Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst

Result of Service The Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst will provide technical support for the analysis of basic urbanization projects of Izidora. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the operational and technical teams of UN-Habitat offices, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors, and civil society.

Work Location Home based

Expected duration The consultancy has an expected duration of five (5) months, with key milestones provided in the calendar of activities.

Duties and Responsibilities Background

The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.

UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development.

The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government in order to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative and socially fairer urban economic, social and environmental policies.

Through a partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Municipality of Belo Horizonte, UN-Habitat is working as Implementing Agency to implement the project named “Urban Qualification in a Key Neighbourhood of Belo Horizonte”. UN-Habitat will focus on the outcome "Improved Belo Horizonte Municipal infrastructure and tools to develop effective options for social housing and urban planning in Izidora”, which aims to enable Izidora´s population to have safe and sustainable access to community infrastructure and affordable housing.

The region of Izidora corresponds to an area of about 9.5 km², in the northern vector of the city, next to the southern border of the city of Santa Luzia. This area is located in the largest green area of the city, counting around 280 water sources and 64 creeks, including part of the watershed that is Belo Horizonte’s main source of water. Part of Izidora has been squatted and is divided into four urban informal settlements - Esperança, Vitória, Helena Greco and Rosa Leão – totalizing approximately 1.5 km² and hosting about 4,200 precarious homes (which could be up to 7,000 families, given that there are no precise numbers since 2010), with families in situations of extreme poverty and without any available public infrastructure and relative services, as many Brazilian cities.

During the Habitat III Conference in 2016, Izidora was highlighted as one of the most serious urban land conflicts in Latin America. Therefore, the new efforts of the municipality are a recognition of the issues, as well as the urgency of acting. The interest of the Municipal Administration is to implement works and actions so that Izidora becomes a model under the principles of sustainability and resilience. This is a chance to promote an innovative experience in using the precepts of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local level to reverse a situation of socioeconomic and territorial vulnerability.

In order to properly implement this project, a Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst is required to ensure a good execution of the work programme.

Report to UN-Habitat Manager

The Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst reports to the National Officer for Brazil.

Outputs/Work Assignment

The Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst shall assist the implementation of the above-mentioned project according to the responsibilities indicated below.

The consultant will deliver the following products:

Product 1: Technical Report - Area1 Description: Technical Report of geotechnical design and projects of slopes and streets stabilization - area 1 Expected Delivery Date: 30 days after signing the contract

Product 2: Technical Report - Area 2 Description: Technical Report of geotechnical design and projects of slopes and streets stabilization – area 2 Expected Delivery Date: 70 days after signing the contract

Product 3: Technical Report - Area 3 Description: Technical Report of geotechnical design and projects of slopes and streets stabilization – area 3 Expected Delivery Date: 100 days after signing the contract

Product 4: Technical Report - Area 4 Description: Technical Report of geotechnical design and of projects of slopes and streets stabilization – area 4 Expected Delivery Date: 150 days after signing the contract

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the National Officer for Brazil, the Geotechnical Engineer – Senior Analyst will be responsible for preparing technical reports analyzing products of geotechnical design and projects of slopes and streets stabilization, as required. Hers/His main responsibilities will be:

• Analyze, review and, when necessary, suggest adjustments in geotechnical engineering basic projects regarding soil investigation and slope and street stabilization;
• Prepare reports and technical opinions about the basic projects of geotechnical engineering regarding soil investigation and slope and street stabilization;
• Analyze, review and propose changes to the technical drawings of graphic projects in order to ensure quality standards;
• Provide technical guidance to designers, planners and engineers;
• Collaborate with other team members to prepare the necessary technical documents corresponding to the project;
• Participate in meetings with other members of the technical team;
• Perform any other technical support tasks to support the project team as required.

The activities will be carried out under the technical supervision of UN-Habitat.

The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE is required to be accredited during the first month of employment.

The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications:

¿ Postgraduate degree (Lato or stricto sensu) in Civil Engineering, or additional four (4) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement.

Experience:

¿ A minimum of 06 (six) years of progressively responsible experience in geotechnical engineering roles is required; Training in the use of nature-based solutions would be an asset. ¿ Experience in design and/or work in informal settlements would be an asset. ¿ Previous experience within the UN System would be an asset.

Skills:

¿ Good computer skills in Windows, as Microsoft Office, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Web search engines is required; ¿ Experience and skills in using AutoCAD would be an asset.

Knowledge Management

¿ The person must know the processes, procedures and norms of UN-Habitat, in order to guarantee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. ¿ The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the activities related to the project development. ¿ The person must know the file of the Office, work with it and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff and due updating. ¿ The person will prepare databases related to the project running. ¿ The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. ¿ The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency.

Competencies

¿ Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies with regard to good urban governance and local and regional development. ¿ Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. ¿ Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capacity to write documents for diverse audiences. ¿ Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main-streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments.

Languages ¿ English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required. Good command in oral and written Spanish and English are an asset.

Additional Information SB-4/3 (16%, part-time) - UNDP Brazil Salary Scale

The consultant will receive a total amount of R$13.133,00 according to the following schedule: ¿ Payment 1 (25%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 1 (BRL 3.283,25). ¿ Payment 2 (13%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL 1.707,29). ¿ Payment 3 (20%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL 2.626,60). ¿ Payment 4 (42%): Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL 5.515,86).

Travel details

The Consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the National Officer for Brazil and/or the International Officer.

Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply.

It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira:

1. Cover memo (maximum 1 page) 2. Educational Background (incl. dates) 3. Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months) 4. Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments 5. Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)* * Please note that Internships, self-employment and part-time count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered.

All applications should be submitted to: Inspira Deadline for applications: UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: [email protected]

No Fee 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.