Senior Country Economist

The Senior Country Economist provides strategic economic policy advice and supports the UNDP Country Office in Malaysia to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The role involves leading economic and policy analysis, advising on programme development, and contributing to regional and global knowledge networks.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership, strategic direction and quality assurance for the economics and policy function.
• Advise UNDP Country Office management and programme teams on ways to strengthen evidence-based and future-oriented programme development and implementation;
• Advise UNDP Country Office management in the preparation and implementation of country programmes and strategies, including the development of country programme document (CPD), and related analyses;
• Advise and support UNDP Country Office teams to develop and manage relevant thematic portfolios, such as activities to support inclusive growth and progress towards the SDGs;
• Lead UNDP Country Office efforts to conceptualize and implement the Development Finance Assessment (DFA) and accompanying process and use existing financial resources more effectively and efficiently to achieve the SDGs;
• Lead macroeconomic, sectoral and political-economy analysis and provide strategic economic policy advice to Country Office management, programme teams and government counterparts;
• Produce periodic economic, development and policy outlooks identifying trends, emerging risks, opportunities and implications for UNDP's country programme and strategic positioning;
• Lead the development of the National Human Development Report (HDR) and ensure that it provides added value in terms of development economic analysis, updated data, and information for policy formulation;
• Compile data and perform statistical analysis as required to support innovative knowledge of work country strategies and activities;
• Advise and support the creation of large-scale development solutions to help address complex development challenges;
• Lead the expansion of Country Office service offers on financing for development, including innovative financing models and country specific/sector specific studies;
• Lead the Country Office's economic and policy knowledge agenda, including flagship reports, policy notes, strategic foresight papers, executive briefs and thought-leadership publications;
• Translate economic analysis into actionable programme concepts, policy advisory services, partnership opportunities and resource mobilization pipelines.
• Lead policy advice to national government counterparts and other partners, especially in support of the 2030 Agenda and the introduction of sustainable and inclusive economic policies;
• Advise and facilitate dialogue on sustainable development issues with government officials, development partners, civil society, and private sector;
• Provide policy and programming advice and support for development planning and policy formulation at the national, sub-national, and local levels;
• Advise and support the identification and analysis of interventions that can impact multiple development goals and targets at the same time;
• Advise and support monitoring and reporting of progress related to SDGs and other national development frameworks, including strengthening national and local level data collection and statistical capacity;
• Leverage UNDP’s regional and global programmes, to provide holistic and effective support to the country;
• Leverage support and expertise from the UNDP’s global/regional Economist networks to strengthen UNDP’s support on economic analysis and policy development for the Government and the UN Country Team.
• Convene and shape policy dialogues, strategic roundtables and knowledge exchanges that advance UNDP's policy influence and thought leadership.
• Advocate and engage with partners to support UNDP’s institutional positioning and advance its mandate, when directed by the Resident Representative;
• Contribute, in close collaboration with senior management, to the development and/or strengthening of partnerships with UN agencies, IFIs, bilateral development agencies, private sector entities, and civil society.
• Represent UNDP as a recognized thought leader and technical spokesperson in national and regional economic-policy forums;
• Support the Resident Representative in resource mobilization and future growth strategies;
• Contribute to national, regional, and global knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with government, academia, think tanks, the private sector and development partners to strengthen policy influence and programme development.
• Contribute to UNDP’s work across the Asia-Pacific region, including collaboration with RBAP’s Economist Network, sub-regional and other Country Offices, and analytical work on priority regional thematic areas and facilitating knowledge sharing:
• Contribute to UNDP regional knowledge products and development of programming offers in regional priority areas (e.g., inequality, future of work, innovative financing, development strategies, economic governance, political economy);
• Participate actively in the Economist Network of RBAP by attending regional meetings (in-person and/or virtual), sharing relevant experiences, and contributing to peer reviews;
• Collaborate and contribute to regional and sub-regional publications, practice notes, and Regional Human Development Reports;
• Stay informed about broader developments, contribute to cross-border and cross-GPN initiatives, and support the economist network through common analyses, frameworks, and templates;
• Enhance UNDP’s understanding and design of new approaches to sustainable development across the region by acting as a regional thematic lead where possible.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics or related field is required; Or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Economics or related field in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A Ph.D. in Economics will be an advantage.
• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the national or international level that includes extensive experience in research and policy-level analysis, and some experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is required;
• Extensive experience in research and policy-level analysis, covering (for example) labour markets, public finance, development finance, structural transformation, economic modelling, and AI-related policy issues is required;
• Proven policy, advisory, and advocacy experience is required;
• Experience in preparing high-quality policy briefs and guidance notes for use by senior policymakers is required;
• Experience in strategic visioning with strong technical and highly developed analytical capabilities is desired;
• Experience leading or managing an economics, research or policy advisory function is desirable;
• Experience and knowledge of the SDGs and their application at the national level, politically astute with demonstrated experience in stakeholder analysis and engagement is an asset;
• Experience in handling data and software programmes for statistical analysis is desired;
• Previous work experience in Asia and the Pacific region and cross-country experience would be an asset.
• Fluency in oral and written English and national language of the duty station (Bahasa Melayu) is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Skills

• Economic Research
• Policy Analysis
• UN Project Evaluation
• Labour Market Analysis
• Public Finance
• Development Finance
• Structural Transformation Analysis
• Econometric Modelling
• AI Policy Frameworks
• Policy Advisory
• Advocacy
• Policy Brief Writing
• Strategic Visioning
• Analytical Skills
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Statistical Analysis
• Research Leadership
• SDG Application
• Cross-Country Experience
• English Language Proficiency

Languages

English, Bahasa Melayu