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 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy and programme work, carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office (CO) levels, form a contiguous spectrum of deep, local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. Within this context, UNDP invests in a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

The UNDP 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.

The UNDP Tax for SDGs Initiative 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 the UNDP Tax for SDGs Initiative will also work to bring evidence and perspectives from developing countries into the regional and international discussions on taxation.

The UNDP Gender Team, also part of the BPPS, is the institutional anchor of UNDP’s work on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Gender Team provides policy advice and technical support to all of UNDP’s Bureaus and leadership on how to mainstream gender across all areas of their work. The Gender Team works to implement gender equality as a core objective of UNDP through a two-pronged approach (i) mainstreaming gender in all core practices; and, (ii) dedicated interventions that empower women and promote gender equality.

Institutional Arrangement

1. The Technical Specialist will directly of Tax for SDGs, SFH with matrix reporting to the Gender Specialist in Economic Development, BPPS.

2. Throughout the project, collaboration and coordination with the rest of the UNDP Tax for SDGs and Gender team will be required.

3. The IPSA Hire will use his or her own equipment (e.g. laptop) to perform the work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is seeking a Technical Specialist in Taxation and Gender Equality to work with UNDP’s Gender Team and UNDP’s Tax for SDGs Team to develop, pioneer and mobilize additional partnerships and resources for an integrated service offering to strengthen the consideration of gender issues when designing tax policies and system reforms with the objective to finance Agenda 2030 and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The Technical Specialist will serve  as a full member of the Gender Team as well as  Sustainable Finance Hub’s Tax for SDGs team and is expected to attend regular team meeting.

A) Policy and Technical Support

1. Develop a new service offering to help countries in leveraging an evidence base for considering gender issues in tax policies as a means of financing and achieving the SDGs. This will include building capacity to conduct economic modeling scenarios, institutional and context analyses and by supporting inter-ministerial dialogues.
2. Support the integration of gender considerations in tax policy scenario projections and return on investment calibrations into national financing plans and SDG Taxation Frameworks.
3. Provide advice to align taxation systems’ design, fiscal policies and practices with policies and objectives of gender equality and social justice.
4.  Implement measures to address and redress gender inequality and its potential impact on a broad set of criteria: economic efficiency, equity, costs of implementation, robustness to avoidance and incentive compatibility.
5. Advocate for the achievement of the SDGs, in particular SDG 5 (removing gender discrimination in the tax system and promote the full and effective participation of women in the economy).

B) Programme  Coordination

1. Provide training through a capacity development module for national fiscal policy units and national revenue administrations to support more effective national design and implementation of gender sensitive tax policies and systems reforms, incorporating input from national academic institutions and regional bodies where relevant.
2. Organize and coordinate meetings, workshops, missions, conferences, and side events to strengthen UNDP’s work on taxation and gender equality.
3.  Coordinate UNDP Tax for SDGs and Gender team efforts in implementing tax and gender aspects of the Tax for SDGs Initiative.
4. Support senior level managers in developing countries Ministries of Finance, National Tax Administrations, and other relevant agencies with design and implementation of Taxation and Gender Equality strategies as well as with mobilizing additional resources and partnerships for scaling up UNDP’s services on tax and gender equality.

C) Knowledge Management

1. Develop briefing presentations on the Taxation and Gender Equality service offer.  
2. Develop knowledge products for senior policy officials in developing countries to embed the Taxation and Gender Equality service offer. 
3. Engage with other agencies and capture good practices that may have been developed on the taxation and gender in achieving the SDGs.

D) Communications and Outreach

1. Facilitate South-South and triangular sharing of good practices in advocating, developing, implementing, monitoring, reporting and increasing effectiveness for gender considerations in taxation policies and systems reforms.

Perform any other duties related to this assignment as may be required by Supervisor.

Competencies

Required skills

• Experience with fiscal, tax policy and tax administration processes is required.
• Experience in gender analysis and mainstreaming is required.

Desired additional skills and competencies

• Experience with applied research related to the intersection of public finance and gender is desirable.
• Experience with gap assessments and analysis, related to tax or gender is desirable.
• Experience in writing reports for different audiences, including policy-makers is desirable.
• Experience working in different world regions, including developing countries is an asset.
• Previous work experience  with UN, partners, governments and/or civil society on multisectoral action for tax or gender is desirable.

Language(s) at working level

Fluency in written and spoken English is required

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Academic Education

Minimum Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, International Development, Gender Studies or related areas is required.

Minimum years of relevant work experience

At least 7 years of experience related to public financing and gender issues Is required.