Urban Planner

Result of Service The consultant will support the national visioning exercise to update the NSDF document with the aim at improving the general spatial planning framework in Guinea through participatory approaches and implement key milestones of the SANITA project with high quality standards. The consultant will also lead the implementation of the SANITA capacity building component through the execution of the Cooperation Agreement with ISAU and the training cycle for SPAT towards capacity strengthening and knowledge management purpose.

Work Location Conakry

Expected duration Six months

Duties and Responsibilities Organizational Setting

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.

Guinea has an urbanization rate that is in line with the African average: 37% in 2014 according to United Nations reports (UNDESA, 2014). This figure, which was 28% in 1990, is likely to reach 56% by 2050, that is to say that the urban population estimated at 4.4 million in 2014 will increase by 67.9% and will reach 13.7 million in 2050. The country is moving towards urban transition and needs to prepare. To this end, appropriate measures must be taken, implemented and regularly monitored by the authorities and the population in order to improve the ongoing urbanization process, both in Conakry and in secondary or tertiary cities and in the villages. The new neighbourhoods that constitute the predominant landscape in many urban agglomerations are generally composed of precarious and unhealthy dwellings and suffer from a lack of local public services and the absence of an integrated and well-functioning sanitation system.

With a view to contributing to the improvement of urban living conditions in Guinea, the European Union in collaboration with the Government of Guinea has adopted urban sanitation as a focal sector in the National Indicative Program (PIN) of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). The urban development and sanitation program in Guinea (abbreviated SANITA) jointly decided by the two stakeholders is divided into two specific objectives namely: (i) strengthen urban governance at local and national level that will be realized with the technical support of UN-Habitat (component 1); and (ii) improve the access of urban populations in the Conakry and Kindia neighborhoods to basic sanitation services with the support of the Belgian development agency "Enabel" (Component 2).

Component 1 is placed under the tutelage of the Ministry in charge of Housing and Territorial Development. The activities are carried out in collaboration with national and local public or private institutions including community organizations or civil society. Emphasis is being placed on the engagement of women and youth.

The expected results of this component are: - Outcome 1 (R1): Institutional capacities for the implementation and monitoring of framework documents are strengthened; - Outcome 2 (R2): A national urban policy defining the strategic orientations, roles and responsibilities of the different actors is developed and validated; - Outcome 3 (R3): The implementation of the National Planning Scheme (SNAT) of 1991 is evaluated and new strategic orientations (white paper) defined and validated; - Outcome 4 (R4): Capital city planning documents, with appropriate action plans taking into account aspects of climate change, are developed and validated in a participatory manner; - Outcome 5 (R5): Priority pilot projects are developed and implemented through the creation or strengthening of inclusive consultation spaces and multi-actor dialogue.

Reporting line The Consultant will work under the supervision of the CTA (Technical Advisor Chief) for Guinea Projects in Guinea.

Duties and responsibilities The consultant will perform the following tasks:

i. Organize the feedback and validation mechanisms of the institutional diagnosis and capacity development action plan with national counterparts; ii. Implement five key quick-wins of the capacity development action plan in coordination with the Ministry in charge of Housing and Territorial Development (MUHAT); iii. Provide technical orientations for the execution of the internal awareness and information/ training cycle with MUHAT officers; provide technical and management inputs for the implementation of the training cycle of the Permanent Secretariat for Regional Planning and ensure quality control; iv. Finalize prep documentation for the 5-day visioning workshop with the aim to update the National Spatial Development Framework document (NSDF) through a participatory approach with the national counterparts and stakeholders, and provide organisational and facilitation support; review and provide inputs to the macro-economic and territorial diagnosis; v. Provide the required orientations and inputs, and ensure high quality content of training modules, urban research and didactic materials being produced by the Higher Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning (ISAU); vi. Develop one concept note in support of the project portfolio development and participate in the PMT when required; vii. Provide substantive inputs to the technical steering committee sessions of the SANITA project; viii. Provide high standards inputs for the quality review of graphic design services proposals and develop different graphic design proposals for the project; ix. Provide technical inputs to SANITA reporting on the capacity strengthening and SNAT components; x. Input the database of the project with photos, GIS maps, geographical information, documents, files etc. for the database of the project; xi. Produce meetings notes and reports, stories, presentations, publications and visibility materials lay-out and design etc. as required (recurrent)

Qualifications/special skills Skills •Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to urban planning and urban development issues •Knowledge of the Guinean Public Administration Ecosystem •Ability to develop graphic materials (infographics, diagrams, schemes, layout) for the project needs •Ability to work independently with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner and often under pressure •Ability to write project documents, organize event/workshop and conduct training •Sound judgment and excellent analytical skills, ability to plan and organize work

Academic Qualifications : •A Master's Degree in architecture, urban planning, social sciences, civil engineering, or related field is required.

Experience: At least five years of progressive work experience in the development and implementation of urban planning & housing projects. Technical capacity to draft and review specialized reports and documents on urban planning is required. Working experience with the public administration and the educational/ university system in Western Africa, notably in Guinea, is required.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written French is required.

Additional Information Professionalism: Demonstrates conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills to conduct research and analysis using various resources; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; observes deadlines and achieving results; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, respecting deadlines and achieving results;

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, interprets their messages correctly and responds appropriately; asks questions for clarification and exhibits interest in two-way communication; adapts language, tone, style and format to the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed; excellent capacity to produce and manipulate graphic materials and documents;

Teamwork: works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits contributions and values the ideas and expertise of others; is willing to learn from others; puts the interests of his/her team before personal interests; supports and acts in accordance with the group's final decision, even when such decisions do not fully reflect his/her own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings;

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.

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.