Economic Commission for Africa
Governance and Public Administration Division

Objective

The Governance and Public Administration Division (GPAD) is organized into four sections, namely Public Administration, Civil Society, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Support Unit, and Private Sector and Enterprise Development. The core activities of the Division are to (i) promote and monitor progress towards good governance in all its dimensions - political, economic and corporate, (ii) strengthen the capable state to build efficient public institutions, (iii) strengthen public financial management capacities, and (iv) assist governments to establish an enabling environment for the private sector and civil society to play their respective roles in the development process.

Duties and Responsibilities of Consultant

•  Participate in the formulation, organization, and management of mandated programmes of governance, public administration and in the formulation of possible strategies, policies and actions for adoption by individual countries and/or the international community;

•  Prepare reports on specific topics in the overall field of governance and public administration on a wide range of development and related issues for issuance by the Division;

•  Prepare drafts of sectoral, country or regional components of analytical studies on governance, public administration and development management;

•  Participate in technical meetings/missions;

•  Plan implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects in governance and public administration;

•  Provide direct support in the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the Division.

Qualifications

Education

Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree) is required ( PhD is advantageous) in public policy, public administration, Public Management and Policy, Planning and Development, Political Science, Economics or other related area combined with proven extensive experience in political governance, local and regional development planning/implementation, decentralization, economic growth, institutional effectiveness, public administration/services, non-state actors, capacity development, corporate governance and/or participatory politics.

Work Experience

At least 5 years of experience in Africa in the area of governance and public administration and global policies issues is required. Proven record of writing on governance and public administration topics is required. Experience in government, parliaments, university, and other democratic and research institutions and in supervisory program management is an asset. Knowledge or familiarity with African governance monitoring mechanisms, including the APRM and the Mutual Accountability of Development Effectiveness is desirable.

Competencies

Professionalism - Expertise and understanding of governance and public administration theories, principles and their applications to specific country conditions, particularly on civil service reform, decentralization, and management innovation, post-conflict/fragile states, institutional capacity development, civil society and private sector development ; ability to produce quality reports and publications in selected areas of governance and public administration; ability to convert analytical products into operational tools; ability to interact with government counterparts and private organizations; Teamwork - Good interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Communication - Effective written, oral and presentation skills, particularly ability to present information in a concise and accurate manner; ability to defend difficult issues and positions to senior officials; ability to interact with high-level government officials. Planning and Organizing: Proven ability to priotize, plan and organize own work and ability to integrate work into the work of the unit; ability to monitor and adjust plan and priorities as necessary and to work according to deadlines.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English or French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested persons who wish to be considered for the roster are requested to complete the Personal History Form (Form P-11) and send it before 31 May 2008 by e-mail to: ecarecruitment@uneca.org . Kindly note that only applications submitted on Form P-11 will be reviewed.

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8).

After the initial screening process, persons found to meet the eligibility requirements indicated in the TORs will be contacted for verification of their academic and professional credentials. On completion of the verification process, those retained for roster will be advised accordingly. They will subsequently be contacted to undertake consultancy assignments whenever the need arises. The duration of such assignments ranges from one to six months.