Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. The Global Solutions Division (GSD) is responsible for providing programmatic direction for UN-Habitat and is responsible and accountable for the programmatic delivery of the Strategic Plan. The Division leads the production of tools and methodologies and the integration of the various substantive competencies towards effective delivery of the Strategic Plan and the mandate of UN-Habitat. It provides substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners. The Planning and Finance Section (PFS) is responsible for coordinating the Agency's substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning and finance. The Planning and Finance Section aims to develop, document, pilot/test and disseminate planning policies, norms, standards, tools, methodologies, regulatory frameworks, operating procedures and practices at global, regional, national and sub-national levels in support of (a) urban and territorial planning at all scales including urban design and public space design; (b) urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and (c) local economic development. The Section also aims to identify the strategic challenges and opportunities that inform planning strategies for settlements affected by the conflict-induced migration. The significant part of this work is focused on promoting sustainable urban planning for the refugee settlements, supporting local governments and humanitarian partners to develop the "New Way of Working" which aims at better coordination between humanitarian and development actors in pursuit of "enhancing the protection of persons of concern and building measurable progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals." The Section contributes to responding to humanitarian crises in urban areas and to the development of approaches in the humanitarian-development nexus. This Fixed Term Limited position is located in the Planning and Finance Section within the Global Solutions Division at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. The focus of the job is the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, operations and other activities in an assigned functional area. The Programme Management Officer will directly report to the Chief of the Planning and Finance Section.

Responsibilities

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects related to UN-Habitat’s strategy for the Sub-programme 2 (SPA2) Enhance shared prosperity for cities and regions .; Monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions all in line with the priorities of the SP2, in order to support the enhance shred prosperity for cities and regions.
• Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning and facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
• Oversees the quality and coherence the work of projects with a view of ensuring consistent standards and translation of UN-Habitat vision and objectives into practice and concrete recommendations and policy support to cities and other parties.
• Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies.
• Undertakes survey initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses; identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Provides substantive support for consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, and preparing documents and presentations.
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.
• Coordinates activities related to displacement and refugee settlement integration, game-based and digital participatory urban design. Contributes to portfolio on urban planning and nature-based solutions and climate.
• Deploys and creates a range of normative tools especially regarding city scale participatory planning, public space and neighborhood planning, integrating displaced people camps to municipal systems, biodiversity based urban analytics and planning.
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector, functional area or other specialized field. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise. Is willing to learn from others. Place team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments. Adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Landscape Architecture, Geographical Information Systems, urban planning and design, architecture or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, in landscape architecture, urban planning and design and/or academic teaching and research on the subject, preferably gained in various continents is required.
• Proven experience in human settlements development fields, project design and implementation with the United Nations or other International Agencies is required.
• Experience with UN policies, procedures and practices or similar international organization is desirable.
• Experience in working in large multi cultural environments is desirable.
• Experience in designing and implementing urban environment or urban planning initiatives is desirable.
• A minimum of two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects related to UN-Habitat’s strategy for the Sub-programme 2 (SPA2) Enhance shared prosperity for cities and regions .; Monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions all in line with the priorities of the SP2, in order to support the enhance shred prosperity for cities and regions.
• Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning and facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
• Oversees the quality and coherence the work of projects with a view of ensuring consistent standards and translation of UN-Habitat vision and objectives into practice and concrete recommendations and policy support to cities and other parties.
• Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies.
• Undertakes survey initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses; identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Provides substantive support for consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, and preparing documents and presentations.
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.
• Coordinates activities related to displacement and refugee settlement integration, game-based and digital participatory urban design. Contributes to portfolio on urban planning and nature-based solutions and climate.
• Deploys and creates a range of normative tools especially regarding city scale participatory planning, public space and neighborhood planning, integrating displaced people camps to municipal systems, biodiversity based urban analytics and planning.
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Performs other duties as required.

• Data analysis
• Urban planning
• Project management
• Policy development
• Research
• Data collection
• Data visualization
• Training
• Report writing
• Presentation skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Teamwork
• Planning and organizing

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Landscape Architecture, Geographical Information Systems, urban planning and design, architecture or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.
• Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector, functional area or other specialized field.
• Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems.
• Ability to conduct data collection using various methods.
• Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases.
• Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities.
• Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management.
• Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals.
• Ability to develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies.
• Ability to identify priority activities and assignments.
• Ability to adjust priorities as required.
• Ability to allocate appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work.
• Ability to foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.
• Ability to monitor and adjust plans and actions as necessary.
• Ability to use time efficiently.