Background information- Cities Alliance
Cities Alliance
The Cities Alliance is the preeminent global partnership for the promotion of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Headquartered in Brussels, it is a unique partnership with diverse members โ local authorities, national governments, international non-governmental organisations, foundations and multi-lateral organisations โ which have come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development.
The Cities Allianceโs overall objectives are to support cities in providing effective local government, an active citizenship and a growing economy characterised by both public and private investment.
Since its establishment in 1999, the Cities Alliance has become a global leader in supporting strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Cities Allianceโs activities have helped leverage over US$1.5 billion in additional funding.
The current Medium Term Strategy is focused on Promoting Equity in Cities through equitable economic growth, gender equality and partnerships.
Cities Alliance is hosted by UNOPS.
Background Information - Job-specificUNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partnersโ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner. Working in some of the worldโs most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partnersโ expectations. With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it. A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.
Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.
ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.
ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries. The Cities Alliance, which is based in Brussels, reports to UNOPS through ECR in Geneva, and implements programmes in Africa and other regions.
The Cities Alliance is now preparing a multiyear engagement in Jordan (A-Salt), Mauritania (Nouakchott), Morocco (Figuig), and Tunisia (Kairouan) with a focus on water access, womenโs empowerment, and inclusive local governance. The programme will be implemented through procurement and grants to local NGOs. Against this background, the Cities Alliance is seeking one project management support officer in each project location who will work directly under the supervision of the project coordinator in Brussels, to support the project implementation and grant monitoring in the different countries.
Functional Responsibilities
1. Provide support to grant monitoring and evaluation, and closure in each country by:
Visit projects activities in the field to verify reported information. Keep regular communication and exchange with grantee in each project location. Coordinate timely receipt of required inputs from implementing partners. Support the communication key project partners (e.g local authorities). Read and provide written comments on monthly, milestone, and final progress reports submitted by grantees. Support coordination of capacity development of the grantees on project management, participatory planning, community engagement and gender by organizing events and workshops. Follow up and monitor the work of the implementing partner as per approved training, work plans, task orders and budget. 2. Draft well-written, properly researched, and edited narrative inputs for reports, and terms of references, as requested;
3. Support coordination, organization, and reporting of project steering committee meetings (including the donor, grantee, the city authority), learning and local public events;
4. Support the collection of data, and civic engagement activities;
5. As assigned, travel to project locations to participate in quality assurance visits; meet with partners; participate in rapid, baseline, or impact assessment; and/or, participate in team meetings;
6. Perform any other duties as might be required for the successful implementation of the projects
Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education
First Level University Degree (Bachelorโs Degree or equivalent) in architecture, urban development, social science, environmental studies, administration or related disciplines is required Experience
A minimum of 2 years of experience in project management or supporting the management of projects on climate adaptation, local development or social inclusion or closely related experience is required Experience in local community and stakeholder engagement is desirable Languages
Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Travel
Willingness to travel across the country to visit project sites is required.
Competencies Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground. Contract type, level and duration
Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA), Retainer
Contract level: LICA 8
Contract duration: Upto a maximum of 150 days over 1 year period For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx
Additional Information
Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
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.
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.
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
For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
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. For more information on a retainer contract here.
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.
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.