Project Urban Planner

Overview

Support project team in urban planning for municipalities

You have:

• Advanced degree in Architecture, Urban Development and Planning, or a related field is required.
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development and planning (and/or related fields) is required.
• Fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.
• Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (and their monitoring/evaluation) and of the New Urban Agenda is desirable.
• Direct proven experience of urban infrastructure development projects/processes is desirable.

Result of Service Support the project team to deliver the technical outputs as required to support the selected municipalities to: 1) have a comprehensive spatial understanding of the existing situation in their city and in urban settlements hosting displaced populations to inform decision making, 2) agree on detailed strategic visioning and scenario building for urban development in selected neighbourhoods, 3) identify bankable investment opportunities to support linking displaced and hosting communities to infrastructure financing; and 4) have increased capacity to collect and analyse data and information and use it to prioritize interventions.

Work Location Amman

Expected duration 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities Org. Setting and Reporting Relationships: UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat envisions well-planned, well-governed and efficient cities and towns, with adequate housing, infrastructure and universal access to employment and basic services such as water, energy, and sanitation.

BACKGROUND: Urban Planning and Infrastructure for Migration Contexts Programme UN-Habitat is partnering with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to improve access to reliable services and socio-economic opportunities for migrants and refugees in urban settlements. The Urban Planning and Infrastructure in Migration Contexts (UPIMC) programme will focus on activities that develop a common understanding of the issues affecting cities, towns and neighbourhoods, mapping provisions and gaps in public infrastructure services in coordination with humanitarian interventions. The preparation of urban profiles for the selected vulnerable neighbourhoods will enable the development of shared visions and prioritised interventions that improve living conditions to be identified, agreed upon and potentially funded. The programme will support municipalities hosting displaced populations in Jordan, Egypt, and Cameroon. Cities in these 3 countries have been selected through full consultation with both SECO and UN-Habitat country representatives. In the selected cities, the programme will foster multi-sectoral collaboration between UN-Habitat, national and local governments, humanitarian actors, development banks and local communities including displaced populations. The scope of work will also ensure significant contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by supporting the selected cities and neighbourhoods to become increasingly inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This Programme will address the critical challenges in supporting displaced populations in urban areas, through integrating them into overall urban development processes, considering the Humanitarian-Development and Peace/Triple Nexus. The Overall Programme aims include: - Support municipalities to mainstream migration challenges into spatial urban analytics and urban infrastructure investment planning. - Conduct activities that will go beyond a pure planning stage, by supporting the prioritization of infrastructure investments and their linkage to financing. - Benefit migrant communities and urban dwellers in general with better quality of life and better access to economic opportunities. The programme will achieve this through 4 main components: 1. Spatial analytics and urban profiling; 2. Develop strategic vision and scenario building; 3. Define prioritized infrastructure investments and linkage to financing; 4. Knowledge exchange and capacity sharing. The project will be delivered across two phases. Phase 1 includes components 1 and 2, where component 1 has been completed. UN-Habitat’s Project Team in Jordan now seeks to strengthen its team in the delivery of component 2 of the programme by engaging a Project Urban Planner with experience in the local context. Although the initial contract is for 6 months only, the aim is to find a suitable candidate who will be continuing in the role for the entire Phase 1 period until November 2022.

Phase 1 – JORDAN

Jordan is amongst the top hosting countries of displaced people and has the second highest refugee-to-population ratio, with 89 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants (UNHCR Global Focus). As of August 2020, Jordan hosts more than 2.9 million refugees, of whom 2,206,736 are from Palestinian descent and are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) who have lived in the country for decades; and 747,080 registered under UNHCR are predominantly Syrians with 67,286 Iraqis. It is estimated however that approximately 1.4 million Syrians have sought refuge in Jordan since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, which resembles nearly 15% of Jordan’s total population now. Although some reside in camps, 83.5% of refugees reside in cities, often in informal settlements. Physical planning in Jordan is exercised in a highly centralized manner, undertaken according to the 1966 articles of the Law of Planning of Cities, Villages, and Buildings No. 79, and its various amendments. Little reform or empowerment is reflected in the 2015 decentralization law. Municipalities other than Amman lack administrative autonomy from the Ministry of Local Administration (MoLA), and have low capacity, financial autonomy or resources to introduce policies and manage urban development. However, with the new Local Administration law, it is expected that municipalities will gain further financial autonomy, with many UN agencies and international organizations working directly with municipalities to build their capacities and empower them technically and financially, through developing municipal urban development plans. The UN-Habitat Country Office of Jordan has been working on several projects which target refugees, IDPs and migrants in the country. At the national level, the office has been working on the development and application of a roadmap for a National Urban Policy to promote a participatory and inclusive approach to define a common urban vision for the country. This is through enhancing and ensuring the inclusion of all stakeholders, and the vulnerable populations in particular, which includes migrants and refugees. Amman and Irbid have been selected for the first phase of the UPIMC Programme in collaboration with the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and Greater Irbid Municipality (GIM). Under the first component, Spatial profiles for both Amman and Irbid Cities have been developed. These profiles needs to be updated based on the validation and vision formulation session(s).

