Vacancies

CONSULTANCY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                       Issued on: 05 July 2019

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION	UN Habitat
DUTY STATION	Nairobi
FUNCTIONAL TITLE	Urban Climate Change Planning Consultant
CONTRACT TYPE	Consultancy
POST DURATION	12 Months
CLOSING DATE	12 July 2019

 

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. For close to forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes.

UN-Habitat’s Urban Planning and Design Branch supports countries in developing urban planning methods and promotes urban planning approaches to address urban growth and urban                  transformation processes in countries with rapid urbanization and where cities face urban            challenges. The Branch consists of three units: The City Planning, Extension and Design Unit (CPEDU), the Regional and Metropolitan Planning Unit (RMPU), and the Climate Change       Planning Unit (CCPU).

The Climate Change Planning Unit is leading and coordinating UN-Habitat’s work on urban         Climate Change mitigation and adaptation, as well as planning for improved urban air quality. In addition to coordinating UN-Habitat’s work in this area, the Unit is currently directly implementing several multi-year projects:

 

1. The Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI), launched in August 2008, supports small- and medium-sized cities in developing countries to address the climate challenge, and become more resilient to climate change and embrace low-carbon strategies.

 

This flagship initiative also supports UN-Habitat’s engagement in several global level multi-stakeholder initiatives (i.e., the Founders’ Council of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the Organizing Committee of a Scientific Conference on Cities and Climate Change co-sponsored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Steering Committee of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, the World Bank-led City Climate Planning Certification Program, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and so on).

 

CCCI also supports engagement with multi-lateral climate and environmental funds, particularly the Adaptation Fund (to which we were accredited in August 2015) and the Green Climate Fund (to which we are currently applying for accreditation). Finally, CCCI also releases normative publications including CCCI’s Policy Note series.

 

1. Accelerating climate action through the promotion of Urban Low Emission Development Strategies (Urban-LEDS) project

This project supports the development of city-level urban mitigation strategies in developing and emerging countries. The project is working in 8 countries from 2017 – 2021, in partnership with ICLEI, and funded by the European Commission.

 

1. Developing and Financing City Climate Action Plans. This project is helping a small number of cities in Least Developed Countries that have committed to the Compact of Mayors (and the newly formed Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy) to comply with its commitments. It is also supporting the further development and eventual financing of project concepts identified via city climate action planning processes.

 

1. Pro-poor planning of Climate Resilience in Marginalized Neighbourhoods. This project is     helping to mainstream climate considerations into participatory slum upgrading, and the integration of community-based adaptation into city-wide processes.

 

1. Planning for Improved Air Quality in Urban Areas. This project is helping a limited number of pilot cities undertake clean air action planning and develop related knowledge products.

 

CCPU also oversees the mainstreaming of climate change (one of UN-Habitat’s four cross-cutting topics) into the agency’s operational work. 

 

The Urban Climate Change Planning Consultant will be located in the Climate Change Planning Unit and will directly report to the Unit Leader, with selected technical and administrative         backstopping to the Urban Planning and Design Branch.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall guidance of the coordinator of Climate Change Planning Unit (CCPU), the consultant will be responsible for the following main duties:

 

1. Lead the technical implementation of UN-Habitat’s work on multi-level governance in the               Urban-LEDS project (phase 2)

 

1. Provide strategic direction to the overall implementation of the Urban-LEDS Project (phase 2)

 

1. Serve as Deputy Project Manager of the Urban-LEDS Project (phase 2), but with significant support from and gradual handoff to a colleague

 

1. Co-ordinate UN-Habitat’s involvement in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and serve on one or more Technical Working Groups as mutually agreed

 

1. Contribute to the Planners for Climate Action initiative, especially focusing on planning and climate change research activities

 

1. Provide and coordinate as needed CCPU technical input into delivery of a community development and urban planning project with a major global company

 

1. Support the mainstreaming of climate change and environmental sustainability into UN-Habitat’s    programmes, projects and operations, including from a perspective of the IPCC 1.5oC

Special Report

 

1. Other tasks, including project development and proposal writing activities as required, including     collaborations with other units, CCPU unit support and administration as required, opportunities arise, and time allows

 

Ultimate result of service

Main outputs

1. Two normative outputs related to multi-level governance in the Urban-LEDS project
2. Two inputs into narrative reporting and project management outputs of the Urban-LEDS project
3. Two inputs to technical and organizational documents of GCoM TWGs and Board,            development of one project report and development of one funding proposal
4. Project fundraising proposal (1) and inputs into preliminary papers (1) of the P4CA             research group on urban planning and climate change
5. Two inputs into workshop reports and technical advice of project with major global        company
6. Creation and inputs into 1 internal document or related training materials related to the mainstreaming of climate change in the Agency
7. Evidence of inputs into at least one unit or branch wide document or proposal

 

Reporting Requirements

 

The consultant will report to the Unit Leader, Climate Change Planning Unit, UN-Habitat.

Outputs production will be documented through interim reports and one final report as follows:

 

• Brief interim reports on progress produced for every task and submitted every month         (for interim payments)
• Backstopping and mission reports will be produced in a timely fashion upon conclusion of the mission (1 week after)
• Final report to be submitted at the end of consultancy, summarizing the work done,           presenting all outputs in electronic and hard copy format.

 

 

Is any other department or office of the Secretariat or any other organization of the United Nations involved in similar work to the best of your knowledge?  No

 

COMPETENCIES

• Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to urban planning and design or sustainable development particularly to the Urban Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Sustainable Urban development, Urban Climate Change Action and Clean Air Action Planning

 

• Communication: Excellent written and oral presentation skills in English. Excellent capacity to produce and manipulate graphic documents and drawings. Good presentation skills. Ability to communicate complex interventions in a clear language and convincing narratives.       Sketching capabilities to effectively communicate in workshop settings and teams.
• Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve agreed goals.
• Planning and Organizing: Ability to prioritize activities and assignments and to easily switch between different projects. Management: Ability to manage smaller project teams, divide workload and sustain efficiency

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

Education

• Minimum advanced university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in Urban/Regional Planning or related field that is relevant in sustainable urban development. A first level degree in              combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

 

Professional Experience

• A minimum of seven years of experience in urban planning or sustainable urban development, a significant part of which should be directly related to one or more of the different focus areas of this consultancy, Urban Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Sustainable Urban    Development, Urban Climate Change Action.
• At least two years of that professional experience should be in developing countries. Resident experience would be considered an advantage. Experience in more than one region would be considered an advantage.
• At least one year of experience with a urban climate cooperative initiative or network registered on NAZCA
• Good understanding of partnerships, multilevel knowledge management and multi-level      governance issues, especially if related to the Urban-LEDS project
• Experience in project development and coordination at a global and local level
• Experience in activities of the United Nations, in Results Based Management and reporting, and proposal development all would be considered as advantages.
• Publication(s) on substantive topics related to the consultancy would be considered an               advantage.

Language

• For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applications should include: Cover memo (maximum 1 page) P11, indicating the following information: Educational Background (incl. dates) Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months) Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.) Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments   All applications should be submitted to: Elizabeth.Okongo@un.org                                    Deadline for applications: 12 July 2019 UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org