CONSULTANT VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Date: 16 February 2015
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:UN-HABITAT
DUTY STATION:Nairobi, Kenya with travel as needed
FUNCTIONAL TITLE:Consultant (Urban Finance),Urban Economy Branch,
DURATION:20 working days over a period of 2 months
CLOSING DATE:16 March 2015
COMPENSATION:USD 500 per day; USD 10,000 total
I. Background
Organization: UN-Habitat is the United Nations agency working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.
Planned City Extension: Planned City Extension (PCE) and/or Planned City Infill (PCI) Development is a key initiative for UN-Habitat. PCE/I is an alternative to unplanned urban expansion. It does not require the expansion of municipal boundaries, but rather plans for population growth in a way that supports extension or densification of well-planned, economically vibrant urban space, including infrastructure and services. PCE is a methodology to address sustainable urban growth at a required scale including the provision of a quality and connected street network, sufficient public space, serviced buildable plots, etc. for cities/countries that are urbanising rapidly.
3-Legged Approach: An integral component of UN-Habitat’s PCE/I initiative is the 3-legged approach to planning and implementation. This methodology combines (1) urban planning and design, (2) urban legislative and regulatory frameworks, and (3) urban finance. The theory behind the 3-legged approach is that quality urban planning alone cannot achieve implementation and needs the support of targeted regulations and an implementable financial plan.
Technical Advising in Urban Finance: Developing a realistic and implementable financial plan is crucial to the successful implementation of Planned City Extensions since they typically require substantial investments in infrastructure and frequently land acquisition. The Urban Economy Branch of UN-Habitat has provided technical advising on the finance leg of the 3-legged approach to PCE in a number of cities worldwide. Typically this involves a baseline assessment of financial capacity and financing options, a calculation of implementation costs and revenues, and a workshop with city leaders to develop a strategy to finance planned infrastructure.
Because there is ongoing demand for technical advising in this area, there is a need to review past technical advising experiences in order to improve the approach and consolidate it into a Technical Advising Package on Financing Planned City Extension.
Purpose: The purpose of this consultancy is to assist UN-Habitat staff to review, improve, and consolidate technical advising efforts into a Technical Advising Guidebook on Financing Planned City Extension. The Guidebook will assist UN-Habitat staff and consultants in continuing to deliver technical advising. Creation of the Guidebook will occur through two primary activities: (1) an internal workshop with UN-Habitat staff and consultants, and (2) a pilot of a component of the Technical Advising Guidebook through a workshop with Rwanda’s Achieving Sustianable Urban Development (ASUD) Programme focussing on secondary cities.
II. Tasks and responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the Urban Economy Branch, the tasks and responsibilities of the expert are as follows:
- Review UN-Habitat’s existing work in Technical Advising related to financing planned city extensions and/or Planed City Infill development
- Provide technical guidance to UN-Habitat on the structure of Technical Advising outputs and methods
- Lead an internal workshop to improve and document UN-Habitat’s Technical Advising Package on Financing Planned City Extension
- Create draft Technical Advising Guidebook from the results of internal workshop
- Pilot and test some elements of the Technical Advising Guidebook through a finance training workshop with ASUD Rwanda in partnership with UN-Habitat staff
- Evaluate and document the results of the pilot experience; update the Technical Advising Guidebook in accordance with pilot outcomes
III. Expected outputs
- Review of UN-Habitat’s existing technical advising experienced related to Financing Planned City Extension including recommendations for improvement (2-5 pages)
- Internal workshop to improve technical advising services on Financing Planned City Extension, including workshop agenda and components
- Draft Technical Advising Guidebook for Financing Planned City Extension. The Guidebook will be based on conventional knowledge and practice, and the outcomes of the internal workshop and inputs from UN-Habitat staff and consultants. It will include the following sections:
- Purpose of technical advising described in the Guidebook (1 page)
- Applicability, intended recipients, and contextual factors for delivery of the technical advising described in the Guidebook (2 pages)
- Components and methods and steps of the technical advising (10-25 pages)
- Detailed expected outcomes of technical advising including outcome templates or tables of contents (5-15 pages)
- Personnel requirements for use of the Technical Advising Guidebook, including major activities, approximate time requirements, and necessary qualifications of those delivering the technical advising (1-2 pages)
- Sample budget for delivery of the technical advising described in the Guidebook (1-2 pages)
- ASUD Rwanda Training Workshop including workshop agenda and components
- Evaluation Report on pilot of Technical Advising Guidebook components through ASUD Rwanda (2-5 pages)
- Revised and finalized Technical Advising Guidebook for Financing Planned City Extension, based on pilot experience with ASUD Rwanda
IV. Reporting
The consultant will report to Mr. Gulelat Kebede, Coordinator, Urban Economy Branch.
V. Duration
20 days over a period of 2 months.
Successful completion of this assignment will likely lead to further opportunities for additional contract work to conduct trainings and technical advising across East Africa and worldwide.
VI. Payment schedule
Payment will be made in two instalments:
- USD 5,000 after completion of the internal workshop and receipt of the Draft Technical Advising Guidebook for Financing Planned City Extension
- USD 5,000 after completion of the ASUD Rwanda workshop and receipt of all final deliverables
Any travel expenses related to the Kenya Municipal Programme workshop will be covered by UN-Habitat.
VII. Academic qualifications and experience
The successful candidate should have at least a Master’s degree in urban finance or a related field and at least 5 years’ experience related to issues of municipal finance in developing countries, including expertise in revenue enhancement, creditworthiness, public-private partnerships, and land value capture. He/she must have a proven record of success conducting workshops and trainings in a variety of international contexts. He/she must also have good speaking and writing skills in the English language.
VIII. Languages
This assignment relies upon fluency in and use of the English language. Knowledge of French or Kinyarwanda is an asset.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications should include:
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
• CV in the PHP format, accessible through the INSPIRA website (inspira.un.org) Please note, if using INSPIRA for the first time, you need to register in order to activate your account, which will allow you to log in and create a personal History Profile.
• The PHP should be attached to the application as a PDF file.
• Summary CV (maximum 2 pages), indicating the following information:
- Educational Background (incl. dates)
- Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)
- Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)
- Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments
- Expectations regarding remuneration
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
All applications should be submitted to:
Mr. Anne Kuria
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: anne.kuria@unhabitat.org
Fax: + 254 20 7625325
Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the
UN-HABITAT e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 16 March 2015
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:recruitment@unon.org