Senior Programme Officer, Human Settlements

Org. Setting and ReportingThe United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, (hereinafter referred to as “UN-Habitat”), established by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its resolution 32/162 of 19 December 1977, transformed into a Programme by General Assembly resolution 56/206 of 21 December 2001, and having its Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, is the coordinating agency within the United Nations System for human settlement activities and in collaboration with governments is responsible for promoting and consolidating collaboration with all partners, including local authorities, private and non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, Goal 11 of “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, as well as the task manager of the human settlements chapter of Agenda 21 and focal point for the monitoring, evaluation and implementation of the New Urban Agenda adopted during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), in Ecuador, Quito, 2016 This position is located in UN-HABITAT Office for Mexico, Cuba, Central America and Dominican Republic, with duty station in Mexico City. Under the direct supervision of the Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC), the incumbent will perform the following tasks: ResponsibilitiesTo coordinate the sustainable urbanization portfolio and related programmes, policies and strategies in the countries of assignment within the Strategic Plan of UN-Habitat by providing expert advisory services, developing and supervising the execution of priority projects and programme in a cost effective and efficient manner, specifically by doing the following: Programme Implementation: • Promoting broad-based policy dialogue with national constituencies and development partners in the assigned countries; • Providing inputs to human settlement analyses and needs assessment and other activities aimed at human settlement policy, strategy and programme development at the national/international levels; • Co-ordinanting projects and relevant activities within the work-programme through interaction within national level public institutions, local governments, NGOs, civic, society and private sector including the dissemination of information on good practices and their adoptions al local level. Project/Programme Development: • Identifying key area for interventions in human settlements within the framework of the Strategic Plan, global agendas, UNSDCF and Country Programme Documents and sector reviews: • Participating in the development and review of project documentation; • Drafting Programme Documents in collaboration with key partners; • Negotiating with multilateral/bilateral donors for resource mobilization and promoting / coordinating joint activities. Project Management: • Provide effective management support, policy guidance and technical capacity to the UN-Habitat team in the office. • Conducting the process of identification and selection of staff and consultants; • Assisting governments in organizing and convening meetings of policy makers and technical experts to formulate, review, adopt and implement their National Plan of Action. Advisory Functions: • Contributing to the overall policy and strategy development within UN-Habitat; • Undertaking technical support advisory missions to carry out high level consultations and to develop policy initiatives on human settlement issues; • Assisting government in organizing and convening meetings of policy makers and technical experts on sustainable urbanization and the New Urban Agenda. • Acting as Deputy Regional Representative in specific UN-Habitat activities within the scope assigned. • Leading team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • Performing other related duties as required. CompetenciesPROFESSIONALISM : Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operation. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment. Ability 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. COMMUNICATION : Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. PLANNING & 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. LEADERSHIP : Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. MANAGING PERFORMANCE : Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. EducationAdvanced university degree, (Masters degree or equivalent), in architecture, civil engineering, urban and regional planning, sociology, economics, or physical sciences relevant to development and management of human settlement is required. A first-level university degree in law 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 QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten (10) years of responsible experience in human settlements projects and programmes at national level within the region is required. At least five years of experience at the international level within the region is desirable.. Experience in human settlement development fields, projects/programme design and implementation with the UN or other international agencies is desirable. Experience in technical co-operations is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in both English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is desirable. NOTE: \"Fluency equals a rating of \"fluent\" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and \"Knowledge of\" equals a rating of \"confident\" in two of the four areas. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeAppointment against this position is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary- General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral or geographical move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral or geographical moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Individual Contractors and Consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for or be appointed to any professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions, within six months of the end of their current or most recent service. For such positions, at least six months need to have elapsed between the end of a consultancy or individual contract and the time of application and consideration for an appointment as a staff member under the Staff Rules and Regulations of the United Nations. 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