Policy Advisor - IPSA-11 (short-term)

The RBEC Sustainability Facility is hosted within the Office of the Chief Economist at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH), Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia (RBEC). The Facility is a regional, modular policy and investment framework designed to operationalize Article 55 of the UN Charter by accelerating sustainable, inclusive, and climate-informed development across the Europe and Central Asia region.

The Sustainability Facility responds to mounting structural challenges facing RBEC economies, including high debt burdens, fiscal constraints, demographic decline, climate risks, and slowing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Facility provides integrated support to UNDP Country Offices through forwardlooking diagnostics, alignment of national planning and financing frameworks, innovative financing instruments, digital and AIenabled monitoring tools, and regional peer learning.

The Regional Bureau is advancing two strategic and interlinked initiatives:

To support these initiatives, the Office of the Chief Economist seeks to engage a Policy Advisor (IPSA-11) to provide high-level policy analysis, advisory support, and quality assurance across regional and country-level engagements.

• Provide policy-oriented analysis and advisory inputs for the Regional HDR and Article 55 Facility, translating analytical findings into actionable policy recommendations.
• Support development of integrated policy frameworks linking macroeconomic policy, labour markets, social protection, financing strategies, and human development outcomes.
• Contribute to policy narratives, strategic messages, and evidence-based recommendations tailored to country and regional contexts.
  

• Review and quality-assure policy notes, analytical papers, and advisory outputs produced by consultants and partners.
• Ensure policy coherence, analytical rigor, and alignment with UNDP corporate priorities, HDR standards, and RBEC strategic directions.
• Support consolidation of policy recommendations across thematic areas to ensure consistency and clarity.
  

• Participate in high-level policy dialogues, consultations, and technical meetings with UNDP Country Offices, government counterparts, development partners, and research institutions.
• Provide advisory support in politically sensitive or institutionally constrained environments, applying context-aware and conflict-sensitive approaches.
• Prepare policy briefs, talking points, and summaries to support senior-level engagement.
  

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Development Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences or related field is required,

• or

• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in Economics, Development Economics, Public Policy, or a related field.

• A minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience in economic analysis, development policy, or applied research.

• Proven experience in reviewing and quality-assuring analytical work produced by consultants or research teams.

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret economic data and translate complex analysis into clear, policy-relevant insights.

• Demonstrated experience working with economic and development data, including macroeconomic indicators, labour market statistics, household surveys, or administrative datasets.

• Excellent drafting, editing, and synthesis skills, with the ability to produce concise, high-quality written outputs.

• Ability to work effectively across disciplines and engage with technical and non-technical counterparts.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams under tight deadlines.

• Experience working with international organizations, UN agencies, development banks, or similar institutions is an asset.

• Experience working with UNDP, UN agencies, international organizations, development banks, or similar institutions.

• Familiarity with human development frameworks, including the Human Development Report methodology and related analytical approaches.

• Experience contributing to regional or multi-country analytical products.

• Experience operating in politically sensitive, fragile, or institutionally constrained environments, applying context-aware and conflict-sensitive analytical approaches.

• Experience supporting knowledge management processes, including documentation of methodologies and analytical continuity across reporting cycles.

• Familiarity with the regional context is an advantage.