Human Settlements Officer

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.  Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for cities and human settlements. UN-Habitat’s humanitarian work is guided by its Strategic Policy on Human Settlements in Crisis and the agency is a member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).  At the core of UN- Habitat’s work is UN-Habitat People’s Process and New Urban Agenda which places participatory urban analysis, and planning as a central pillar of humanitarian response, recovery, and the rehabilitation of fragile cities.

UN-Habitat has been active in Iraq since 1996 under the Oil for Food Programme. After 2003, UN-Habitat was largely engaged in early recovery efforts, particularly supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs) through the provision of shelter and reconstruction solutions. Since then, the portfolio of UN-Habitat Iraq has expanded beyond emergency responses to include both humanitarian programmes, such as providing IDPs with shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, and promoting urban recovery of areas affected by conflict, and developmental programmes that provide technical support to address durable solutions for IDPs and informal settlers and essential capacity building for relevant government institutions. UN-Habitat Iraq follows a multi-dimensional and coherent approach in tackling diverse urban issues. These range from emergency response such as providing safe and basic shelter for IDPs, to projects that aim to build and develop the capacities of local and national governments in planning and managing urbanization, to more theoretical endeavors including research and analysis on the dynamics of urbanization and the impacts of armed conflict.

One Human Settlements Officer will be recruited to support programme management, development and implementation.  The duties of the position require programme management expertise; partner liaison and coordination capacity; and representation and outreach skills.       

The incumbent reports to the Head of Programme/ UN-Habitat-Iraq.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

Under the overall guidance of Deputy Head of UN-Habitat Iraq Programme, the Human Settlement Officer – Programme Manager will be responsible for the following:

1. Programme Management: Coordinate urban development projects  to ensure the effective and efficient execution of the activities; Ensure the preparation of programme and project budgets, agreements of cooperation and other partnership documents; Ensure the efficient and effective management of project resources; Support the development and implementation of a financial tracking system; Manage recruitment activities and supervising national staff and international experts and consultants for implementation of urban development projects; Plan and implement programme and project evaluations; Prepare project progress reports and project completion reports.

2. Technical Assistance and Advice: Promotion of policy dialogues with national constituencies and development partners; Review and analyze issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies; Provide technical assistance and implementation support to relevant parties, including on urban area-based approaches and/or reconstruction; Support training workshops, seminars; Provide quality technical input and management advise into project activities in line with UN-Habitat global work plans and strategies; Assist local institutions and government with developing relevant policies; Organize and participating in relevant programme meetings.

3. Liaising with key stakeholders: Liaise with key government counterparts such as Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works and targeted governorates to plan and organize capacity building activities under the urban development projects; Contribute to building strong working relationships with donors, project partners, local and national government counterparts.

Integrity

·         Demonstrates the values of the United Nations in daily activities and behaviours

·         Acts without consideration of personal gain

·         Resists undue political pressure in decision-making

·         Does not abuse power or authority

·         Stands by decisions that are in the Organization’s interest, even if they are unpopular

·         Takes prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour

Respect for Diversity

·         Works effectively with people from all backgrounds

·         Treats all people with dignity and respect

·         Treats men and women equally

·         Shows respect for and understanding of diverse points of view and demonstrates this understanding in daily work and decision-making

·         Examines own biases and behaviours to avoid stereotypical responses

·         Does not discriminate against any individual or group

Professionalism

·         Shows pride in work and in achievements;

·         Demonstrates professional competence and mastery in one or more of the seven UN-Habitat focus areas (Urban Land Legislation and Governance, Urban Planning and Design, Urban Economy, Urban Basic Services, Housing and Slum Upgrading, Risk Reduction and Rehabilitation, Research and Capacity Development);

·         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.

·         Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

·         Master’s Degree in urban planning, social science or other relevant discipline                             

·         An experience in areas related to urban planning and development, programme/ project management, city profiling with at least three years in a crisis context with an international organization; Experience with working with other UN and international organizations is preferred. Excellent skills in MS Office

·         A minimum of seven years of work in areas related to urban planning and development, programme/project management, local governance or other related fields with at least three years in a crisis context with an international organization

·         Proficiency in both spoken and written English is required.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.