Reporting Line The consultant will be hired and work under the overall supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Jordan Country Programme, work in coordination with the UPIMC Jordan Project Coordinator and in collaboration with the UPIMC Programme Manager in UN-Habitat HQ in Nairobi. Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19, any remote working will be explored and require specific arrangements on reporting and communication. The urban planner will work collaboratively with the UN-Habitat’s UPIMC Programme Management and Technical backstopping team at UN-Habitat’s Headquarters (in Nairobi), as well as with Habitat’s regional and country offices where relevant. The entire programme team also includes a network of Programme Teams spread across the 3 countries of the Programme.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Consultant will represent UN-Habitat and interact with all the stakeholders of the Programme; therefore he/she will be appointed on the basis of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. As a UN representative, he/she is expected to exhibit and adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct.

The consultant will be responsible for supporting the UPIMC project activities throughout Phase 1b (component 2) including:

1. Development of inclusive development scenarios & visions for selected areas that are prepared and agreed on in a participatory way. a. Detailed problem framing & scenario building for pilot area within city context b. Planning charrette to set out strategic vision for pilot area linked to city context

2. Preparation of an area action plan and identification of longlist of critical infrastructure investments which are validated by local beneficiaries a. Formulation of action plan and longlist outlining infrastructure projects b. Validation Session to endorse action plan and infrastructure priorities c. Finalisation and dissemination of action plan

3. Development of technical and financial reviews on prioritized investments that are agreed by relevant Ministries/authorities a. Develop localized criteria by which to prioritize investment b. Impact assessment framework of proposed infrastructure c. Preparation of technical and financial reviews of prioritized investment d. Present and validate potential prioritized projects to all partners

4. Prioritized investments to be consulted and discussed with potential financiers on their bankability. a. Consultations with financing institutions b. Cost estimates of prioritised infrastructure c. Formulation of innovative financing strategies through consultative meetings with development partners d. Understanding of requirements, including next steps, for feasibility studies and project preparation

5. Inputs and coordination support for preparation and facilitation of trainings, events, exchanges for local authorities and other stakeholders a. Support engagement of local authorities in global forums b. Capacity Building Sessions with local authorities to continue to monitor and guide infrastructure implementation

6. Inputs and coordination support for preparation and roll out of Data management systems, knowledge, and lessons learnt reports as well as assistance with project evaluation and reporting.

Qualifications/special skills Skills: – Strong analytical skills in relation to urban form, urban systems, underlying social, legal and financial mechanisms and the political context is desirable. – Strong communications skills, including writing, presenting, and facilitating workshops is desirable. – Ability to work independently and as part of a team in multi-national/ cultural environment and flexibility in understanding and accepting different assignments is desirable. – Ability to lead and provide technical guidance to an international team is desirable. – Ability to work under pressure, prioritize and meet deadlines; work well under time constraints while retaining attention to detail is desirable. – Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow is desirable.

Academic Qualifications: – Advanced degree in in Architecture, Urban Development and Planning, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: – At least 5 years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development and planning (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience is required. – Direct proven experience of urban infrastructure development projects/processes is desirable. – Experience of working on migration and displacement issues is desirable. – Understanding of and experience from managing urban data is desirable. – Experience working in the public sector, e.g. local governments is desirable. – Experience working on social change projects is desirable. – Facilitating, designing, and managing capacity building processes is desirable. – Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (and their monitoring/evaluation) and of the New Urban Agenda is desirable. – Working experience with international development organizations is desirable. – Clear knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches to urban development, planning and design, particularly in an international development context is required. – Ability to develop strong graphic materials (concept plans, diagrams, street sections) as well as substantive text reports is required. – Practical experience of project development from the perspectives of urban planning and design, migration and displacement, and resilience projects is desirable. – Proven experience in producing spatial planning, technical or policy recommendation reports is desirable.

Language: – English and French are the working languages of the United Nation Secretariat, for this position fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.

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.

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Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org