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

UNECE –United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre
-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 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).

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 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.

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 of 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…