International Urban Design Lead Expert

The ultimate result of this assignment is to provide strategic and technical support to sustainable post-conflict recovery and urbanization of cities and towns in Azerbaijan, including the implementation and localization of the SDG’s and New Urban Agenda.

Home-based

9 months

Organizational Setting About UN-Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) 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 urbanization 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. Responding to crisis and post-crisis context is part of UN-Habitat’s mandate and Strategic Plan 2026-2029. UN-Habitat in Azerbaijan UN-Habitat is supporting the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan by providing technical advisory services to national counterparts, aimed at promoting inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban development. This technical assistance includes normative and planning activities, the development of national policies, urban reconstruction and rehabilitation in conflict-affected areas, climate adaptation and capacity-building through the exchange of innovative practices that foster sustainable urban communities. UN-Habitat’s Country Office collaborates closely with the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture (SCUPA) to support its National Urban Forums (NUFAs) and engagements in national and global initiatives. UN-Habitat’s engagement is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030, including implementation of the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. The Regional Programme Division (RPD) is the operational arm of UN-Habitat supporting regional and country-level implementation, ensuring coherent, demand-driven and coordinated assistance across Member States. It brings together the Urban Lab programme, the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation (RPTC), and the Inter-Regional Advisors to enhance collaboration with field offices and improve the effectiveness of technical cooperation and programme delivery. The Regional Advisory & Projects Support Section is responsible for providing cross-cutting technical assistance, quality assurance and operational support to Regional and Country Offices through the development and delivery of climate and environment-related projects, the formulation of proposals and engagement with vertical funds, with particular emphasis on supporting Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to strengthen access to expertise, financing and capacity for sustainable urban development and climate resilience. 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, environmental, data-science, mobility, legal and financial experts, providing a holistic and proactive approach to sustainable urbanization. In this context, the Urban Lab applies an integrated approach to systemic and strategic planning to deliver transformative change for sustainable urbanization and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda. The Lab is currently working on concrete projects joining international and local expertise in more than 60 countries and 80 cities in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The Urban Lab serves as the cornerstone of the Global Network of Planning and Design Labs, an initiative supported by member states during the 25th Governing Council of UN-Habitat. Rationale and context to the consultancy: The Government of Azerbaijan’s State Programme on the Great Return to the Liberated Territories of Azerbaijan outlines the ambitious reconstruction plan of the Garabagh and East Zangezur Economic Regions and the resettlement of over 640,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). UN-Habitat has been called upon to support the recovery of the region through the implementation of strategic and technical interventions promoting a smart, resilient and inclusive reconstruction of human settlements. A Regional Plan of the conflict-affected areas was adopted in mid-2022, outlining the settlement patterns and areas for local planning, including urban and rural settlements, key infrastructure, a phasing strategy etc. The Regional Plan assesses the area’s main economic, geographical and environmental development potential, as well as the needs for key infrastructure such as roads, airports, energy and water supply. It provides guidance for the drafting of subsequent Master Plans for all cities, towns and villages and their interrelation. The Regional plan also outlines an approach for a smart, resilient and inclusive recovery and development including high ambitions for socio-economic development, environmental considerations, climate change adaptation and mitigation. The Regional Plan provides the framework for a prosperous and economic rejuvenation of the region. The State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture (SCUPA) and the respective Special Representatives of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been entrusted with the implementation of the Regional Plan. Within this context, UN-Habitat through its Country Office and the Urban Lab will support SCUPA in the preparation of urban plans and designs for settlements in the region with the objectives of: 1) guiding an accelerated post-conflict development towards sustainable, resilient, smart and inclusive urban areas; 2) demonstrating how international and national planning frameworks, principles and goals can be localized and translated into the built environment; 3) strengthening institutional capacities and enhancing participatory and inclusive planning processes for long-term socio-economic sustainability; 4) increasing technical capacities of the local/regional government officials to plan and implement sustainable, resilient, smart and inclusive urban development, and; 5) capturing and disseminating lessons learnt from planning processes toward a refined vision for the future sustainable urban development in Azerbaijan, and specifically its reconstructed areas. The project builds upon three inter-linked areas of work and deliverables, namely: A) development of master plans for two settlements, including data collection and diagnostic assessments to inform the preparation of plans, and with supporting sectoral and detailed plans and design solutions; B) knowledge generation and exchange, and; C) building capacity among urban actors in Azerbaijan. UN-Habitat’s Country Office and the Urban Lab is thus planning to engage an International Urban Design Lead Expert to provide technical design leadership for the delivery and implementation of the agreed interventions, in close collaboration with UN-Habitat’s Urban Lab team based in UN-Habitat’s Headquarters (HQ) and the local authorities. The consultant must have a strong professional background in urban design, architecture and sustainable urban development, with demonstrated international experience in urban and neighborhood design, urban-rural linkages, participatory design, capacity building and the application of sustainable development principles in the built environment, preferably in recovery and reconstruction contexts. The consultant will form part of the project planning team which will be composed of experts from the Urban Lab working remotely and undertaking missions to Azerbaijan at key milestones of the project. In addition, a local expert will be appointed to support engagement with local stakeholders and authorities. Further, a local private-sector partner for the localization of plans and the preparation of executive drawings will be appointed. Reporting and Communication: The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Head of UN-Habitat’s Country Programme in Baku, Azerbaijan and the Head of the Urban Lab, Nairobi, Kenya. