UN-HABITAT Project Officer (Service Contract)

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all, support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as facilitate the implementation of the World New Urban Agenda.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the UN organization mandated to promote environmentally and socially sustainable human settlements and adequate housing for all. The Sustainable Development Goal 11 aims to “make cities safe, resilient and sustainable” and the New Urban Agenda, the outcome of the Third UN Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat III (Oct 2016) seeks to maximize the potential of urbanization as a force for sustainable development. UN-Habitat is thus concerned with the sustainable development of cities and urban communities and provides support in urban policy and spatial planning at different levels (national, regional and local), reconstruction and housing, rehabilitation of infrastructure, and the promotion of equitable land rights and tenure security.

UN Habitat sub-regional office for the Maghreb promotes and implements policies, programs and operational projects in four countries of the region; Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. It is managed by internationally and locally employed staff led by the Head of the Sub regional Maghreb Office.

The successful candidate will be working under the direct supervision of the Head of the Sub-Regional Office. S) he will be managing projects operations in Morocco and working closely with a wide variety of local, national and international partners in the country.

MC2CM Project Background:

Migration affects people’s lives at all stages and in all contexts. While migrants are subject to constraints and vulnerabilities linked to their journey and conditions, their departure, arrival or transit influence the concerned territories or urban areas and their inhabitants. Migration is a defining feature of urbanization. Cities, through their innovative and transformative nature offer opportunities to migrants to take their share of responsibility and contribute with their skills and background to the durability of the socio, economic and cultural development. It is also at local level that most of the work on migration related issues should be undertaken, targeting all inhabitants (including newcomers), to unlock the potential of migration.

In this context, the Mediterranean City-to-City Migration project (MC2CM) contributes to improved rights-based migration governance in cities. Through its three components: Dialogue, Knowledge and Action, MC2CM anchors migration governance to a process of urban planning addressing the objectives as set out in the MC2CM policy recommendations: Urban Challenges and Opportunities for the Mediterranean Region.

MC2CM is in its second phase of implementation, which began on 1 July 2018 and will run until 31 March 2021. 

The project, funded by the European Union through the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement negotiations and co-funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is implemented in the framework of the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration (MTM) by a consortium led by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments Network (UCLG) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). MC2CM brings together experts and cities to contribute to improved migration governance at city level. In Phase 1 of the project, the city network was composed of the cities: Amman, Beirut, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Tangiers, Turin, Tunis and Vienna. Going into Phase 2, the city network has been expanded to include 11 more cities, including Casablanca, Oujda, Rabat, Sousse and Sfax.

The Project Officer Position will be based in Rabat (Morocco) and responsible of implementing, managing, coordinating and reporting in a timely manner UN-Habitat MC2CM projects for Rabat and Casablanca.

In Rabat, MC2CM action entitled “Towards evidence-based migration policy-making in the city of Rabat” will aim to improve the migration data monitoring system of the Municipality of Rabat towards achieving evidence-based migration decision-making at the local level. This action strives to increase the understanding of municipal staff of the priorities and needs of its local inhabitants including displaced people within the frame of the municipality’s resources and inform its services allocation policies and responses affecting the social cohesion of the city.  

In Casablanca, MC2CM action entitled “Increasing the positive contribution of migration to the local development of the city of Casablanca” aims to increase the positive contribution of migration to the local development of the city of Casablanca. It seeks to enhance the engagement/commitment of the Municipality to address social protection and discrimination risks encountered by vulnerable populations settled within the poor neighborhoods of the city through the establishment of Migration Coordination Unit (MCU) in the municipality. It will strive to increase their awareness of the opportunities arising from migration to and from Casablanca and how to tap into them. This action will help to encourage a positive narrative on urban migration, seeing migrants and host communities as agents of local development.

She/he will be responsible for the following duties:

• Ensure day-to-day substantive management of the project actions and quality and timely delivery of outputs according to the project workplan;
• Liaise and develop relationships with donors, government national and local counterparts as well as relevant development partners as well as beneficiaries, target communities and stakeholders with the support of the Head of Office;
• Conduct desk research, collecting and compiling data, materials and literature from various sources related to important trends and developments in the field of migration which could be relevant for the project activities, analysing, drafting findings; editing/proof-reading and organising translation as required;
• Prepare briefing notes and content of background material for workshops/events including concept notes, list of participants, agenda, presentations, speeches and minutes;
• Serve as a focal point for relevant UNCT thematic task forces/working groups and ensure a proper follow-up of actions pertaining to the programme;
• Represent the Sub-regional Maghreb Office in meetings, international, regional, and national workshops and events when delegated by Head of Office and provide adequate and relevant information and feedback on their outcomes;
• Prepare procurement requests for services and goods as agreed upon in work plans and budgets;
• Develop terms of reference and requests for proposals for the implementation of the project activities (service providers, consultants, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other relevant stakeholders), imitate recruitment and coordinate work of experts, consultants and contractors and prepare evaluation reports;
• Coordinate with UN-Habitat’s Regional Office of the Arab States the activities pertaining to procurement, recruitment and reporting, including financial reporting, as well as with the financial and administrative services of UNDP.  
• Manage the project budget ensuring compliance with the donor requirements and UN-Habitat financial management standards: help maintain accurate project implementation accounts to facilitate easy retrieval, identification and verification of expenditures related to project activities;
• Oversee the communication on the project’s activities and achievements and develop innovative info graphs, presentations, lay-outs and visuals to increase outreach and ensure maximum visibility of project activities and impact in line with the donor visibility requirements and communication guidelines;
• Provide interim and final narrative and financial progress reports on the project activities as requested;
• Be accountable for the high-quality application of UN-HABITAT rules and regulations in the management of the project resources;
• Brief and consult with the Chief of the Office on project implementation and provide information and advice as required to contribute to the Country Office initiatives;
• Maintain the project documentation, filing, record of decisions made, minutes and reports from meetings, workshops and any other project events;
• Perform other relevant duties, as requested by the supervisor.

Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

Communication:  Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

Planning & Organizing:  Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Migration, Urban development, International Relations, Political/Social Sciences, Social Sciences, International Development, Economics or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted.

Experience: At least 5 years of substantive experience in the field of migration, Programme/ Project Management and other related fields (or first level university degree plus minimum 7 years of relevant experience).

Substantive project management experience, including RBM and other project management tools.

Prior experience with UN-Habitat/UN agencies or other international organizations and relevant work experience in Morocco will be an asset.

Functional Competencies:

Able to provide high-quality project and programme management support. Knowledge of the project management cycle. Knowledge of UN rules, procedures and practices.

Experience with multi-tasking and working independently on project management tasks.

Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines; work well under time constraints while retaining attention to detail.

Good IT skills. Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in French and good knowledge of English including good drafting skills are required. Arabic is a strong asset.

Other Skills:

Extensive knowledge and experience with the various computer software including MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook.

The position may involve frequent travel

Disclaimer:

Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.

Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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Female apllicants are highly encouraged