Development Economic Analyst

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, working with national counterparts on solutions to global and national development challenges. In Bhutan, over last 50 years, UNDP has been supporting the Royal Government to attain its national priorities. In 2024, UNDP started implementation of the Country Programme Document 2024-2028, aligning to the country’s 13th Five Year Plan (13th FYP). 

In 2023, Bhutan graduated from the UN list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Over the past decades, the country has made remarkable progress in reducing income and multidimensional poverty, aligned with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite the impressive progress, the country is grappling with critical socio-economic challenges such as large-scale emigration of the productive and skilled labor force, youth unemployment, declining fertility rate, increasing trade deficit, and shrinking fiscal space. These challenges take place amidst a slow post-pandemic economic recovery and against the broader backdrop of structural challenges, such as limited economic diversification, a still-nascent private sector, absence of robust regulatory and institutional framework. 

Bhutan’s 13th FYP (2024-2029) sets out the ambitious target of doubling the size of the country’s economy within the next five years and then doubling it again over the subsequent five year, reaching USD 10 billion by 2034, a target year that Bhutan plans to reach the high-income status. To achieve this, Bhutan must maintain a nominal GDP growth rate of approximately 11.9% annually for the next 12 years1. If development plans uphold as projected, the GNI per capita would experience an annual increase of 11% over the same period, propelling Bhutan into the ranks of upper-middle-income Southeast Asian countries. 

Recognizing the challenges and potential opportunities in Bhutan’s 21st-century economy, the Royal Government of Bhutan aims to accelerate and foster a robust economic recovery and growth. It is in this context that the Royal Government of Bhutan requested UNDP’s policy advisory assistance to support the Prime Minister’s Office in a high-level consultation and the subsequent development of a development roadmap for the realization for the government’s development vision as outlined above. 

At the core of UNDP’s policy support and high-level consultation is the institutionalization of a Policy Innovation Lab, that will execute three key functions of carrying out on-demand policy analysis and provide advisory services, undertake targeted policy analysis and experimentation through people centred and innovative design approaches and oversight of the implementation of the visioning exercise roadmap and strategies to accelerate the implementation of the 13th FYP and achieve the target of developed economy by 2034. 

To support this initiative, UNDP seeks to recruit a Development Economic Analyst. The Analyst will contribute towards the analysis and implementation plan of the high-level development vision roadmap led by the Prime Minister's Office with inputs from various partners. 

The Development Economic Analyst will report to the Deputy Resident Representative at UNDP and the Director, Office of the Cabinet Affairs and Strategic Coordination and Director, Office of the Prime Minister.
 

Provision of Advisory Support: 

• Carry out high-quality, policy-relevant research on key priority sectors identified for the lab 
• Analysis of economic, social and political economy issues relevant to the successful implementation of the roadmap.
• Identification and analysis of issues that impact upon effective implementation of the roadmap and targets and the development of ‘accelerator interventions’ that help unlock sustained progress across multiple development areas. 
• Monthly compilation, analysis and interpretation of economic and statistical data, through research of the big bets outlined in the roadmap and preparation of top-quality analysis and reports.

Ensure Policy and Strategy Development

• Facilitate policy dialogue on economic issues with the Government, development partners, donors, civil society, private sector; and contributors to development of policies as relevant.
• Provision of policy options, particularly from pro-poor perspectives, on macroeconomic and development issues related to the roadmap to governments and other development actors.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice through identification of best practices and lessons learned. 
• Participate in the design and implementation of a series of policy reviews related to the roadmap and beyond
• Lead and coordinate research and policy work of the lab and supervise the work of external consultants and research assistants/trainees as needed.

Ensure Policy Design and Experimentation

• Carry out empirical/statistical analysis by analyzing multiple survey datasets and researching analytical documentation related to the work of the lab experiments. 
• Manage policy experimentation processes with key government partners and other relevant stakeholders
• Guide and support the experimenter in translating actionable intelligence emerging from research into policy experiments/frameworks

Build Strategic Partnership and Resource Mobilization

• Development of partnerships with stakeholders including development partners, IFI’s, private sector, civil society areas based on strategic goals of the roadmap 
• Analysis and research of information on development partners and donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation.
• Contribute to resource mobilization by preparing potential pipeline projects for the lab.
• Assist the Lab in preparation of its strategic plan and Action Plan for its sustainability.
• Communicate key messages relating to the labs work in a variety of forums, including specialized journals, as well as in print, broadcast and online media.
• Undertake any other related actions as requested by the Prime Minister's Office

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Core competencies: 

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Digital & Innovation 

• Team design & management:  Ability to create a clear sense of shared purpose while leveraging curiosity, expertise and agency at an individual level; Set up and manage team rituals and rhythms that create a safe space for learning and reflection. Foster a positive culture around failure, encourage exploration, experimentation; Set the conditions and structures for 'fluid' team modelling and distributed leadership enabling the team to continuously develop and renew itself; Ability to create synergy between team members with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, being able to leverage their broad knowledge and skillsets

Partnership management              

• Resource mobilization: Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness            

• Strategic Policy Engagement: Economic forecasting 

Digital and Innovation    

• Portfolio design & management: Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. The value of the interventions is determined not in isolation, but as part of the overall portfolio and their coherence; Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated; Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilise a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together; Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory. 

Business Management   

• Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience; Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

 Business Development  

• Knowledge generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need