Senior Programme Officer, Human Settlements

Org. Setting and ReportingThe 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 position is located in the Planning, Finance & Economy Section of the Urban Practices Branch (UPB) within the Global Solutions Division in Nairobi. 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 tools and methodology production 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 Urban Practices Branch (UPB) is the tools and methodology production and skills centre of the UN-Habitat, that develops normative guidance and cutting-edge tools through communities of urban practice. It manages a significant portion of the global and multi-country programme portfolio in the five practice areas. It provides technical and policy advice approaches and methodologies to multi-country offices/country offices, government and partners and mainstreams them throughout the programme portfolio of the Agency. It also ensures that the cross-cutting area of safety and the social inclusion issues of human rights; gender; children, youth and older persons; and disability are developed and mainstreamed across the Agency. The Planning, Finance & Economy Section is responsible for coordinating the Agency’s substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning, finance and economy. It 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. Under the supervision of the Chief of the Urban Practices Branch, the incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks: Responsibilities• Plan, oversee and manage the work programme of the Planning, Finance and Economy Section; ensure that the programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion; coordinate and manage diverse projects in the Section, in collaboration/ consultation/ liaison with other organizational units within UN-Habitat, as well as other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and partners, as appropriate. • Ensure that the normative outputs produced by the Planning, Finance and Economy Section are of high quality and developed in consultation with other Branches, Divisions, Regional/ Country/ Multi-Country Offices, as appropriate. Establish and lead Community of Practice on Planning, Finance and Economy. • Carry out administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Planning, Finance and Economy Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates. • Recruit staff for the Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values; Manage, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision. A key priority is to strengthen the economic and finance aspects of the section (team and expertise building), ensuring expertise-building within the team. • Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries. • Provide policy guidance to the Chief of Branch/ on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional and UN-Habitat policies and procedures in the areas of urban and territorial planning, urban design, urban regeneration, urban/municipal finance and local economic development. • Prepare inputs for the work programme of the Urban Practices Branch, determining priorities and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. • Provide substantive input towards project/programme development and implementation in the areas of Planning, Finance and Economy, including allocation and assignment of human and normative resources, towards implementation of projects and programmes in the field which are not directly under the remit of the Section. • Provide assistance to country and regional offices in designing and implementing programmes and projects. Provide assistance to country programmes in designing partnerships and projects with International Finance Institutions (IFIs). Provide substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the UN-Habitat Assembly, the Executive Board and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. Provide programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others. • Contribute to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports. • Represent the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc., as required. Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise, hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. • Leads 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. • Perform other duties as required. CompetenciesPROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. The 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. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. 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 (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, urban planning, regional planning, urban design, public policy, economic, municipal finance or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) addiditional 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 progressively responsible experience in urban development, urban planning, urban finance and economics, public policy, urban governance or related field is required. Experience in managing large and dynamic teams within multi-cultural institutional environments, including at a senior level is required. Experience in research and capacity building, financial resource mobilization, management of large and complex projects is desirable. Experience in working with the United Nations and with International Finance Institutions (IFIs) 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 oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations 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 364 days and may be subject to extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. • While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. • Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. • Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. • Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as \"retirement.\" Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service. 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. 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. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. 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.