Vacancies

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT                                                                                           

                                                                                                                          Issued on 12 February 2019

1. BACKGROUND

UN-Habitat has been active in the Somalia urban sector for more than 25 years and is currently implementing a portfolio of interventions that target communities, local authorities and central government at the core of urban centres. These interventions have evolved from responding to immediate local needs for reconstruction to systematic attempts to address sustainable urban development through integrated human settlement programmes and beyond through interventions that strengthen the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding nexus in the areas of livelihoods, youth engagement, governance and sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat’s portfolio of current programmes implemented in Somalia are designed to address the dynamic political and socio-economic context in Somalia and more importantly respond to the needs of new member states and urban centers affected by rapid growth and large-scale displacement in southern and central Somalia in particular.

The following programmes are some of the key areas of interventions UN-Habitat is implementing in Somalia.

Youth Employment Somalia (YES): UN-Habitat Somalia is implementing the Federal Government of Somalia – United Nations Joint Programme on Youth Employment together with UNDP, FAO and ILO under the Peace and State Building Goal 4 “Economic Foundations”. The joint programme targets three outcomes:

1. Improved long-term potential for growth, productivity and inclusive employment through six value chains implementation plans.
2. Enhanced longer-term employability of youth in sectors with high growth and employment potential.
3. Productive infrastructure rehabilitated through labor-intensive methods.

UN-Habitat’s contribution lies in component 2: Enhancing longer-term employability through of youth through skills development. The goal of UN-Habitat’s contribution to the joint programme is to improve the livelihoods of conflict affected youth, both men and women, through the development of a One Stop Youth Resource Centre in Mogadishu and 2 satellite centres in other urban districts in Somalia that address the livelihood and psychosocial needs of Somali youth in a holistic manner.

PBF Youth Political Empowerment (YPE): This project is intended to enhance the capacities of young men and women to meaningfully engage in peace building and governance activities by establishing safe spaces for young women and men to raise their voices and to create tangible mechanisms for their direct participation in the development of policies and programmes at the local level. Furthermore, the project will increase the capacities of local authorities to effectively address youth and women’s issues. 

Vocational Skills Training for Economic Growth Project:

UN-Habitat Somalia is implementing a number of projects to increase employment opportunities and improve livelihoods for vulnerable communities, in particular for women and youth. Among those projects is Vocational Skills Training for Economic Growth Project. This project has 3 key objectives:

1. Strengthen quality of, and access to, vocational training and improve workforce skills and productivity focusing on critical urban infrastructure (transportation, light manufacturing, construction sector/construction related industries) as well as in upcoming sectors of the urban economy;
2. Improve livelihoods and food security for urban women in the (renewable) energy sector
3. Create short and long terms jobs through the provision through repurposing waste for use in building housing, economic and environmental infrastructure

EU- Reinteg Programme: This programme is designed specifically to facilitate and support durable solutions for IDPs and RRs in Mogadishu.

It also seeks to substantially improve living conditions of IDPs and RRs through the establishment of governance systems, increased Housing, Land and Property Rights and social, economic and political inclusion.

In order to ensure a strategic, targeted and sustainable approach, tailored to the Mogadishu-specific displacement and socio-economic context, two outcomes were identified feeding into the specific and overall objectives, adding value and ensuring sustainability. The two intermediary outcomes, or results, are:

1. Strengthened local governance structures through capacity building and enhanced accountability mechanisms in order to make relevant offices and institutions accessible to IDPs and returnees and enable authorities to assume their primary responsibility to gradually enable durable solutions processes in Mogadishu.
2. Employment generation in support of improved access to affordable housing and protective and basic service delivery to IDPs and returnees.

Midnimo Project

UN-Habitat Somalia Programme’s newly established UN Peacebuilding Programme. Midnimo (Unity) is jointly implemented by UN-Habitat and the International Organization for Migration in target districts of Jubbaland State of Somalia and South West State. The Midnimo project aligns with broader peacebuilding and stabilization objectives championed by the Ministry of Internal and Federal Affairs and Regional Authorities in Jubbaland and South West State.

