Regional Programme Specialist for Asia Pacific – UNDP Tax for SDGs and TIWB - IPSA 10

Mid Senior

Overview

Manage and support implementation of UNDP Tax for SDGs and TIWB projects.

You have:

• Master's degree in taxation, law, economics, finance, public policy or related field.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in a position directly related to public finance, taxation or financing for development is required.
• Experience in advising international institutions and/or governments on public finance management, taxation and financing for development in Asia Pacific is required.
• Experience of working in or with different developing countries in Asia Pacific region is desired.
• Knowledge of current trends & debates regarding development financing and taxation issues in Asia Pacific is desired.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Contract

This is a IPSA-10 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-10 contracts.

Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description

Globally, in the wake of COVID-19, annual SDG investment needs for developing countries were estimated to have increased to $4.2 trillion (UNCTAD). Estimates for Asia Pacific, before the pandemic called for $1.5 trillion annually from 2016 to 2030 (ESCAP) but this too will have risen as progress on the SDGs has stalled and is offtrack for a majority of the goals.

In line with the focus on these issues, UNDP’s new Strategic Plan (2022-25) has identified development financing as an enabler to scale up development impact and has also articulated a moonshot to promote the investment of over $1 trillion of public expenditure and private capital in the SDGs. To deliver on this vision, the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) has developed a specific service offers related to both public and private finance. The public finance offer is framed around four key services cutting across the public finance ecosystem: (i) Raising domestic revenues aligned with the achievement of SDGs (Tax for SDGs – T4SDG); (ii) Raising public finances – SDG aligned bond issuances (Debt for SDGs – D4SDG); (iii) Sovereign risk financing instruments to protect assets and enable investment; and (iv) SDG aligned fiscal planning and expenditure management (Budgeting for SDGs – B4SDG).

More specifically, UNDP’s Tax for SDGs Initiative is managed by the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS’s) Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), with resource persons embedded in the SDG Finance Teams in Amman, Bangkok, Istanbul, Panama and Pretoria. It expands on the joint OECD/UNDP Tax Inspectors Without Borders Initiative (TIWB), which UNDP continues to support through one of its workstreams. Tax for SDGs has a particular emphasis on linking tax administration and tax and fiscal policies with the broader SDGs.

Building on UNDP Country Office portfolios and already existing engagements with Ministries, UNDP will bring a stronger focus on the role of tax and fiscal policy in achieving Agenda 2030. The project places a particular focus on reducing gender and social inequalities in tax and fiscal policy as well as taking forward climate action and environmental goals, and health outcomes. Representing the views of developing countries in the global normative tax discussions is critical and to this effect Tax for SDGs will also work to bring evidence and perspectives from developing countries into the regional and international discussions on taxation.

Institutional Arrangement

1. The position will be embedded in the Regional Hub for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok and work as part of the Global Policy Network.
2. The Regional Programme Specialist will report to the Head of Tax for SDGs (based in New York) with matrix reporting to the Regional SDG Finance Policy Advisor and Team Lead (based in Bangkok Regional Hub).
3. Throughout the project, collaboration and coordination with the rest of the UNDP Tax and TIWB team will be required.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is seeking a Regional Programme Specialist for the Asia Pacific region to effectively manage and support the implementation of the UNDP Tax for SDGs and TIWB and provide support to UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) on tax related engagements as part of their agenda of Financing the SDGs across countries in the Asia Pacific region.

1) Strategic and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement

1. Work with the Regional SDG Finance Policy Advisor and team lead in the Bangkok Regional Hub to support UNDP COs in designing and implementing Country Engagement Plans (CEPs) and in their broader engagement on tax and fiscal policies.
2. Support the Regional SDG Finance Policy Advisor in embedding the UNDP Tax and TIWB project in UNDP’s broader SDG finance portfolio in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, and flagship initiatives such as the Integrated National Financing Frameworks and post-COVID recovery plans.
3. Lead implementation and multi-stakeholder engagement for the project in Asia Pacific including engaging with tax experts, bilateral, regional and multilateral organisations, governments and UNDP Country Offices (COs) in the region.
4. Support UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and COs in building strategic alliances and partnerships with governments, think tanks, academic institutions, development partners and others to expand UNDP’s work on tax and fiscal policy.

2) Policy and Programme Coordination

1. Engage with UNDP Country Offices to analyze local context and identify potential synergies with UNDP’s policy and development work in-country at national/federal/ sub national level and map out emerging trends and opportunities for the region.
2. Provide technical advice to support the implementation of the project and to backstop experts working under the project.
3. Identify potential synergies between the tax and fiscal policy work of RBAP, the Bangkok Regional Hub and UNDP COs with the project.
4. Engage with policymakers on tax and fiscal policy matters and further develop the role of UNDP in taxation in the Asia Pacific Region.
5. Coordinate the development of policy papers to promote understanding and integration of tax and fiscal policies and SDG issues.
6. Support the regional economist in relevant analytical and policy-oriented work on tax policy and administration, and COs on technical tax topics.
7. Draft internal UNDP briefing notes and talking points for Senior Management on TIWB/UNDP Tax work.

3) Knowledge Management:

1. Facilitate setting up of TIWB and other programmes under the project as well as coordinate their implementation as per standard operating procedures, including knowledge capture from past programmes;
2. Collaborate on TIWB programme’s terms of reference and coordinate selection of roster tax experts, including in their procurement and contracting as per UNDP standard operating procedures;
3. Collaborate on evidence collection and lessons-learned from TIWB country experiences, including promoting best practice sharing and peer learning through case-studies;
4. Collaborate on knowledge management between various stakeholders, including UNDP COs and tax experts (including through expert engagement platform).
5. Develop concept notes for technical workshops/webinars/side-events for TIWB/UNDP Tax Programme.

4) Outreach Engagement

1. Collaborate on project communications, including Annual Reports and Newsletters.
2. Coordinate the organization of events, including high-level launches of TIWB programmes and Regional Workshops.
3. Collaborate on lessons-learned from the project activities, including through case-studies.
4. Develop resources to enhance capacities within UNDP on tax, fiscal policy issues and SDGs.
5. Follow technical discussions in other fora and represent UNDP Tax in relevant meetings.
6. Perform other duties, as may be required by the Supervisor.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business Direction & Strategy

System Thinking

Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Development

Knowledge Facilitation

Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.

Business Management

Change Management

Ability to prepare, support and help individuals and teams in designing and implementing organisational change.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness

SDG Integration

SDG Acceleration and Bottleneck Assessment

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness

Strategic Policy Engagement

Strategic policy advice in the context of Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (FfD)

2030 Agenda: Partnerships

SDG Finance

Public Sector Finance (Tax and domestic resource mobilization, public financial management and public expenditure)

2030 Agenda: Peace

Governance

Public Sector Reform

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

• Master's degree in taxation, law, economics, finance, public policy or related field.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in a position directly related to public finance, taxation or financing for development is required.

Required skills

• Experience in advising international institutions and/ or governments on public finance management, taxation and financing for development in Asia Pacific is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Experience of working in or with different developing countries in Asia Pacific region is desired.
• Knowledge of current trends & debates regarding development financing and taxation issues in Asia Pacific is desired.
• Experience in policy research is desired.
• Strong publications and writing record is desired.
• Experience with UNDP or UN-system is an advantage.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org