Urban Economics Expert At UN Development Programme

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Organization: UNDP Saudi Arabia, through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC).

VA No. VA25/122

Position Title: Urban Economics Expert

Duty Station: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

National or International Consultancy: National or International Consultancy

Duration: 8 Months (with possible extension based on performance, continued need, and budget availability.

Vacancy Date of Issue: 20 November 2025

Vacancy Closure Date: 03 December 2025

Expected Starting Date: 7 January 2026

Project Description

The project will provide a strategic framework for UNDP and UN-HABITAT to provide substantive technical assistance, advisory, and quality assurance services to the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMaH) to deliver on the following six initiatives of the Spatial Planning and Visual Appeal Program that are the focus of this project:

  • The Regional Plans, Local Plans and Urban Codes under MoMaH’s jurisdiction are efficiently and effectively delivered following international best practices.
  • The National Urban Policy for KSA is developed and its implementation enabled, setting the overarching framework for cross-stakeholders’ contribution and alignment in support of sustainable, resilient and inclusive urbanization.
  • Local planning departments are empowered and enabled through a new Operating Model for Planning Departments.
  • The municipal system is improved and restructured, updating settlements boundaries, revising classification and categorization of Saudi human settlements, and optimizing service delivery towards efficiency and sustainability.
  • The Saudi Planning framework is restructured, planning tools are redefined, updated and improved in line with the new classification and categorization.
  • The existing MoMaH Urban Design Studio is upscaled in a fully-fledged Urban Lab and capacitated to spearhead and device innovative tools and projects-based satellite Labs in support of MoMaH’s mission.

Scope of Work

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Ministry of

Municipalities and Housing (MoMaH), are leading the redrafting of Saudi Arabia’s National Spatial Strategy (NSS). The NSS defines the spatial framework for achieving Vision 2030 and beyond, integrating spatial, economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainable national development. The updated NSS will align with two complementary initiatives carried out:

  • The Spatial Planning Act (SPA) – establishing the statutory spatial planning hierarchy.
  • The National Urban Policy (NUP) – defining policy priorities for urban development and governance.

The NSS aims to provide a cohesive, data-driven national territorial vision, integrating the economic and spatial dimensions of Saudi Arabia’s transformation. Within this framework, the Urban Economics Expert will provide specialized economic analysis to support the identification of spatial development trends, economic corridors, industrial clusters, and regional competitiveness,

underpinning the NSS’s spatial framework and policy directions. He/ She will be a core member of the NSS technical team, contributing economic expertise to spatial analyses, scenario development, and strategy formulation. The Urban Economics Expert will collaborate closely with the Chief Technical Advisor (UNDP), Chief National Adviser, Analytics Team, GIS Team, and relevant MoMaH and DASC departments.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Economic and Spatial Diagnostics Output: Contribution to the NSS Diagnostic Report, including spatial-economic typology and regional competitiveness profiles
  • Conduct a comprehensive economic baseline assessment of Saudi Arabia, covering macroeconomic trends, sectoral performance, labor markets, productivity, and investment flows.
  • Analyze regional economic structures, identifying competitive advantages, disparities, and growth constraints.
  • Integrate findings with demographic and spatial datasets from GASTAT, SDAIA, and MoMaH.
  • Provide economic insights to inform the NSS’s Diagnosis and Baseline Phase.
  • Spatial-Economic Modeling and Scenario Development Output: Economic Scenarios Report and data inputs for GIS-based modeling and mapping
  • Lead the development of spatial-economic models linking economic growth scenarios to population, employment, and land-use dynamics.
  • Identify and map economic corridors, industrial zones, logistics networks, and service clusters aligned with Vision 2030 and beyond programs.
  • Analyze potential future economic trajectories under alternative development scenarios (e.g., diversification-led, innovation-led, green growth).
  • Support integration of economic models with GIS-based spatial structure analysis conducted by the geospatial team.
  • Policy and Strategy Integration Output: Inputs to the NSS policy framework, including economic development strategies and spatial investment priorities
  • Align economic analysis with the Spatial Planning Act (SPA) and National Urban Policy (NUP) frameworks.
  • Identify policy implications of economic spatial trends for land use, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.
  • Provide recommendations for regional economic development zones, investment corridors, and resource management.
  • Draft economic and spatial policy sections for inclusion in the NSS document.
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Institutional Coordination Output: Presentation materials, technical memos, and stakeholder feedback integration as needed
  • Participate in inter-ministerial technical meetings and thematic workshops.
  • Present findings and policy implications to the NSS Technical and Steering Committees.

Institutional Arrangement

The Urban Economics Expert will report directly to the Chief Technical Advisor (UNDP) and liaise on a daily basis with the NSS technical team and relevant MoMaH departments. Collaboration with the GIS, Spatial Planning, Environmental, and Infrastructure Experts will be continuous throughout the NSS project.

Duty Station

The assignment will be office-based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum Education Requirements

A Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Economics, Development Economics, Spatial Planning, or Economic Geography, or any other closely related field.

Minimum Years of Relevant Work Experience

  • A master’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience or a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 12 years of relevant work experience.
  • Demonstrated experience in economic analysis for national or regional spatial strategies, preferably in the Gulf region or similar contexts.
  • Proven record of quantitative economic modeling, policy advisory, and strategic analysis

Required skills

  • Excellent data interpretation and economic modeling skills.
  • Proficiency with economic and statistical analysis software (e.g., STATA, R, or equivalent).
  • Working knowledge of GIS data integration for spatial- economic analysis.
  • Strong communication and presentation abilities.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Experience with international development organizations (UNDP, World Bank, etc.) is an asset.
  • Familiarity with Vision 2030 programs, investment strategies, and national reform initiatives is an advantage.

Required Language(s):

  • Fluency in the English language is required.
  • Fluency in the Arabic language is desirable.

Professional Certificates:

An asset if acquired in relevent fields.

To review the full job description, please click on the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xF3gOlWTRFTDD8sWuOQIiC4cL82KU_e6/view?usp=sharing

How to apply

  1. CV must be submitted online in PDF either througha. SOC’s portal via the following link: https://jobs.my-soc.org/apply/20251120202639/Z0FS31pcGdaAvTeifVP9UwELsb. Or submit your CV to jobs@starsorbit.org (Please write UNDP Saudi Arabia / Urban Economics Expert
  2. During submission, please use the English language only.
  3. Indicate clear years of experience with each job (Month/Year)
  4. If the candidate is currently employed by a government institution, he/she must be able to provide an unpaid leave of absence for the duration of the consultancy.
  5. Only candidates who are short-listed will be contacted.
  6. By submitting your application, you have read the Terms of Reference for this position and agree that any false, wrong, or incomplete information might lead to your disqualification in this recruitment process.