The project objectives specific to Midnimo are:

1. Local leadership, IDPs, returnees and the broader existing communities in areas impacted by return and displacement are able to achieve locally defined and led solutions to displacement, including the means to sustain a living, access to basic social services and participation for all in civic life.
2. Participatory and inclusive community-driven activities enhance social cohesion and trust among diverse population groups, in areas impacted by displacement and return, and with local authorities
3. IDPs, returnees and existing communities in areas highly impacted by population mobility, are able to coexist peacefully and withstand drivers of instability and conflict
4. Participatory plans, actions and systems for dispute resolution / peaceful co-existence are incorporated into the programmes of longer-term recovery and development partners.
5. Spatial approaches are streamlined through spatial development plans and land use planning tools to reduce marginalization and increase community stabilization

Innovation Solutions Project: The main objective of this project is to support a sustainable, safe and durable integration of IDPs. In Mogadishu and Kismayo.  In order to address the increasing number of displacements and returnees, the project looks for innovative solutions with the aim to test the applicability for further up-scaling in the pilot cities and across Somalia. Both projects contribute to attaining Durable Solutions for the displacement affected populations in these two areas and are complementary in character.

1. RESPONSIBILITES: The incumbent will work on the Peacebuilding project in Somalia outlined above under the overall supervision of the Head of Programmes and will be reporting directly to the Project Lead. The incumbent will in charge of the following responsibilities:

Youth Peacebuilding Activities

• Lead in developing the local leadership manual for use in training in youth governance
• Support in developing the terms of reference for youth governance bodies including the youth councils, youth ambassadors and youth leaders in the community
• Provide technical support and lead in the establishment of youth councils, youth ambassadors and youth fellowship scheme in project implementation locations
• Provide youth leadership training to youth ambassadors, youth leaders and youth governance experts on the project
• Establish youth representation in local and regional bodies including youth local government and regional assemblies
• Support in developing thematic ideas for youth forums and youth-led campaigns in relation to the objectives of the project ensuring linkages between on the ground youth initiatives and activities on the ground and the national youth
• Provide support to youth governance experts in project implementation locations.
• Provide support to trainings of the administrative regions on effective mechanisms for youth inclusion in local/regional government and avenues for the development of policies that target this objective.
• Provide support to training of trainers for youth organizations on mechanisms for governance inclusion including strengthening existing youth networks formed around issues of governance, political inclusion and peacebuilding and supporting in conducting the learning exchanges among the regions.
• Liaise with project stakeholders including local, regional and federal authorities as well as project implementing partners on progress of project implementation
• Contribute to the development of a need’s assessment of regional youth umbrella associations on capacity building needs
• Support in the overall visibility and communication of the project on innovative platforms including social media channels and ensure that it is aligned with donor communication guidelines
• Map youth initiatives and activities and develop a toolkit identifying potential areas of youth engagement and programming development
• Provide expert technical knowledge and support on how to engage and implement youth peacebuilding policies and initiatives
• Liaise with youth partners and establish local and international youth partnerships
• Support the strengthening of youth networks and associations in Jubbaland and Southwest
• Support in the development of partnerships with local stakeholders that contributes to the integration of area-based programming contributing to the humanitarian development nexus
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of the trainings ensuring the programmes successes are captured well
• Support in the development of effective monitoring and evaluation framework and tools that capture the progress of the project
• Prepare project proposals that address the objectives of urban peacebuilding programming developing concept notes and other working documents;
• Work with the management team to identify and pursue strategic opportunities for program expansion
• Conduct any other tasks as requested by the programme manager

COMPETENCIES

Professionalism: Demonstrate integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards. Promote the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN-Habitat. Display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

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

Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology

Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

EDUCATION

Advanced university degree in development studies, youth studies or related fields. A first level university degree in combination with five additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

WORK EXPERIENCE

A minimum of five years of experience in training and working with vulnerable groups particularly youth in Somalia. Conversant on youth needs in the Somali context, peacebuilding and state building processes and inclusive politics. Experience in working with vulnerable youth is a must. Experience in fund raising for youth projects and working in post-conflict environments is desirable.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Proficiency in English and Somali (both oral and written) is required. 

OTHER SKILLS

Proven knowledge in project support and coordination.

Proactive, results oriented, independent, able to identify and carry out duties and responsibilities with minimum supervision. Professional, supportive and cooperative in all matters within the work setting, problem-solving oriented. Maintain confidentiality with regards to all work-related issues.