Programme Assistant

Result of Service The consultant will provide technical and administrative support for the execution of activities related to Urban Circuit 2022. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the programme team of UN-Habitat in Rio de Janeiro, consultants hired to implement the Urban Circuit, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Work Location Home based

Expected duration Six (6) months upon the signature of the contract.

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.

Each year, UN-Habitat celebrates Urban October, which begins with World Habitat Day and ends with the World Day of Cities. To promote the debate on the themes of each year's Urban October throughout Brazil, the UN-Habitat office in Brazil created, in 2018, the Urban Circuit: an initiative to provide institutional support to and visibility to events organized by various actors. In 2022, the 5th edition of the Urban Circuit will be held in hybrid format, with live online and in-person events or recorded and published later.

In order to properly implement the initiative, a Programme Assistant is required to work directly with Urban Circuit coordination.

Report to UN-Habitat Manager

The Programme Assistant reports to the National Officer for Brazil, who will evaluate him/her.

Responsibilities

The key functions of the Programme Assistant are: ¿ Provide appropriate technical support to implement activities related to the following areas: sustainable urban development, social development, climate change and urban resilience, social mobilisation and participation; advocacy, monitoring and partnership; ¿ Support office’s communication with counterparts and local partners, such as local governments, civil society organisations, Universities, private sector etc.; ¿ Attend meetings and events promoted by UN-Habitat partners in order to strengthen Urban Circuit’s position and presence in Brazil; ¿ Document group meetings, forums, consultations, training events and other activities related to the planning, development and implementation of the Urban Circuit 2022; ¿ Prepare reports to partners, internal reports etc. at various stages; ¿ Support the adequate execution of technical and/or administrative activities in the full initiative cycle, under the guidelines of its immediate supervisor; ¿ Conducting technical and administrative activities to ensure that projects and initiatives meet deadlines, budget and quality expectations of the Agency and the counterpart; ¿ Be responsible for maintaining an organised and accessible information file; ¿ Perform ad hoc activities and other duties which may be requested by the supervisor.

Outputs/Work Assignment

The Programme Assistant shall support the implementation of Urban Circuit 2022 and related activities. The Programme Assistant shall be paid with a monthly allowance, upon presentation and approval by the National Officer for Brazil of monthly activities' report.

Qualifications/special skills Skills:

¿ Good computer skills Microsoft Office package, Google package (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) and Web search engines is required; ¿ Good handling of technological tools and use of software and online platforms is desirable; ¿ Good knowledge on project management methodologies is desirable.

Academic Qualifications:

Required: ¿ Bachelor's degree in Urban Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations, Geography or related field is required, or additional three (3) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement.

Desired: ¿ Postgraduate degree (Lato Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Urban Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policies, International Relations, Geography or related field is considered an added advantage.

Experience:

¿ Minimum of 2 (two) years of professional/academic experience in projects/programmes management on urban related themes (Time of experience as self-employed, interns, and part-time count as 50%. Non-relevant experience for the position is not counted); ¿ Professional and academic experience on themes related to urban and social development, public policies, climate change; ¿ Previous experience with events production and management is required; ¿ Familiarity with and interest in urban issues and global urban agenda of the Organisation is required; ¿ Experience and established network with national civil society and advocacy initiatives is an asset; ¿ Previous experience with social media management is an asset; ¿ Previous experience within the UN System and/or any other international agency is an asset.

Language:

¿ 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 and good command in oral and written English are required.

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 development. ¿ 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.

Additional Information Remuneration (SB-3/1)- R$ 4.041,42

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. Travels will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, travel is not advised.

Notes

Appointment against this post is on a 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 “Personal History Form” (PHP) 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: 15 July 2022 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.