UNDP Jobs - 71306- Economic Strategic Planning Specialist

Economic Strategic Planning Specialist

Location :

Kuwait, KUWAIT

Type of Contract :

Other

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Apr-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Other

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

12 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Under the framework of the “Institutional Capacity Development for Implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan (ICDI/KNDP)” project, UNDP and the State of Kuwait, represented by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Planning and Development (GSSCPD), strive to enhance the human and institutional capacities at various government agencies to support them in implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan. This is achieved by providing them with necessary technical expertise that is responsive to their needs and demands in line with the KNDP.

Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) established in accordance with Law No. 116 of 2013 regarding the promotion of direct investment in the State of Kuwait, as a specialized public authority with financial and administrative independence. H.E. Minister of Commerce & Industry is the Chairman of its Board of Directors. KDIPA is one of the economic implementing arms of the country; performing developmental, promotional, regulatory, and advocacy roles.

Within this context, KDIPA is seeking the support of the ICDI/KNDP project to recruit an Economic Strategic Planning Specialist to develop Kuwait’s Economic Free Zone which will support in transforming Kuwait to commercial and financial hub and achieve the 2035 vision of Kuwait. This initiative aims to improve the diversification of Kuwait’s economy, creation of new job opportunities for nationals, and formulation of new industrial sectors. This is expected to increase the competitiveness power of the State of Kuwait in exporting goods to GCC and other countries.

The assignment will contribute to the following:

KNDP objective: Developing the National Economy and Increasing the Rate of Investment (ROI)
KNDP Policy: Diversify national sources of income and attract direct foreign investments while making sure that any obstacles in the way are removed by means of activating the role of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) and stimulating partnerships between the domestic private sector and foreign investors in various areas.

The assignment will also contribute to the following ICDI/KNDP project outputs:

Output 1.3: Increased technical expertise and institutional capacities for strategic planning and implementation of KNDP projects by public entities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the Direct Supervision of the head of KDIPA and with close coordination with the GSSCPD project manager, the Economic Strategic Planning Specialist’s main responsibilities and tasks are as follows:

Provide technical support to KDIPA in the area of Strategic planning for the development of economics and free zones project

Prepare and propose strategic and work plans for the economic and free zones, define priorities and set long-term direction that should be adopted to develop these zones;
Conduct a full SWOT analysis of current and new projects;
Prepare and propose key recommendations on how to build on the strengths to seize opportunities and identify challenges and gap analysis that affect the performance;
Draw on international and regional best practices and experiences of pioneer countries that have developed economic and free zones;
Adopt international methods and best practices to improve the development of these economic zones and hence enhance the competitiveness ranking of the State of Kuwait in international indices;
Provide strategy recommendations based on the results of the studies and comparative experiences review that can be adopted to raise performance of the economic and free zone project.
Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the work processes required to manage and develop the economic and free zones;
Ensure that effective quality control system is in place so that the SOPs are properly followed and implemented;
Draft and specify financial and regulatory systems required to monitor the revenues and expenditures in the economic and free zones;
Specify general framework for marketing and media plans that should be put in place to reach more audience/ investors and increase public awareness on the local, regional and international levels;
Propose new methods to develop the archiving system in the management of economic and free zones;

Capacity building, training and ongoing technical support for staff working on economic and free zones in KDIPA:

Based on thorough assessment, identify the coaching and training needs related to strategic planning for the staff at KDIPA and develop a training plan to address them;
Provide coaching and on-the-job-training for staff at KDIPA to enable them to implement their role in relation to managing the economic and free zones;
Hands on training and involvement of the staff in key aspects of the assignments to ensure knowledge and expertise transfer.
Present monthly reports to the GSSCPD and Project Management highlighting key deliverables and achievements with recommendations for the way forward.

Indicative approaches:

As indicated above, a key objective and approach in this assignment is to develop national capacities through facilitating learning from other countries experiences, training and knowledge and skills transfer to the staff of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) and other methods that the specialist would determine. The specialist would thus be required to submit a capacity development/expertise and knowledge transfer plan based on an understanding of the needs of the Department.
The specialist is expected to include a gender approach in all the work requirements and ensure gender sensitivity of all the deliverables which would be based on a gender analysis to ensure that the needs and specific considerations related to men and women is taken into account.

Outputs:

A Work Plan at the Outset of the assignment on the methodology (2 weeks from the start of the contract);
Formulation of strategic plan and strategies for the development of Kuwait economic and free zones (to be specified after starting the assignment);
Detailed work and action plan to execute and implement the strategy with clear timelines and deliverables (to be specified after starting the assignment);
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the economic and free zones (to be specified after starting the assignment);
Capacity needs assessment for the staff managing the economic zones at KDIPA, with training needs and action plan to address them (to be specified after starting the assignment);
Assessment and evaluation of the results of the training workshops conducted;
Final report and presentation with assessment, recommendations, and lessons learned.

Roles and Coordination Requirements:

The Specialist will work under the direct management of the Head of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA). The latter will be responsible to provide the information and data and will be responsible for approving the specialist’s deliverables.
The Specialist will also report to the Project Management of the ICDI/KNDP project based with the Technical Cooperation and Development Support Department at the GSSCPD by submitting regular reports on progress and impact of the assignment.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Reliably delivers on promises and honors commitments, holding himself/herself accountable for actions taken;
Gains cooperation from others through understanding of the political and organizational culture;
Helps peers to identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, training and development needs;
Inspires, motivates and empowers team members to excel in their responsibilities;
Works collaboratively with team members sharing information openly and displaying cultural awareness and sensitivity;
Synthesizes multiple/complex messages, identifies appropriate key points for different audiences and communicates concepts in a manner that influences the perceptions/behaviors of others;
Expresses own point of view in a neutral manner rather than in an argumentative tone, avoiding unproductive conflict.

Functional Competencies
Client Orientation

Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Promoting organizational change and development

Performs appropriate work analysis and assists in redesign to establish clear standards for implementation;
Develops communications and programmes to assist business units in their adaptation to changing environment.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
Continues to seeks new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit;
Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Minimum Masters in business administration, strategic planning, economics, or any related field.

Experience

Minimum 15 overall years of experience in strategic planning, assessments and evaluation;
Previous experience in planning, setting strategies and developing administrative systems for economic and free zones;
Previous field experience in working for the development of economic and free zones;
Previous experience in the GCC or the region is an added advantage;
International experience is highly desirable;
Proven oral and written communication skills.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English (writing and speaking) is a must

Duration

12 months

Others:

This position will be on governmental contract administered by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development.
As part of the application, the applicant must attach a CV