Urban Planner Expert

Project description

With a total population of 30.4 million people in 2019 and more than 55% living in cities, Ghana has a dense network of urban areas mostly concentrated along the Atlantic coast and in the Ashanti Region. The country is halfway through urbanisation, and has benefited from an urban economic network more advanced than other countries in West Africa. While the first period of urbanisation has generated job creation and opportunities, improved living conditions and reduced poverty for many Ghanaians, the country now faces the challenges of economic efficiency and social inclusion within its urban areas, where globally basic services are still lacking. In addition, unplanned spatial expansion of urban and metropolitan areas and their limited connectivity within and across Ghana’s cities is a challenge, increasing social and environmental costs, unequal and inadequate access to basic services, health risks and ecological damages.

To address these challenges, an integrated programme is proposed by the European Union to meet demands in infrastructures and services by working both on the institutional and legislative framework at central level, and on the urban growth at local level.

As the second largest technical cooperation agency in Europe, Expertise France (EF) has been entrusted by the EU with the design and implementation of the “Sustainable Cities – Phase 1” project. The action proposed by Expertise France will address the need for capacity building and data collection of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGRD); at decentralised level the action will target selected Regional Capitals – Wa, Damongo, Nalerigu, Bolgatanga, Tamale – and the secondary city of Yendi.

Objectives of the Project

The Sustainable Cities in Ghana – Phase 1 is funded by the European Union (EU) to support both national and sustainable and inclusive cities, with local authorities enhancing sustainable cities in Ghana. The project will support the development of more sus a particular focus on 6 cities of the Northern regions during 60 months.

The Overall Objective of this action is to improve urban prosperity for all.

The Specific Objectives of this action are to:

1. Improve national and city level policy framework for gender responsive integrated urban development
2. Improve environmental management and climate change adaptation and mitigation by targeted cities
3. Increase delivery of quality urban services and accountability of local authorities in targeted cities.

In order to achieve this objectives, Expertise France will pursue the following actions:

• Encourage coordination mechanisms between local and national authorities: strengthening capacities, setting up of an urban observatory, inclusion of climate change and inclusivity issues in the urban policies, peer-to-peer dialogue etc. ;
• Structurally improve urban governance by strengthening the capacity of central and local governments to coordinate, design and implement urban policies, planning and regulation ;
• Enhancing and building the technical capacities of local authorities and promoting participatory approach;
• Supporting local authorities in planning and implementation process to improve water, sanitation and waste management services in the 6 cities of the project.

Job description

To support the implementation of the “Sustainable Cities – Phase 1” project, Expertise France is looking for an Urban Planning Expert.

Based in Tamale, with regular travels in the six northern cities, the Urban Planning Expert works under the supervision of the Project Manager and is responsible for overseeing and operationalizing the activities of the project components related to urban governance and development of resilient and inclusive urban planning frameworks. He/she is also responsible for supporting the training programs for local authorities and organize coordination mechanisms between local and national good practices in close collaboration with the Ghanaian Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). He/she works closely with other thematic experts (waste management, water and sanitation etc.) and support functions dedicated to the project: administration and finance, logistics and security officer etc.

The key responsibilities of the Urban planning Expert include the following:

Coordinate the implementation of urban planning and governance components of the project

• Planin, implement and oversee activities related to urban planning and governance according to the criteria of quality, duration and costs contractually set with the donors and in close collaboration with the project team and other relevant stakeholders. Activities will include :
  • Technical assistance to municipalities to develop/update master plans and sectoral plans for urban services
  • Preparation of the peer-to-peer, capacity building activities work plan, documents and supervision of their implementation towards municipalities in the areas of integrated urban planning that includes cross-cutting issues (climate change adaptation, gender and inclusivity of marginalised communities etc.)
  • Identification and implementation of digital solutions to i) improve monitoring and accountability for urban services ii) increase citizens’ engagement in urban governance.
• Participate to consolidate the planning of the activities of the project (contribution to the development of the action plan, monitoring tools, budget, and schedule, etc.);
• Organize and facilitate consultation/coordination meetings with project implementation partners (experts, public and private stakeholders, associations etc.) involved in urban planning and city governance;
• Supervision of the short terms expertise and consultancies related to components’ activities (preparation of the ToR, selection of service provider, coordination of missions, quality control of deliverables, etc.);
• Ensure the quality of activities with urban planning components and their technical alignment with expected results, ensuring overall compliance with technical results within the set deadlines;
• Responsible for operational and financial reporting of waste management component internally, to the project management team;
• Facilitate synergy among activities planned in other components.

Cross-cutting activities

• Participate in the implementation of the methodological framework and analytical tools to monitor and measure results across the project (periodic operational and financial reporting, MEAL)
• Participate in field data collection and analysis
• Contribute to the development and consolidation of key project documents and deliverables
• Contribute to the preparation of interim and final activity reports (narrative and financial) in accordance with deadlines and contractual terms prior to HQ validation
• Report on the difficulties encountered, the risks identified and/or the context elements (sector, security, policy, etc.) that may have an impact on the successful implementation of the activities, and participate in the identification of mitigation measures
• Participate in the organisation of project monitoring and steering committees, in close coordination with stakeholders (Ghanaian authorities, EF, EU, etc.)
• Participate in the sharing of experiences and dissemination of best practices and contribute to communication activities and program valorisation

Position requirements

Education / qualification

• Master’s degree in urban planning, local development or any other relevant discipline
• Fluent in spoken and written English
• Computer literacy and IT savviness: text processing tools, spread sheet tools, financial and planning tools

Professional experience

• At least 10 years of working experience in the field of urban development, and at least one experience in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Excellent knowledge of urban regulatory frameworks and planning tools (master plans, sectoral plans etc.) at national and local levels
• Good knowledge of decentralization processes, community participation, and coordination of local actors and initiatives
• Experience in the field of multi-stakeholder consultation and high-level institutional dialogue
• Demonstrated experience in institutional capacity-building related to urban development (conduction of training workshops, development of diagnostics and capacity building plans)
• Strong experience in Ghana requested, authorization to work in Ghana is a bonus

Additional specific requirements

• Demonstrated management experiences in a multicultural environment
• A strong sense of organisation, rigour and autonomy is required
• Proven skills in negotiation, listening, setting priorities, problem-solving and decision-making, in particular in interactions with local partners
• Excellent communication skills: diplomacy and communication with private or public partners, local and international
• Ability to analyse, design and deliver a context-specific solution
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills