National Program Officer

İşin təsviri

Swiss Cooperation Office for the South Caucasus
Embassy of Switzerland

Vacancy note National Program Officer

Duty station Baku, Azerbaijan

Supervisor Deputy Regional Director

Beginning of employment April 1, 2017

Institutional context

The Swiss Cooperation Office for the South Caucasus (SCO) is responsible for coordinating and implementing the Swiss development cooperation in the South Caucasus, in particular of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Eco-nomic Affairs (SECO). Whereas the main office is located in Tbilisi, it maintains a program office in Baku since 2001. The cooperation office in Baku is part of the Embassy of Switzerland. Your direct supervisor is the Deputy Regional Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office.

The Swiss Cooperation Office oversees programs in the domains Inclusive Economic Develop-ment as well as Better and more transparent Institutions. In Azerbaijan, Switzerland’s develop-ment cooperation is focusing in particular on improving the economic framework conditions, strengthening the private sector and financial stability, e.g. by building the capacities of central government institutions.

The SCO in Baku is now looking for a National Program Officer starting April 2017. Employ-ment is subject to good performance during a six month probation period. The post involves regular visits to Georgia (2-3 times per year) and occasional visits to Switzerland. Female can-didates are explicitly encouraged to submit their application.

Tasks of the National Program Officer

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, the incumbent will have the following main tasks and responsibilities:

 To monitor, accompany and support the implementation of the SECO funded cooperation projects in Azerbaijan. This concerns in particular projects in the areas of investment cli-mate reforms, financial sector reforms and access to finance, macroeconomic policy, public finance management and financial market supervision;
 To contribute to the development of portfolio by SECO in Azerbaijan, including contributing to the identification, structuring and planning of new projects;
 To contribute to the strategic discussion of the Swiss regional development program in the South Caucasus, particularly in the economic domains;
 To assist the Deputy Regional Director in the conduct of policy dialogue, especially in the field of economic development, macro-economic policy, as well as financial sector stability, modernization and supervision in Azerbaijan; to represent Swiss Cooperation Office to-wards government, implementing and donor partners in Azerbaijan (conferences, official visits, project visits etc.);
 To cooperate and coordinate closely with the regional Swiss Cooperation Office, SECO headquarters in Bern and the Embassy of Switzerland in Azerbaijan.
 To contribute to the elaboration of the annual report of the Swiss Cooperation Office in the South Caucasus regarding the portfolio in Azerbaijan; to contribute to internal communica-tion materials and steering tools (ex. project factsheets, mid-term review etc.).
 To regularly brief the Deputy Regional Director about relevant economic developments in the country as well as the region and to assess the impact on the ongoing/planned portfolio.

Requested Profile and Competencies

Training The incumbent holds an advanced university degree in eco-nomics or political sciences. Post graduate or other further training in the above disciplines or in development studies are an asset.

Work experience The successful candidate has a minimum of three years of rele-vant experience at the national or international level, particularly in the fields of planning, implementation, monitoring and evalua-tion of development projects as well as research and policy-level analysis, preferably in the field of economic development, public financial management or financial sector supervision.

Languages The incumbent is fluent in Azerbaijani and English. Russian is an asset.

Corporate competencies The successful candidate is a strong team player and shows an enhanced degree of reliability, initiative and sound judgment, ability to complete multiple tasks timely and efficiently, ability to prioritize different assignments.

The incumbent shows a keen interest in international develop-ment issues and the development of the South Caucasus as a region in particular.

He/she demonstrates integrity with regard to Switzerland’s val-ues and ethical standards such as gender equality, cultural and religious sensitivity and adaptability; he/she promotes the vi-sion, mission and strategic goals of Switzerland’s development cooperation. Swiss Cooperation Office implements a zero toler-ance policy regarding corruption.

Professional competencies The incumbent has a proven expertise in the field of project cycle management, strategic planning, results-based manage-ment and reporting and a solid understanding of the develop-ment context in Azerbaijan.

He/she has strong analytical skills, especially in economic is-sues, and is proficient in written reporting in the English lan-guage. He/she is fully proficient in the use of computers and standard office and internet software applications.

If interested, please send your 1) letter of motivation and 2) up to date CV in English via e-mail to [email protected]. Please write "National Program Officer" in the e-mail subject line. Kind-ly indicate at least two references that we may contact, as well as your availability in terms of start date.

The deadline for applications is 20 February 2017. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Please do not contact the Swiss Cooperation Office by telephone.

Swiss Embassy in Baku tərəfindən digər vakansiyalar

• Visa Officer
• Assistant to Ambassador / Interpreter / Receptionist