Public Policies and SDGs Consultant

Result of ServiceThe Public Policies and the SDGs Consultant reports to the Head of Brazil Office and OiC for Southern Cone Office. He/She shall duly and timely perform his/her obligations, under this Terms of Reference. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the UN-Habitat’s operational and technical teams. Work LocationHome based Expected durationFive (5) months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society, and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative, and socially fairer urban economic, social, and environmental policies. Through a partnership with the Government of the State of Alagoas to improve institutional and technical capacities of State and municipal stakeholders on sustainable territorial and urban development, UN-Habitat is now setting up the third phase of the project named “Sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity in the State of Alagoas”. This third phase shall lead to enhance State of Alagoas engagement toward sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity, through a better understanding of the urban setting, and the establishment or improvement of its public policies, plans, and actions. In this current phase (2024-2026), the project will implement, among its expected results, the Voluntary Local Report (VLR) for the state of Alagoas, with the aim of identifying, systematising and agreeing on progress, challenges and recommendations for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the state. To properly implement this project, a Consultant on Public Policies and the SDGs is required to ensure good execution of the work program. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Public Policies and the SDGs Consultant reports to the Head of Brazil Office and OiC for Southern Cone Office, who will evaluate him/her. Responsibilities The Public Policies and the SDGs Consultant will support the implementation of the project, and its activities, with the following responsibilities: a) Deliver a comprehensive work plan for the consultancy process; b) Learn about the Public Policy Observatory of Alagoas and other indicators relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the state; c) Map the strategic public policies developed and implemented by the Government of Alagoas; d) Conduct a situational analysis of the SDGs in the state, including a diagnosis of existing data and policies and compatibility with the SDGs, in order to establish sub-national alignment with the 2030 Agenda and an analysis and identification of opportunities for action; e) Define a strategic vision and develop feasible recommendations aligned with the achievement of the SDGs in the territory; f) Prepare the Voluntary Local Report (VLR), aligning the Government of Alagoas priority policies with the 2030 Agenda, using UN-Habitat’s tools for VLR development, particularly the Action-Oriented VLR (AOVLR) Methodology; g) Participate in meetings with UN-Habitat and other relevant stakeholders; h) Conduct participatory workshops essential to the preparation of the VLR, contributing to its dissemination, visibility, and the sharing of lessons learned; g) Deliver all documentation used in the preparation of the report in a detailed and organized manner. The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE, from UNDSS, is required to be accredited during the first month of employment. The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System. Outputs/Work Assignment The Public Policies and the SDGs Consultant shall assist the implementation of the project, according to the stated responsibilities and the delivery of the following products: Product 1 – Work plan Description: Work plan must contain: (i) identification of relevant concepts and approaches regarding the development of the VLR and establishment of criteria to identify priority SDGs in Alagoas; (ii) definition of activities, methodologies, data sources and key participants in the activities based on the AOVLR methodology; (iii) working group proposal to monitor the development process; and (iv) detailed schedule of activities and results. The format, number of people and frequency of working group meetings will depend on the capacities and needs of the state government. Expected delivery date: 15 days after signing the contract. Product 2 – Situation Analysis Report Description: Situation Analysis Report must contain: (i) collection of information to identify indicators, policies, and instruments related to the objectives of the VLR; (ii) alignment with the SDGs or other measurement tools for tracking progress towards the 2030 Agenda; (iii) availability and identification of data sources to assess data accessibility, quality, and availability, preferably disaggregated by population subgroups and geographic areas; (iv) prioritization and selection of indicators; (v) analysis of data and policies, including, where possible, an assessment of their alignment with the VLR objectives, while highlighting successes, gaps, and areas for potential improvement; and (vi) mapping of relevant stakeholders. The situational analysis serves as a diagnostic of existing data and policies and their alignment with the SDGs, with the aim of establishing subnational coherence with the 2030 Agenda and identifying opportunities for action. The document should be concise, strategic, and approximately 30 pages in length. Expected delivery date: 60 days after signing the contract. Product 3 – Alagoas Voluntary Local Report (preliminary version) Description: Review and Strategy Report must contain: (i) complete review and analysis of all collected data and its relation to the SDGs; (ii) strategic vision for the state government, considering the collected evidence to understand the current status of the 2030 Agenda in the state; and (iii) recommendations to achieve the SDGs, establishing specific actions and paths to achieve the SDGs, filling the existing gaps identified. The document should be concise, strategic, and approximately 50 pages in length. Expected delivery date: 90 days after signing the contract. Product 4 – Alagoas Voluntary Local Report (final version) Description: The Alagoas Voluntary Local Report must contain: (i) consolidation of deliverables (products 2 and 3), adjusting to the revisions requested by the UN-Habitat team and the Government of Alagoas; (ii) workshop for civil servants to present the preliminary content of the VLR and strengthen institutional capacities to implement the 2030 Agenda in the state; and (iii) an executive summary synthesizing the overall performance of government policies within the SDGs, key findings, recommendations, and challenges to strengthen the localization of the policies. The VLR should be an objective and strategic report, with a maximum of 50 pages, together with an executive summary that should not exceed 5 pages. Both documents should follow the templates adopted by UN-Habitat. Expected delivery date: 120 days after signing the contract. Qualifications/special skillsRequired: • Postgraduate Degree (Latu Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Public Administration, Economics, International Relations, Geography, Urban Planning, Social Science, Political Science or related fields is required, or additional four (4) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Work experience: • Minimum five (5) years of experience in the above-mentioned fields of work is required. • Good knowledge of international, national and subnational good practices of Voluntary Local Review is desirable. • Experience in public policies analysis and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with expertise in intersectoral approaches, monitoring and evaluation, as well as the analysis and development of indicators and scenarios is desirable. • Previous experience within the UN System is desirable. Skills: • Good handling of technological tools, such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, is required. • Professional or academic experience with Public Policy and Sustainable Development Goals is required. • Previous experience in research aligned with the 2030 Agenda and New Urban Agenda is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good urban governance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. • Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capacity to write documents for diverse audiences. • Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guarantee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. • The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the activities related to the project development. • The person must know the file of the Office, work with it, and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff, and due updating. • The person will prepare databases related to the project running. • The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. • The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency. • The person will only share the information produced with the team agency, assuring the privacy of the content. Languages• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. • For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required. Working knowledge of English is desirable. Additional InformationTravel details: Applicable The consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the Head of Brazil Office and OiC for Southern Cone Office. Missions will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Remuneration SB-4/2 – BRL: 52.995,00 (Total net amount) UNDP Brazil Salary Scale The consultant will receive a total amount of BRL: 52.995,00, according to the following schedule: • Payment 1 [10%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 1 (BRL: 5.299,50) • Payment 2 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL: 15.898.50) • Payment 3 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 3 (BRL: 15.898,50) • Payment 4 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 4 (BRL: 15.898,50) Notes Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply. The extension of this contract is subject to availability of funds and/or performance. Any contract extension is not automatic. It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira: • Cover memo (maximum 1 page) • Educational Background (incl. dates) • Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months) • Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments • Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)* * Please note that Internships, self-employment and part-time count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered. All applications should be submitted to: Inspira UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning people or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.