View Vacancy – Economic Adviser

The British Embassy in Tunis invites applications for the position of Economic Adviser grade C5 (L) to start as soon as possible.

Main purpose of the job:

We are looking for a highly motivated and knowledgeable individual to provide economic advice that will be valued across the whole of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) team. You will work within a complex, fast-paced and challenging environment as part of a multidisciplinary team.

As an integral member of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and a member of the Prosperity Pillar, the responsibility of this post is to set, oversee and deliver HMG’s economic strategy in Tunisia and to build Tunisian engagement with UK and to increase potential direct bilateral economic and commercial relationships and improve HMG’s trade policy/ prosperity agenda delivery.

Main duties and responsibilities:

1. Provide high quality analysis and policy advice

• Provide HMG with high quality economic analytical reporting to contribute to the post and wider policy-making. Draft regular economic updates for post. Provide BE Tunis and NAD country team with high quality economic development, business environment and reforms advice. 

2. Lead BE Tunis Economic policy

• Build, maintain and mobilise a network of senior government, international and private sector partners to inform UK understanding of the Tunisian economy.
• Produce accurate and timely reporting (diptels, analysis, adhoc briefings) on the state of the economy, and opportunities and obstacles to UK engagement.
• Provide constructive advice to X-HMG stakeholders, including HMT, DIT and UKDEL, on the progress of Tunisia’s co-operation with the IMF, World Bank, the UK loan guarantee, UKEF and CDC, among others.

3. Strategy Development

• Developing and owning a coherent Economic Development Strategy.  Incorporating programming (CSSF and wider ODA) and political (e.g. lobbying) tools.
• Engage proactively with X-HMG colleagues to share understanding, and to align and de-conflict interests in support of a coherent UK approach in Tunisia.

4. Programme and fund management 

• Build strong and effective working relationships with Government of Tunisia counterparts and delivery partner agencies, managing relationships with partners to ensure projects deliver objectives.
• Work with programme managers to strengthen risk management and monitoring of programmes and partners, address programme blockages/deficiencies and deliver tough messages to partners as necessary.
• Develop and own a strategy for economic development programming, under the CSSF and/ or any new FCDO bilateral ODA resources.
• Ensure the highest standards in the use of all public funds, including exceptional value for money, gender, conflict and disability sensitivity, and human rights compliance.

5. Lead on the economic development work stream of Tunisia’s CSSF programme, this includes working closely with the Head of Prosperity Pillar and programme team to set a vision for the UK’s approach to supporting Tunisia’s economic development. 

6. Support on the design and implementation of all economic projects

• Proactively monitor the progress of projects currently in implementation phase. Assist in their progress, resolve issues and initiate appropriate corrective action where necessary. Define ways to extend the projects’ impacts and to share best practices within the region.

7. Lead on the overall coherence of the Economic Work stream

• Develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with IMF and World Bank and other donor partners.

8. IFIs’ engagement & influence

• Lead on Tunisia IFI Engagement (IMF, World Bank, IFC, AfDB) in areas of economic opportunity and governance.  Work closely with international partners to ensure complementarity, and creatively influence on Tunisian engagement on economic policy reform. Lead on the G7 coordination mechanism on economy.

9. Develop networks across the Tunisian economic ecosystem

10. Staff Management

• Line Management of one B3L Project Officer. Actively promote learning and development within your team.

11. Corporate

• Promote a positive working environment through a significant corporate role, such as chairing a cross-cutting Embassy committee or campaign (e.g. Wellbeing Campaign, Health and Safety etc).

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.

Key competencies required:

• Leading and Communicating – Effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.
• Collaborating and Partnering – People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done. 
• Engaging Internationally – Effectiveness in this area is about leading internationally, engaging our staff, contacts and international partners to help deliver UK Government objectives. Understanding UK Government aims in the wider UK and international context and developing productive relationships with those external contacts and partners to help deliver UK objectives. 
• Seeing the Big Picture – This is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public needs.

This position needs strong capacity in:

• Solving problems – Exercise sound judgement and interpretative ability, identifying potential issues for the future and proposing solutions ahead of issues becoming problems.
• Senior Economic Advisory work – Advising senior UK government officials on specific policy areas, including the Ambassador and the Country and Programme Boards.
• Creativity in a complex environment. Apply innovative thought-processes to problems.

Essential:

1. Macroeconomic knowledge

• Understand the impact of fiscal and monetary policy and be able to assess the macroeconomic situation instability, particularly by interpreting imbalances in budgeting, taxation and debt,
• Engage with and influence the IMF, WB and other partners to support macroeconomic management.
• Diagnose constraints to inclusive growth (including unemployment rates) and assess the political economy of reform.
• Ability to interpret national income accounts data and relevant global sources to determine growth measurement, trends, drivers, and diagnostics,

2. Microeconomic knowledge

• Understand market failures in goods and labour markets to advise on how to promote a more dynamic private sector and job creation, particularly for the burgeoning youth population.
• Be able to draw on relevant inequality/welfare/labour statistics to inform analysis
• Core project appraisal and sector/market analysis skills. Ability to carry out value-for-money analysis and cost-benefit analysis where needed.

3. Experience in programme design and management

4. Experience of working in a fragile or conflict-affected state

5. Experience of an economic reform programme e.g. IMF

6. Experience of working with international partners e.g. IMF and WB

7. Line management and leadership experience

8. A confident self-starter with strong networking and relationship management skills in order to develop and maintain a wide network of contacts.

9. A degree in economics or a degree with a strong Economic component as well as a detailed understanding of current economic trends and issues.

10. Excellent analytical and communications skills including fluency in both written and spoken English.