Vacancies

CONSULTANCY JOB OPENING

Issued on: 20th February 2018

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the UN 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 Urban Economy Branch of UN-HABITAT has the mandate to promote local capabilities of local governments to develop financial instruments to keep pace with the demands of rapid urbanization. The Urban Economy Branch has the mandate to promote plans and provide support for more efficient, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities that foster sustainable urban development.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is at the center of the Arab region, one of the world’s fastest urbanizing places, where countries grew by more than four times in the last 40 years and will more than double again by 2050. The current urban sprawl in most of KSA’s major metropolitan areas has led to tremendous challenges they accommodate these huge increases.

KSA is currently running a four years program in cooperation with UN-Habitat in order to revitalise the urban planning system and the cope with the new urban agenda that was approved in October, 2016. The program will serve as well the new Vision of the Kingdom “Vision 2030” and its respective programs including the municipal reform program. The program is reviving national, regional, and city level reforms where 17 cities were selected to illustrate the reform elements. As part of the Future Saudi Cities Programme (FSCP), this revitalisation will be in a form of an integrated profile for every city that was selected of the program. The program will be using the three pronged approach where the city profile will reflect three main elements as follows; urban planning and design, urban legal and governance aspects besides the urban economy and municipal finance base of each city. Urban Economy and Finance Branch (UEFB) at UN-Habitat is mandated to provide technical analysis and recommendations in the areas of urban economy and municipal finance to support the Kingdom’s initiative.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this Terms of Reference is to ensure all the FSCP components under the remit of UEFB are carried out and delivered

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the UEFB Coordinator, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks and outputs under FSCP:

1. Project management:
   1. Financial (budget), quantitative and qualitative planning and analysis to ensure the project core components and sub-components are optimally allocated
   2. Coordinating and liaising with other branches and team members (Riyadh-based local consultant and international consultants contributing externally),
   3. Reviewing and supervising the inputs of consultants
   4. Keeping track of project timeline and ensuring timely delivery of outputs
2. Leading analytics core to project preparation, including the economic and financial analysis for various subcomponents under FSCP:
   1. City Profile: In charge of delivering UEFB portion of City Profile reports (17 cities in total: 5 in-depth and 12 abridged) with contribution from other consultants
      1. Municipal financial assessment:
         1. Conduct revenue and expenditure analysis
         2. Provide recommendations for revenue enhancement: general endogenous tools and land-based tools
         3. Provide exogenous financing options for urban development
         4. Assess financial implication for the proposed tools
      2. Urban economic assessment and productivity analysis:
         1. Identify economic activities with growth potential
         2. Conduct spatial economic analysis
         3. Recommendations
      3. Demonstration Project
         1. Feasibility analysis & Cost-benefit analysis for 2 demonstration projects
      4. Workshops
         1. Prepare analysis and presentation material for workshops to be held in all cities
         2. Support Riyadh-based consultants in delivering workshop in KSA
      5. The 2nd Saudi Urban Forum
         1. Support the preparation of the program and the session design
         2. Carry out technical backstopping

COMPETENCIES

• Professionalism: 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.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• 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.

EDUCATION

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, spatial economics, economic development, finance, public policy, or related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

The consultant should have experience in the following areas:

1. Minimum of 3 years work experience in economic development, finance, or related field
2. Previous working experience in international development agencies or the United Nations is desirable and will be an added advantage
3. Demonstrated experience in working with governments and in developing countries
4. Previous working experience in the areas of urban economic development and municipal finance

LANGUAGE SKILLS

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, excellent proficiency in spoken and written English is required. Working knowledge of Arabic would be an added advantage.

REMUNERATION

Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates for consultancies. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid as per agreement.