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Capacity Building Specialist for Reform Agenda, Economic Criteria, and Foreign Direct Investments - retainer position
Details
Deadline: May 12, 2025 Deadline for applications has passed
Location: Home Based
Organization:United Nations Office for Project Services (HQ)
Sectors:
Job type:Contract, up to 4 months
Languages:
English, Macedonian
Work experience:Min 5 years
Date posted: Apr 29, 2025
Description
Job categories: Project Management
Vacancy code: VA/2025/B5109/30080
Department/office: ECR, RSMCO, Serbia
Duty station: Home based
Contract type: Local ICA Specialist
Contract level: LICA Specialist-10
Duration: Up to 60 working days, during a period of one year
Application period: 29-Apr-2025 to 12-May-2025
Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.
Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
The Project “Support to European Integration of North Macedonia” is designed to support North Macedonia's accession negotiations and successful management of the overall European Union (EU) integration process. The Project is funded by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Ministry for European Affairs and implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
This Project will strengthen the capacities of national institutions supporting the EU accession through provision of technical assistance and capacity building to the Government Coordination Mechanism for Accession Negotiation. Support will facilitate effective alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis and its implementation, while at the same time facilitating engagement and contributions from relevant stakeholders, and exchange of experiences and cooperation with the EU Member States and countries from the region.
The Project will strengthen the capacities of the Ministry for European Affairs (MEA) and will support the progress in fulfilment of Fundamentals Cluster requirements, finalisation of screening reports and transposition of the EU Acquis in the national legislation.
As part of this effort, special attention is given to implementing the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform Agenda 2024-2027, including its economic dimensions. These include key reforms that contribute to economic transformation, boosting productivity, transferring technology and know-how, and integrating domestic firms into European and global value chains. Strengthening institutional capacity to attract and retain quality investments, streamline regulatory frameworks, and enhance investor services is essential not only for immediate economic gains but also for supporting long-term convergence with EU standards and competitiveness. Moreover, creating a favourable investment climate contributes to broader goals of job creation, export growth, and balanced regional development - key priorities for both the Government of North Macedonia and the EU.
Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Capacity Building Specialist will provide expert, analytical, and capacity building support to the Ministry for European Affairs (MEA) and other relevant national institutions in relation to the implementation of the Reform Agenda and Growth Plan, particularly focusing on economic governance, investment climate reforms, and foreign direct investments (FDI) attraction and facilitation.
The Specialist will:
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Provide tailored expertise to support the alignment with EU’s economic criteria and support the relevant reforms and the design of specific policy measures.
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Strengthen the capacity of public administration to formulate, coordinate, and implement reforms related to the business environment, competitiveness, trade, financial sector, and investment facilitation.
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Support the integration of FDI-related priorities into the broader reform and accession framework, including monitoring tools and indicators for measuring impact.
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Provide expert advice and technical input to MEA and relevant stakeholders on designing, prioritizing, and implementing the economic components of the Reform Agenda.
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Prepare policy papers, draft reforms, and contribute to action plans, methodologies, and analysis relevant to economic governance and investment policy.
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Develop recommendations and tools to support the attraction, facilitation, and retention of FDI in line with EU best practices.
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Map institutional responsibilities and coordinate across relevant ministries/agencies to align reform efforts in the areas of business climate, trade, and market regulation.
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Design and deliver targeted capacity building sessions for public administration on economic governance, investment promotion, and implementation monitoring.
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Provide feedback on proposed legislative and regulatory reforms to ensure coherence with EU accession requirements and economic criteria.
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Identify opportunities for synergy with existing or planned donor-supported programs in the economic and investment domain
Education
- Advanced University Degree preferably in Law, Business Administration, Economics or other relevant discipline is required.
- University Degree (Bachelor’s degree / first level) with two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Minimum five years of experience in capacity building activities, and/or in development of strategic documents, and/or drafting policy documents, related to economic criteria, economic reforms, competitiveness, and FDI promotion, in EU Member State, candidate or potential candidate country is required.
- Proven experience in designing or supporting investment policy reforms or FDI strategies is an asset.
- Good understanding of the local context in North Macedonia, and experience working with government institutions and non-governmental organisations working in the area of intervention is an asset.
- Fluency in Macedonian and English (speaking, reading and writing) is required
Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) - retainer
Contract level: LICA 10 (ICS 10)
Contract duration: Up to 60 working days during a period of one year
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
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Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
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Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
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Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
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UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
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Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
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We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.
Terms and Conditions
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For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
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For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
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All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
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It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an independent United Nations (UN) organisation since 1995 (Resolution 48/501, 1994), which succeeded two decades of its operations as a part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1974 when it was established.
The mission of UNOPS is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. As a part of the United Nations family, and as the only self-financed UN organisation, UNOPS is committed to UN values and private sector efficiency.
In Serbia, UNOPS has been active since 2000 and the organisation provides support in conducting demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union. The projects focus on sustainable local development, good governance, the rule of law, social cohesion, environment and emergency response. The projects are implemented with funding from the European Union (EU), the Governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, and the UN organisations.
UNOPS Serbia Multi-Country Office (RSMCO) also covers Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the need for support and potential engagements are being assessed. The work of UNOPS and the projects it implements is contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals frameworks and objectives of the countries of its operations.
The mission of UNOPS is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. As a part of the United Nations family, and as the only self-financed UN organisation, UNOPS is committed to UN values and private sector efficiency.
In Serbia, UNOPS has been active since 2000 and the organisation provides support in conducting demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union. The projects focus on sustainable local development, good governance, the rule of law, social cohesion, environment and emergency response. The projects are implemented with funding from the European Union (EU), the Governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, and the UN organisations.
UNOPS Serbia Multi-Country Office (RSMCO) also covers Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the need for support and potential engagements are being assessed. The work of UNOPS and the projects it implements is contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals frameworks and objectives of the countries of its operations.
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