HLP Programmes Specialist (TWG Lead)

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the UN agency dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable urban development and adequate shelter for all. Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1978, UN-Habitat brings over four decades of expertise in addressing urban growth challenges. It plays a key role in implementing the New Urban Agenda, adopted at Habitat III in 2016, and advancing Sustainable Development Goal 11 to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Since 2015, UN-Habitat Syria has been supporting Syrian cities and communities on urban resilience and recovery approaches, housing, land and property (HLP) challenges, and local governance. Following the significant shifts in Syria’s governance and recovery context in late 2024, addressing the urban land development system has become a critical component of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Syria continues to face layered challenges of displacement, widespread housing and infrastructure destruction, complex land tenure systems, and fragile governance structures. An estimated 6.7 million Syrians remain internally displaced, and recovery efforts are hampered by unresolved HLP issues that obstruct voluntary return, social cohesion, and sustainable development.

Key to UN-Habitat’s support is the EU-funded “Joint Programme on Housing, Land and Property Issues – Phase II” (JP HLP II) implemented together with UNDP and NRC since December 2022 and extended to 2026, with new partners IOM and UNHCR. UN-Habitat has also developed a Joint Programme with UNHCR on sustainable returns and reintegration funded by the Netherlands, and the Informal Settlements Upgrading Project in Homs and Aleppo funded by Japan.

The HLP Lead will work in close coordination with the UN-Habitat Syria HLP team to lead the HLP TWG and UN-Habitat’s HLP portfolio. The focus of this role will be to advise and guide the HLP team to further strengthen the delivery of UNH Syria’s HLP portfolio – including overseeing donor liaison, coordination with partners and overall project management – and strengthening the urban development dimension and cross-unit integration of UN-Habitat Syria’s HLP projects. 

The HLP Lead will also be responsible for UN-Habitat Syria’s leadership of the HLP TWG, working closely with HLP TWG co-leads (UNHCR and NRC) to further strengthen the strategic direction of the TWG – including alignment/coordination with the Solutions Working Group and Shelter Cluster, and broader humanitarian reset – in close coordination with UN-Habitat Syria’s HLP team and experts.

To further strengthen UN-Habitat’s leadership of the HLP TWG and its HLP project in Syria, UN-Habitat seeks an international HLP TWG and Programmes Lead (HLP Lead) to lead coordination with national and international partners through the HLP TWG and oversee overall UN-Habitat’s strategic direction, donor liaison and partnerships related to its HLP portfolio.

This will include the following key responsibilities:

1. HLP Projects Portfolio Management & Oversight

• Guide the HLP team on day-to-day implementation, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery and reporting of all HLP projects, including EU JP HLP II, Netherlands, and Swiss-funded initiatives.

• Lead donor liaison, external communications, and strategic coordination with implementing partners (UNDP, NRC, IOM, UNHCR).

• Ensure that project results contribute to UN-Habitat Syria’s broader urban recovery framework and country strategy.

2. Coordination & Partnerships

• Lead the HLP Technical Working Group (TWG), ensuring effective collaboration with co-leads UNHCR and NRC.

• Strengthen linkages between the HLP TWG and other coordination structures (Shelter Cluster, Solutions Working Group, Protection Cluster).

• Advocate for HLP-sensitive programming within the UN Country Team (UNCT), Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), and national partners.

3. Sub-National Coordination Structures

• Support establishment and operationalization of sub-regional HLP TWG coordination groups.

• Ensure alignment and information flow between national and field-level coordination structures.

• Strengthen coordination with clusters, sectors, and Areas of Responsibility (AoRs).

4. Integration of HLP Rights & Urban Recovery Programming

• Promote awareness among national and international partners on the role of HLP rights in sustainable recovery.

• Lead integration of HLP principles within urban recovery, housing rehabilitation, and durable solutions programming

• Support cross-unit collaboration to embed HLP across UN-Habitat’s city profiling, housing, and governance portfolios. 

5. Capacity Development & Technical Backstopping 

• Provide mentoring and capacity building to UN-Habitat Syria’s HLP staff and field teams. 

• Develop guidance tools and training modules on HLP documentation, tenure security, and fit-for-purpose land systems.

• Contribute to technical knowledge products and advocacy materials that advance HLP-sensitive recovery.

Required

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in urban planning, land administration/management, arts/social science, or law (related to HLP).

  A first-level university degree with additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

Required

• At least 7 years of professional experience in HLP and durable solutions in urban contexts.

• Strong understanding of HLP and urban development in post-conflict contexts and MENA region.

Desired

• Experience working with the UN leading HLP TWGs/AoRs.

• Excellent analytical, writing, and advocacy skills.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.