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the Department on Project Management in the Liberated Areas in SCUPA, the UN-Habitat team, and other partners of the project. The incumbent will report on a regular basis to the technical lead. Duties and Responsibilities: The International Urban Design Lead Expert will provide overall technical design leadership for the project and will be responsible for ensuring that the master plans, detailed design solutions, design guidelines, knowledge products and capacity development activities are coherent, context-sensitive and technically robust. The International Urban Design Lead Expert will work closely and on daily basis with the wider urban planning team and local experts, in close coordination with the Department on Project Management in the Liberated Areas of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture (SCUPA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, and the office of the Special Representative of the President of East Zangezur Economic Region. The incumbent is expected to fulfill the following general duties and responsibilities: - Compile and analyze comparative planning and design precedents to inform the settlements master plans and design solutions. - Lead and coordinate the preparation of two settlements master plans in alignment with international and national urban design policies, normative directions and design standards, regional strategies, socio-economic and environmental specificities of the sites, and the Urban Lab methodologies, tools and approaches. - Advise and work collaboratively in analyzing, compiling and interpreting data to guide the development of contextually-specific and culturally appropriate strategies, plans and interventions. - Lead the development and technical review of detailed design solutions for key public functions, public realm elements and housing typologies, taking into consideration feasibility, contextual appropriateness, universal accessibility, gender and social inclusion, and application of Build Back Better principles. - Lead participatory design and multi-stakeholder engagement processes, using appropriate participatory planning and design and stakeholder engagement tools to incorporate local knowledge, test design options, build ownership and inform plan and design revisions. - Lead the development of sustainable urban design guidelines as part of knowledge management, outreach, and replication across East Zangezur Economic Region and as a reference for post-conflict/reconstruction contexts in Azerbaijan. - Provide day-to-day technical guidance to international and local experts and coordinate inputs from thematic specialists to ensure consistency across planning, design, landscape, resource management, mobility, climate, health, housing/land, basic services, social inclusion and GIS workstreams, maintaining a clear design narrative throughout the project. - Ensure that plans and designs apply sustainable urban development principles, the Sustainable Development Goals, the New Urban Agenda, climate resilience, environmental sustainability and resource efficiency, supported by clear design frameworks, diagrams and visualizations. - Provide quality assurance of draft and final outputs of the project; - Design and deliver capacity-building activities and training materials for local and regional government officials and technical counterparts, based on the design guidelines and lessons from the project. - Jointly develop concept notes and funding proposals, developed with the Urban Lab and Country Office, to support resource mobilization for scale-up/replication. - Leads the development of a Communication and visibility plan for the Azerbaijan project, aligned with SCUPA and Urban Lab communication guidelines. - Document lessons learned, with updates fed into relevant UN-Habitat and Urban Lab tools and methodologies.

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Architecture, Urban Development, Urban Planning and Design 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. At least 7 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 and; proven experience in participatory urban design, stakeholder engagement and/or social change processes is required. Direct proven experience leading urban design and sustainable urban development projects at territorial, city, town, village and/or neighborhood levels is required, including the ability to translate strategic planning objectives into implementable spatial and design proposals. Direct proven experience of urban planning projects/processes on a territorial and/or local level, in combination with e.g. housing, IDPs, urban resilience, mobility, project finance, and/or data systems is required. Proven experience in software for urban / spatial planning (e.g. AutoCAD), visualization and production of drawings, site rendering graphics and maps (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, SketchUp) is required. Inaddition, strong design communication skills, including freehand sketching, diagramming and visual explanation of spatial concepts, are required. Experience working with public sector institutions, e.g. local governments, and in Azerbaijan or in other urban crisis/post-crisis contexts is an asset; Experience in coordinating implementing partners / private sector companies is an asset; Designing and delivering capacity building processes is an asset. Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (and their monitoring/ evaluation) and of the New Urban Agenda is an asset. Working experience with international development agencies and in particular the United Nations is an asset.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this advertised position fluency in English, written and verbal, is required. Working proficiency in Azerbaijani and/or Russian is considered an asset

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.