Job Opening
Job Opening ID: 225941
Job Network : –
Job Family : HST
Category and Level : Consultants, CON
Duty Station : NAIROBI
Department/Office : United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Date Posted : Jan 17, 2024
Deadline : Jan 30, 2024

Result of Service
To provide technical expertise on urban planning and design to Planning Finance and Economy Section.
Work Location
Home Based
Expected duration
6 months
Duties and Responsibilities
About UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable and resilient towns and cities. It is the focal point agency for all urbanisation and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat envisions well-planned, well-governed and efficient cities and towns, with adequate housing, infrastructure and universal access to employment and basic services such as water, energy, and sanitation.

The Planning, Finance & Economy Section (PFES) is responsible for supporting urban and territorial planning at all scales, including through the development of planning policy, norms and guidelines, urban design and public space design, urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance), and local economic development.

UN-Habitat – Urban Planning Lab

The Urban Planning Lab (Urban Lab) is an initiative from UN-Habitat to promptly respond to the requests of national and local governments to support sustainable urban development. The Urban Lab is the integrative facility of the Agency where innovative processes and partnerships are translated into tangible and transformative solutions to complex urban challenges. Throughout, the Urban Lab acts as a neutral broker, managing knowledge in complex stakeholder settings to resolve multi-sectoral, multi-scalar and multi-stakeholder challenges.

The Urban Lab brings together a multidisciplinary team of urban planners, environment, data science, mobility, legislation and finance experts, providing a holistic and proactive approach to sustainable urbanisation. Hence, the Lab captures the necessary thematic disciplines, experts, actors and stakeholders.

In this context, the Urban Lab applies an integrated approach to systemic and strategic planning to deliver transformative change for sustainable urbanisation and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.

The Urban Lab falls under the Planning, Finance and Economy Section, which is part of the Urban Practices Branch and Global Solutions Division.

Reporting and Communication

The Senior Urban Planner Consultant will be hired to collaborate closely with the Urban Lab team of PFES. The consultant will be hired and work under the overall supervision of the Head of the Urban Lab and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager of the mentioned projects under Duties and Responsibilities.

2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall supervision of the Head of the Urban Lab and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, in coordination with the UN-Habitat Regional Offices and in close collaboration with UN-Habitat thematic Sections, the incumbent of the post will have to fulfil the following duties and responsibilities:

• Undertake reviews, desk research, data gathering and assessments on relevant policies and strategies related to urban planning in migration contexts and document findings in short briefing reports.
• Provide technical and sectoral backstopping on urban profiling and urban planning and design for selected territories and urban areas.
• Team coordination and management support to different activities of the Urban Lab.
• Elaboration of project proposals and concept notes and advise for portfolio development of the Urban Lab.
• Develop, organize and deliver participatory, multi-stakeholder processes tailored for stakeholders within the project.
• Elaboration of presentations, training material and capacity reinforcement activities and deliver workshops/training in relation to the project deliverables and applied methodologies.
• Provide technical expertise in relation to the normative production of the Urban Lab.
• Provide technical expertise in relation to sustainable urban and regional development for Urban Lab projects.
• Advise and work with the Urban Lab team to analyse, collect, compile, and interpret data to guide and inform the urban planning and design projects.
• Develop planning analytic and diagnostic maps, drawings, and related reports for partner cities.
• Develop clear planning proposals, drawings, GIS maps, graphics, and publications for partner cities.
• Develop and organise participatory, multi-stakeholder processes tailor-made for the projects in a specific context.
• Provide input to Urban Lab and PFES documents and publications.
• Identify and contextualise relevant international and national frameworks to promote inclusive and sustainable urban planning.
• Support the technical development of country proposals and development frameworks.
• Contribute to the development of the Urban Lab and PFES project portfolio on urban planning and design.
• Organize and take travels and missions representing the UN-Habitat Urban Lab when required.
Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualification: Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Architecture, Urban Development and Planning, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree, in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development and planning and design (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience of programme/project management is required.
• Relevant work experience in the field of sustainable development and spatial analysis (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience in drawing and preparing plan graphical material using computer-assisted design tools, with special attention to data management and processing with ADOBE and GIS software is desirable;
• Direct proven experience of urban planning and design projects/processes, in combination with e.g. urban resilience, mobility, project finance, and/or data system is desirable;
• Proven experience in GIS software use, data analysis and map production is desirable;
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this advertised position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.