakeholders.
• UN intergovernmental process: The JPO will learn how the UN intergovernmental process works by supporting the organization and servicing of UNECE intergovernmental meetings and other major international events on PPPs. This will help the JPO develop skills in diplomacy and negotiation, strategic planning, logistics coordination, stakeholder engagement, and report writing.
• PPPs for Sustainable Development: By facilitating the evaluations of various PPP and infrastructure projects using the UNECE PIERS methodology, the JPO will develop a unique set of analytical skills and data analysis, and project management skills by supporting the team and external consultants in planning and managing this workstream.
• Public speaking: The JPO will develop public speaking skills by representing the UNECE in various events.
• Building network: The JPO will interact with a broad network of PPP experts and policymakers but also colleagues from other UNECE Divisions and UN agencies

The position is located in the Cooperation and Partnerships Section of the UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade Division. The Section provides substantive and secretariat support to the UNECE Working Party on Public- Private Partnerships and the UNECE Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships with a special focus on PPPs for the Sustainable Development Goals, that is projects that are directly contributing to the three sustainability pillars and climate change, with people as the core beneficiaries of infrastructure and public services.

One of the key tools developed by ECE is the PIERS methodology. The UNECE “PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS): a Methodology for the SDGs” is a unique platform to evaluate and score PPP and infrastructure projects against the SDGs and the UNECE PPPs for the SDGs criteria. It is a capacity building tool to help countries progress in delivering on the SDGs, ensuring that PPP and infrastructure projects not only bring “value for money” but also create “value for people” and “value for the planet”, with a focus on the world’s most vulnerable.

The PIERS methodology is currently being implemented in a number of countries, including in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian Government intends to use the PIERS methodology for all its post-war reconstruction projects to ensure their sustainability, circularity, and overall contribution to the SDGs. Critically, the PIERS methodology integrates climate change measures at projects level.

This work is part of the subprogramme on Economic Cooperation and Integration, which was created in 2005. The UNECE is one of five regional economic and social commissions under the UN Economic and Social Council. Its major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration.

It is proposed that from the second year, the JPO will be located in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for closer proximity to UNECE programme countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus, where most of the UNECE PPP support is focused.

Economic and employment promotion, Other specialisations