Background

UNDP supports countries around the world to formulate strategies, policies, and programme interventions that promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To advance these aims, UNDP provides technical policy advice and programming tools, especially to help address critical sustainable development challenges.

UNDP country offices work closely with government counterparts and other national stakeholders to support the introduction of inclusive and sustainable development policies that are aligned with the national context. National economists based in country offices across the Asia-Pacific region contribute to this work, including through support to policy dialogue with government officials and other partners, assistance in programme development, and production of research and analysis. These colleagues also collaborate and share experiences and practices across countries inside and outside the Asia-Pacific region.

UNDP Afghanistan is recruiting a Development Economist to help contribute to its overall work programme. The Development Economist will support the country office by providing economic analysis and policy advice to management and government counterparts that favor inclusive development, including the integration of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs into national plans and activities. S/he will also work closely with all programme teams and be responsible for helping develop large-scale development solutions and activities aimed at enhancing UNDP’s programmatic support. The Development Economist is expected to contribute to knowledge generation through research and analysis, represent UNDP as required in policy discussions, and work closely with the country programme teams and the regional network on SDG integration, acceleration, and innovation. 

The Development Economist will be based full-time in the UNDP Afghanistan country office. Domestic and international travel may be required. S/he will work closely with the programme and operations teams in the country office, UNDP’s national Sustainable Development Goal teams, and colleagues in the Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH). S/he will also collaborate with the Asia-Pacific regional network of country economists. S/he is also expected to develop and maintain a network of colleagues across development partner agencies, government institutions, the private sector, and civil society

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Deputy Country Director, the Development Economist (National) will be primarily responsible for the following work:

Highlighted Responsibilities of the Assignment:

• Coordination and support to producing macro-economic analyses and policy framework(s) for the UNDP Afghanistan Country Office;

• Development of the econometric modeling tools necessary to support the above macro-economic framework(s);

• Collaboration with Afghan Ministries to develop a joint macro-economic framework for implementing and measuring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for building a sustainable and inclusive economy across Afghanistan;

• Presentation of the economic logic to partners, and integration with UNDP country programme activities;

• Representation, advocacy, and partner engagement, as required, to support UNDP’s institutional positioning and advance its mandate;

• Provision of support to UNDP country office management, including to help strengthen programme development and implementation;

• Contribution to UNDP’s work across the Asia-Pacific region, including collaboration with the regional economist network and analysis of priority regional thematic areas.

  Activities to be Performed:

Provision of support to UNDP country office management, including to help strengthen programme development and implementation.

• Assist UNDP country office management with preparation and implementation of country programmes and strategies, including the Country Programme Document (CPD);

• Support UNDP country office teams to develop and manage relevant thematic portfolios, such as activities to support inclusive growth and progress towards the SDGs;

• Provide analysis and research in priority thematic areas at the country level, including through the publication of policy briefs or other analytical outputs;

• Compile and analyse statistical data as required in support of country strategies and activities.

• Collaborate across UNDP teams, especially to ensure linkages to the work emerging from the network of acceleration labs;

• Support the creation of large-scale development solutions to help address complex development challenges.

Provision of macroeconomic analysis and advice to national government counterparts and other partners, especially in support of the 2030 Agenda and the introduction of sustainable and inclusive economic policies.

• Support and facilitate dialogue on sustainable development issues with government officials, development partners, civil society, and the private sector;

• Provide policy and programming advice and support for development planning and policy formulation at the national, sub-national and local levels;

• Support the identification and analysis of interventions that can impact multiple development goals and targets at the same time;

• Support monitoring and reporting of progress related to SDGs and other national development frameworks.

Representation, advocacy, and partner engagement to support UNDP’s institutional positioning and advance its mandate.

• Develop and/or strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, IFIs, bilateral development agencies, private sector entities, and civil society;

• Represent UNDP country office in relevant forums, conferences, or workshops, including to present research or programmatic results;

• Support UNDP resource mobilization and future growth strategies through project pipeline development and design of large-scale programme and development solutions;

• Contribute to national, regional, and global knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Contribution to UNDP’s work across the Asia-Pacific region, including collaboration with the regional economist network and analysis of priority regional thematic areas.

