Expert Consultant – Institutional Performance and Public Administration Reform

About the role

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is supporting the Jordanian Academy of Government Administration in sending international experts to the First Conference for Senior Government Leaders in Amman, Jordan, 10-12 December 2026. ESCWA seeks three expert consultants with academic and practical experience in public policy, public administration reform, institutional capacity development and strategic leadership. The consultant provides senior expert input on institutional performance in public administration, focusing on how institutional arrangements and incentives shape civil servants' behaviour and reform implementation. The work is remote and lasts about one month.

Key responsibilities

• Review the draft conference framework and programme and give written comments on its structure, sequencing, session formats and expected outputs.
• Prepare guiding questions for keynote speakers, dialogue panels, thematic working groups and project clinics, and help frame the short leadership survey and its results.
• Prepare an evidence-based technical paper on institutional performance in public administration, adapted for a senior-leadership audience, and present it in Arabic slides and a short summary note.
• Deliver the presentation at the conference and lead or co-facilitate dialogue sessions and thematic group discussions under the Chatham House Rule.
• Contribute to the daily synthesis of key findings and to the final conference report, including the leadership brief, list of required decisions and the follow-up plan for the six projects.

Required profile

• Advanced degree (PhD) in political science, public administration, public policy, development studies or a closely related field.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in public policy, public administration, institutional reform, governance or public-sector capacity development.
• Proven experience in executive education, leadership development or capacity-building for government officials and public-sector institutions.
• Experience working with government, international or academic institutions on public-sector reform and capacity development.
• Fluency in Arabic; knowledge of English is desirable.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of international and regional approaches to public administration reform, institutional effectiveness and policy implementation.
• Ability to communicate complex governance and public policy issues to senior-level audiences through presentations, policy dialogues or conferences.