Sustainable Urban Development Specialist

Result of ServiceThe Sustainable Urban Development Specialist reports to the Head of Brazil 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 duration6 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. To properly implement the projects, a Sustainable Urban Development Specialist is required to strengthen our work on this topic. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Sustainable Urban Development Specialist reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her. Responsibilities The Sustainable Urban Development Specialist will support the implementation of the project, and its activities, with the following responsibilities: a) Develop and implement knowledge management strategies on sustainable urban development: • Disseminating knowledge and best practices in this topic within the team. • Revise outputs, reports, technical notes, and summary reports prepared by the team, including consultants. • Supervise the elaboration of publications, reports, technical notes, and narrative reports to partners on this topic. • Ensure that the outputs are aligned with the quality expectations of the Agency and the counterparts. • Participate in events and missions related to the themes of this Terms of Reference. • Identify strategic opportunities to have new project on these topics. • Supervise and support the work of thematic experts involved in urban development projects (e.g., housing, resilience, urban planning). • Facilitate collaboration across thematic areas and projects to promote integrated and multidisciplinary approaches. • Review and provide feedback on technical documents, methodologies, and knowledge products. • Support with the preparation of talking points for interviews, articles and presentations. • Support the elaboration of concept notes, project documents and related documentation. • Participate in negotiation process with potential partners. • Attend to meetings and conferences promoted by partners in order to strengthen UN-Habitat’s position and presence in the country. • Undertake any other duties and responsibilities within the incumbent’s expertise that can be reasonably expected to help maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of UN-Habitat’s response to urban development issues. 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 Sustainable Urban Development Specialist will support the implementation of multiple projects and Brazil Office management according to the stated responsibilities. Qualifications/special skillsEducation: Required: • Postgraduate degree (Stricto Sensu) in degree in Social Sciences, Geography, Public Policy, Urban Planning, or related fields or additional six (6) years of relevant technical experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Work experience: • Minimum ten (10) years of experience in project/programme management on development or urban related themes is required. • Professional and academic experience on themes related to urban policy and development in Brazil is required. • Experience in development projects with a focus on knowledge systematization, technical documentation, or institutional communication is desirable. • Previous experience within the UN System is desirable. Skills: • Proficiency in Microsoft Office is required. • Good handling of technological tools and use of software and online platforms is desirable. • Good knowledge of project management methodologies is desirable. • Good handling of online events and conference tools is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project man-agement, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good urban gov-ernance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibil-ity, 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 mes-sages 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 envi-ronment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; will-ingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guar-antee 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 implementa-tion 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. Additional InformationTravel details: 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. Missions will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Remuneration SB-5/1 – BRL: 21.281,71 (net amount). UNDP Brazil Salary Scale 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.