• Participate actively in the UNDP Asia-Pacific regional network of economists, including through attending regional meetings (in-person and/or virtual), sharing relevant experiences, and conducting peer reviews;

• Substantively contribute as possible to UNDP regional knowledge products and development of programming offers in regional priority areas (e.g., inequality, future of work, innovative financing);

• Enhance UNDP’s understanding and design of new approaches to sustainable development across the region by acting as a regional thematic lead where possible.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables: The consultant will submit monthly progress reports and any other documentation as required by the Senior Deputy Country Director at the end of each month. Monthly progress reports will cover all achievements, issues and recommendations during the applicable month.

Deliverables covering the period are summarized below:  

Payment Modality: 

Payments shall be made at the end of each month, and will vary depending on the number of days worked, as indicated in a properly-completed UNDP timesheet. This timesheet should follow the UNDP procurement format for individual contractors, and is to be submitted by the consultant alongside the progress report. The Senior Deputy Country Director (Programme) , or his/her designate, will review the progress and quality of the assignment prior to payment being issued.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

Institutional Arrangements

The National Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Deputy Country Director (Programme and with matrix reporting to Regional Economic Advisor at Bangkok Regional Hub.

UNDP will provide office space, internet, logistical and other support services. However, the consultant is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone and meet local communications costs. Costs to arrange meetings, workshops, travel costs and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) during field visits outside of Kabul (if any) shall be covered by UNDP.

Duration of the Work

The deliverables under this contract shall be completed within 6 Months (With Maximum 122 Working days) after the signing of the contract, including all preparation work and on-site visits.

A contract extension beyond the proposed dates may be available, subject to acceptable performance by the contractor, but is not guaranteed.

Duty Station

Work will be carried out in-country. The duty station for the Consultant shall be Kabul, Afghanistan. When in Kabul, the contractor will be based at the United Nations Office Complex in Afghanistan (UNOCA) during working hours, security conditions permitting.

The consultant will follow the working hours and weekends applicable to UNDP Country Office (CO) staff. The Consultant’s movement for meetings and consultations shall be coordinated by UNDP’s transport unit.

The Consultant is required to observe UNDP security rules and regulations at all times.

Competencies

COMPETENCIES

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;

• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Shares knowledge and experience and contributes to UNDP Practice Areas and actively works towards continuing personal learning and development;

• Ability to provide top quality policy advice services on economic issues;

• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;

• Ability to lead formulation and evaluation of development programmes and projects;

• Ability to apply economic theory to the specific country context, carry out high-quality economic research.

Management and Leadership:

• Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;

• Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation;

• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;

• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;

• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;

• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

PhD in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics or equivalent from a reputable university.

Experience:

• 15 years of relevant development experience in a policy setting at the national or international level;

• Proven understanding of econometrics, including modeling and forecasting (general and partial equilibrium models);

• Extensive experience in research and policy-level analysis is required;

• Superior understanding of Afghanistan’s regional economic integration, including value chain analyses, econometric techniques etc.;

• Publications in refereed English-language journals are required;

• Direct experience providing technical advice to government officials is required;

• Experience in designing, monitoring and evaluating development projects is an asset;

• Experience using computers and office software packages, including programmes for statistical analysis of data;

• Experience working with the MDGs or SDGs at the national level.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Dari.

PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

• Daily Fee – The consultant shall propose a daily fee, which should be inclusive of her/his professional fee, local communication costs and insurance (inclusive of medical health insurance and evacuation). The professional daily fee, all inclusive of the above elements, shall be paid upon submission of timesheet. The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is 244 working days maximum.

Payment schedule - Payments shall be done upon verification of completion of specific deliverables, upon approval by the Senior Deputy Country Director (Programme) or his designate

EVALUATION METHOD AND CRITERIA

Individual Consultants are evaluated based on the following methodology:

• Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight 70%

* Financial Criteria weight 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Proposal (40 marks)

• Technical Approach & Methodology (25 marks) – This explains the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach;
• Work Plan (15 marks) – The Consultant  should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

Qualification and Experience (30 marks) [evaluation of CVs for shortlisting]

• General Qualification (10 marks);
• Experience relevant to the assignment (20 marks);

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Duly accomplished confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II) as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Personal CV indicating all experience from similar assignment  relevant to the assignment.

Technical proposal:

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable candidate for the assignment;

• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.

Note: Incomplete application will not be considered, it will be disqualified automatically