Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader

The Gambia has one of the fastest urbanisation rates in sub-Saharan Africa, with the Greater Banjul Area (GBA) already accounting for 68% of the total population. This has resulted in several environmental and socio-economic problems including deforestation, soil erosion, pollution and waste generation, as well as stress on health, education and employment services.  These have been exacerbated by the lack of an urban masterplan for Banjul (which has not been updated for nearly 20 years) and the absence of a planned response to the growing economic activity of the city. Likewise, the absence of an updated cadastral map and insufficient data on taxable properties in the Greater Banjul Area has resulted in the municipalities being able to collect only a small portion of their potential revenue from property taxes. With inadequate funding available from the central government, there is increased pressure on the municipalities to explore innovative revenue generation mechanisms to effectively deliver basic services.

Despite these challenges, the investment climate in The Gambia is growing in attractiveness to investors and is expected to accelerate on account of the proposed Port Expansion and the new trans-Gambia bridge. It is imperative that the city has the proper instruments in place to prepare for increased urbanization, traffic flows and vulnerability to climatic change.

 To respond to this potential and address these issues, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has affirmed its support to the Government of The Gambia for the development of a comprehensive, digitized master plan for the Greater Banjul Area.  The overall aim of the Greater Banjul Area: Sustainable Urban Development Programme 2020-40 (GBA-SUDP) is to put in place innovative mechanisms to support an increase in local revenue generation and collection, improve the delivery of basic services and roll out the decentralised approach as stated in the National Development Plan (2018-2021).  The project can be defined in two main service lines (a) Urban Master Plan Development and (b) Technical Assistance to institutional capacity development; covering 6 main outputs:

1. A digital masterplan for the Greater Banjul Area, integrating the Port and linking it with the immediate area of Barra Esau (opposite the River Gambia)
2. 5-year urban development investment plans for the 3 municipalities in Greater Banjul Area
3. Study tour to Senegal for benchmarking
4. Technical Assistance (TA) and capacity building, including training, for 3 municipal governments (Banjul City Council, BCC; Kanifing Municipal Council, KMC; Brikama Area Council, BAC) and the Ministry of Land and Regional Government (MoLRG)
5. Institutions’ (Gambia Port Authority, BCC, KMC, BAC and MoLRG) staff trained in project management
6. Procurement of ICT and office equipment to support the facilitation of municipal management

The Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader is responsible for the successful delivery of Output 4 Technical Assistance (TA) and capacity building.  In doing so, s/he will lead a team of one (1) National Lands Management Expert and three (3) National Municipal Management Experts.  The Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader will report to the Project Manager on day-to-day basis and to the Head of Programme at the Hub level.  He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organization’s performance and delivery goals.

Reporting to the Project Manager, the Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader is responsible for the successful delivery of Output 4 Technical Assistance (TA) and capacity building.  In doing so, s/he will lead a team of one (1) National Lands Management Expert and three (3) National Municipal Management Experts.  S/he is expected to meet and exceed the organization’s and project’s performance and delivery goals, including but not limited to:

1. Responsible for the successful delivery of delivery of Output 4;

• Leads a team of one (1) National Lands Management Expert and three (3) National Municipal Management Experts;
• Responsible for planning and timely delivery of all activities under Output 4, including ensuring work-package plan is integrated with overall project plans, interdependencies duly identified and planned for, and risks and issues are escalated and managed effectively;
• Conducts a Technical Assistance Needs Assessment of the 3 municipalities and the Ministry of Land and Regional Government using industry standard tools, methodologies and best practice.  Needs assessment should include considerations of finance management, Tax Revenue and Policy Analysis; and on tax collection mechanisms;
• Develops a Technical Assistance Action Plan (TAAP) within the available budget in response to the findings of the needs assessment;
• Establishes a rotational system (for placement of National Institutional Capacity Building team members) for National Experts as appropriate, to leverage the key competencies and needs across the three Municipalities in implementing the TAAP;
• Ensures the timely implementation of the TAAP within quality expectations of the clients;
• Performance management of the TAAP including quarterly assessment of National Experts and beneficiaries to confirm institutionalisation of knowledge transfer, as well as effectiveness of instituted systems and processes; 
• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the alignment of urban planning process with the capacity development initiatives
• Promotion of Good Governance principles of accountability, transparency, participation, non-discrimination and efficiency including linking these with the implementation of Municipal programmes, adoption of local policies and/or regulations;
• Facilitating the provision of input to the Urban Plan consultant in the development of the Digital Master Plan and 5 year investment plan that is sustainable and inclusive;
• Actively contributes to governance arrangements adopted by the project;

Master's Degree in Public Administration/ Policy, Urban Development and/ or Governance, Town and Country Planning, Land Economy, International Relations, Public Financial Management/Investments, Political/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline.

A combination of Bachelors Degree with additional two (2) years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education.

• 5 years progressively responsible experience in the management, development and/or delivery of institutional capacity building and/or technical assistance to governments is required;
• Demonstrated experience in Municipal and/or Land Management is required;
• Experience and Knowledge of municipal finance management is an asset;
• Experience and knowledge of urban and/or spatial planning is an asset;
• Experience leading a team of multi-disciplinary experts is desirable;
• Previous experience working with UN Agencies is an asset;
• Previous experience working in Africa is desirable;
• Knowledge of Sustainable Development and SDGs an asset;
• Knowledge of Urban Infrastructure an asset;

Contract type: ICA

• 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.
• Banjul is a Family Duty Station.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.