Project Management Support Specialist (Land Expert)

Background Information - Ghana Multi Country Office (GMCO)
GMCO is responsible for managing strategic and operational risks associated with a subset of the regional portfolio of engagements, developing and delivering cost effective services contributing to partners’ sustainable results and achievements of UNOPS management results.

• Liaise and develop engagements, and deliver services responding to partner needs.
• Leverage advice and integrate delivery modalities of the three Delivery Practices and the Global Partner Service Office.
• Maintain appropriate arrangements and capacity for direct transactional support for delivery of the sub-regional portfolio.

Despite these challenges, the investment climate in The Gambia is growing in attractiveness to investors and is expected to improve with accelerated investments via the next prospective flagship project of the Port Expansion and the current opening of the new trans-Gambian 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 and the Ministry of Land and Regional Government
5. Institutions’ (GPA, BCC, KMC, BAC and MoLRG) staff trained in project management
6. Procurement of ICT and office equipment to support the facilitation of municipal management

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Working under the direct supervision of the Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader, the National Land Management Expert will review and analyse existing Policies, Strategies and Plans of the Ministry of Lands and Regional Governance and identify capacity gaps to guide institutional strengthening. He/She will work closely with the Ministry to plan system reforms needed to manage and implement the GBA Vision and Plan which includes increased revenue collection and improved land management to prepare for increased urbanisation, traffic flows and vulnerability to climate change. The National Land Management Expert will report to the Institutional Capacity Building Team Leader on a day-to-day basis and to the Infrastructure Specialist at the Hub level.

The National Land Management Expert is expected to be a team player, who is capable of working to a high standard.  S/he should be able to remain abreast of good practices in the field of land management and draw on global case studies to inform the advice provided.  The outputs of the National Land Management Expert are key in the successful achievement of Output 4 Technical Assistance and Capacity Building.  He/She is expected to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Stakeholder Management

●      Establish a solid working relationship between UNOPS and the Ministry and other key stakeholders

●      Manage communications within the Ministry and ensure stakeholders' ownership of the capacity building plan

●       Facilitate the coordination of land-related activities between the Ministry, the Municipalities and other relevant stakeholders

●      Ensure project activities include vulnerable and under-represented groups as co-creators, decision-makers, implementers and/or beneficiaries

Capacity Building

●      Gather relevant data on the Ministry’s Policies, Plans and Strategies, maps and relevant documents and identify existing institutional and technical capacity gaps for the successful implementation of the GBA Vision and development and implementation of the Technical Assistance Action Plan

●      Actively contribute to the Capacity Needs Assessment exercise to identify capacity gaps within the Ministry

●      Lead the Technical Assistance Action Plan's land management component  in terms of design and implementation, including policy work, systems strengthening and training.

●      Participate in the organisation of a benchmarking visit to Senegal for relevant stakeholders within the Ministry and Municipalities.

Urban Planning

●      Assist the Greater Banjul Area planning team and provide technical advice on sustainable urban development and planning, land management and administration, governance, legislation, land-based financing, land surveying, land tenure practices, land policies and registration within the Gambian context

●      Work closely with the project team for the development of the following documents:

-          Urban Profile

-          Planning Briefs for Vision workshops

-          Expert-based Vision Report

-          Integrated Vision Report

-          Digital Masterplan

-          Implementation Guidelines

-          Digital Project Platform

Reporting and Communication

●      Provide monthly Checkpoint reports which will feed into the overall project reports

●      Provide inputs for end-stage reports, operational closure checklist, end-stage report and handover report as applicable

●      Participate in project-level coordination meetings (Planning Team meetings, thematic working groups, Urban Forum and Project Board meetings) as relevant,

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●      Provide assistance for the development of content for project-related communications and outreach

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Procedures:

●      Comply with Project Document Archive as required by the UNOPS Organisational Directive.

Knowledge Management:

●      Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice

●      Actively interact with other relevant community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices

●      Incorporate lessons learned from others in project activities

Core Values and Principles:

●      Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

1. Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management
2. Seek opportunities to champion gender equality in the workplace
3. Champion and communicate the project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

●      Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity

1. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans
2. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff
3. Look for ways to build the capacity of local counterparts

●      Excellence

         i. Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

✔     Completed comprehensive Technical Assistance needs assessment and recommendations

✔     Full implementation of Technical Assistance Action Plan (TAAP) activities with specific emphasis on those targeting the Ministry of Lands and Regional Government

✔     Ministry of Lands and Regional Government satisfaction with the project

• Master's Degree in Public Administration/ Policy, Urban Development and/ or Governance, Urban and Regional Planning, Land Economy, Public Financial Management/Investments, Political/Development Studies, or other relevant disciplines is required.

• Bachelor’s degree with 7 years of relevant professional experience will be accepted.  

• A Professional Diploma in relevant discipline with relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience of 9 years may be accepted in lieu of the university education.

• 5 years experience in the planning, management, development and/or delivery of institutional capacity building and/or technical assistance to governments is required;
• Experience working on land issues is required, preferably  (but not limited to) land management, tenure formalisation, cadastre creation and management, land dispute resolution, land information systems, land-based revenue collection, land pooling, land conservation, watershed management, urban/rural/regional planning, infrastructure planning, infrastructure and/or real estate development;
• Knowledge of good practice in urban governance, legal and regulatory frameworks, and policies is highly desirable;
• Previous experience in technical assistance and/or institutional development is highly desirable;
• Knowledge of global frameworks around sustainable urban planning and infrastructure development is an asset;
• Experience in conducting policy reviews and preparation of policy recommendations for decision-makers is a distinct advantage;
• Previous experience working with UN Agencies or other international development partners is an asset;
• Knowledge of Sustainable Development and SDGs an asset.

• Fluency in written and oral English is required.

• PRINCE2® Foundation is an asset.

• 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.
• 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
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Banjul is a Family Duty Station.
• 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.

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.

Africa Region

AFR helps ensure that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between projects across the entire region.