Head of the SME and Entrepreneurship Division, Paris, France 247 views

The OECD is a global economic forum working with 36 member countries and more than 100 emerging and developing economies to make better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The Organisation provides a unique forum in which governments work together to share experiences on what drives economic, social and environmental change, seeking solutions to common problems.

The OECD has earned a leading role in supporting entrepreneurship and SME policy, tourism policy, local and regional development, and cities, as well as multi-level governance and decentralisation issues. The Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) is the focal point for the OECD’s work in these areas. It advances the Strategic Orientations of the Secretary-General and his “ 21 for 21†agenda, ensuring impact of the OECD work in its range of work in the international governance architecture, in co-ordination with the OECD Sherpa team. It provides comparative statistics, analysis and capacity building. It helps local and national actors work together to unleash the potential of entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promote inclusive and sustainable regions and cities, boost local job creation, and implement sound tourism policies. It serves the Regional Policy Development Committee (RDPC) and its three Working Parties on Urban Policy, Rural Policy and Territorial Indicators, the Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE), the Tourism Committee and its Working Party on Tourism Statistics and the Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Directing Committee.

The SME and Entrepreneurship Division (SMEE) aims to advance the OECD work on SME and entrepreneurship policy, in areas such as SME finance, productivity, global value chains, innovation, SME policy benchmarking, policy evaluation, inclusive entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in higher education. The Division supports OECD member and partner governments in their efforts to enable SMEs and entrepreneurs to strengthen their contributions to inclusive growth, serving as an important source of policy analysis and advice to governments on how best to provide a level playing field for firms of all sizes and design and implement effective and efficient targeted SME and entrepreneurship policies. It also develops relevant standards, instruments and policy tools and supports governments in their implementation. The Division contributes to horizontal activities on matters related to SMEs and entrepreneurship.

The CFE is looking for a dynamic and highly experienced Head for its SME and Entrepreneurship Division to drive forward the OECD%27s agenda on SMEs and entrepreneurship, deliver on the calls by Ministers at the 2018 OECD Ministerial Conference on SMEs, and position the Organisation as a leader on the topic world-wide. S/he should exhibit innovative and strategic thinking, political sensitivity and networking capacity. S/he will be required to provide substantive leadership as well as motivate and manage a multidisciplinary team of about 15 professionals (economists and political/social scientists) in a multicultural environment. S/he will represent the OECD in international meetings, conferences and media events and will work closely with senior policymakers from the world’s leading economies.

The selected candidate will report to the Director and as a key member of the management team of the CFE, s/he will work closely with the Director and Deputy Director to support, advance and provide strategic direction to the Directorate’s work and to work closely with the Office of the Secretary-General (OSG) and the rest of the Organisation in ensuring a well-coordinated approach to the policy analysis of SMEs and entrepreneurship across the Organisation and the development and implementation of related horizontal projects, and on strategies to advance implementation of OECD advice in member and partner countries.

Main Responsibilities

Leadership

• Support the advancement of the Strategic Orientations of the Secretary-General, in particular as they relate to SMEs and entrepreneurship, identifying policy priorities, new directions of work and strategies which will position the Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE), the Local Economic and Employment Development Committee (LEED) and the OECD as a leading source of analysis, policy advice and cross-country co-operation in SME and entrepreneurship policy.
• Liaise and coordinate with the Office of the Secretary General in order to support the Secretary General in this area and advance a coordinated and coherent approach on SMEs and entrepreneurship analysis and policy recommendations across the organisation.
• Assist in providing support to the Sherpa and the Sherpa team on targeted policy advice and on the Organisation’s contributions in the area of SME and entrepreneurship policy, including to the G20 and G7.
• Design, plan, organise and supervise the Division’s programme of work and its effective implementation, ensuring relevant contributions to corporate outputs as well as coherence with the rest of the work of the Organisation.
• Develop relevant projects that will deliver value to member and partner countries, and the OECD, integrating the SME and entrepreneurship perspective into high priority OECD-wide projects and ensuringe the continued relevance of the work undertaken in light of the evolving needs of governments.
• Work to ensure inclusion of the SME angle in releant work across the Organisation, as well as coherence of analysis and messages, by establishing appropriate relationships and cooperation with colleagues from other Directorates and other relevant Committees.
• Provide intellectual leadership and guidance on new analytical work related to SMEs and SME policy.
• Oversee and contribute to the development of key substantive OECD publications and working documents, in particular SME flagship publications, by expanding anaylsis and increasing their country coverage to an array of non-members.
• Contribute to ensuring the global impact of the OECD SME and entrepreneurship policy work, including through increased engagement with key partners, and in line with the global relations strategy of the OECD.
• Contribute to flagship corporate initiatives such as NAEC, and horizontal projects such as Inclusive Growth, Innovation Strategy, and Gender, among others.
• Ensure effective preparation of material for activities of the Secretary-General, Deputies Secretary-General and the Chief of Staff related to the work of the division, in co-ordination with the CFE Director’s office and the Office of the Secretary-General.

Management

• Supervise, motivate and contribute to the professional development and performance management of staff to ensure delivery of high-quality work within set deadlines, effective and efficient working methods and a constructive working atmosphere.
• Promote a strong team environment, professionalism and accountability amongst staff and ensure efficient internal co-operation and communication with all CFE Divisions and other OECD Directorates.

• Tags

  architect

  entrepreneurship

  financial resources

  performance management

  tourism policy

  tourism statistics

  value chain

• Assist actively and strategically in mobilising and securing funding to support the programme of work.
• Ensure sound management of human and financial resources to meet the commitments of the Division in the conduct of its work.

Communication, liaison and representation

• Collaborate with the Secretary-General’s Office and other Directorates, and develop effective relations with permanent delegations and relevant policy communities, both within and outside the OECD, to ensure a coherent strategy of OECD support for economic growth and social progress.
• Ensure effective communication with key stakeholders, the media and the general public in order to maximise the value, visibility and impact of the work of the Division.
• Represent the OECD at high-level meetings and conferences involving senior policy makers and representatives of business, labour, academia, NGOs and the media. Lead high-level missions to OECD member countries and other economies.
• Build collaborative working relationships throughout the OECD and across other international organisations. Establish and maintain close contacts with national authorities, the private sector, academia and research institutes.
• Increase co-operation with emerging and developing countries in the Division’s areas of work.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• An advanced university degree in economics or other relevant discipline, preferably with substantive prior knowledge of SME and/or entrepreneurship research. A PhD in Economics will be an advantage.

Professional Background

• At least ten years’ experience at a senior level in the policy areas of the division including managerial duties in addition to substantive areas of responsibility.
• Experience in the implementation of SME and entrepreneurship policies and/or additional relevant private sector experience would be an advantage.
• Experience in leading discussions and developing consensus in international meetings.
• Proven experience in setting strategic policy targets and providing leadership in the areas covered by the Division.

Languages

• Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.
• Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

Core Competencies

• For this role, the following competencies would be particularly important: Achievement focus, Managing resources, Teamwork and Team leadership, Influencing, Organisational alignment, and Strategic networking. Please refer to the level 5 indicators of the OECD Core Competencies

Contract Duration

• Two-year fixed term appointment, with the possibility of renewal.

What the OECD offers

Monthly base salary starting from 9 921 EUR, plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax.

Please note that the appointment may be made at a lower grade based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.

The OECD is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates who are nationals of OECD member countries, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health or disabilities.