Urban Planning Specialist

Vacancy Announcement
Issued on:

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:

UN-HABITAT

DUTY STATION:

Nairobi, Kenya. Subject to travels if required

FUNCTIONAL TITLE:

Urban Planning Specialist

DURATION:

6 months (April-September 2015)

CLOSING DATE:

7 April 2015

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
The Urban Planning and Design Branch of UN-Habitat support countries in developing urban planning methods and systems that address current urbanization challenges. It promotes urban planning approaches to address rapid urban growth and urban transformation processes in countries with rapid urbanization processes and where cities face a backlog of services and housing.
The Urban Planning and Design Branch consists of three units:, The City Planning, Extension and Design Unit (CPEDU), the Regional and Metropolitan Planning Unit (RMPU) and the Climate Change Planning Unit (CCPU).
The Urban Planning and Design Lab (UPD Lab)is a part of City Planning, Extension and Design Unit (CPEDU) and provides planning support to projects on the field and in the Headquarters. The objectives of the Urban Planning and Design Lab are; to provide tangible pilot projects for sustainable development; to develop an implementation strategy for urban development projects; accurate project management; and development of portfolio of expertise that offers services to local authorities
The key activities of the Urban Planning and Design Lab are:

• Planned city extensions
• City wide strategies
• Planned city infills
• Project Management Strategies

RESPONSIBILITIES
The current position will involve activities with the CPEDU during the six months of duration of the contract.
Under the supervision of the Leader of the City Planning, Extension and Design Unit and the Head of the Urban Planning and Design Lab, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Assist in the design and implementation processes of spatial frameworks, urban concepts and proposals of the current projects of the Urban Planning and Design Lab portfolio; among others Accra and Ningo Pram Pram, Johannesburg, Myanmar and Kenya.
• Assist in the design and implementation of spatial frameworks, urban concepts and proposals of the current projects develop under the ASUD programme (Achieving Sustainable Urban Development); among others: Colombia, Rwanda, Egypt
• Support of normative activities and organization of workshops in relation to Habitat 3 preparatory process (at Prepcom2) and UN-Habitat Governing Council
• Establish functional and productive working relationships with relevant branches and regional offices within UN-Habitat, as well as within the UN system and urban institutions focused on sustainable urban development;
• Develop together with the Head of the Urban Planning and Design Lab a portfolio of achievements and services

Under the supervision of the Leader of the City Planning, Extension and Design Unit, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Build and create linkages with institutions currently working on urban and city planning
• Develop Concept Notes and documentation on Urban Planning and Design for donors and clients
• Organise meetings and events in relation to the preparation of Habitat 3 and UN-Habitat Governing council.
• Assist in preparing responses and in the follow-up to initial set up phase of urban planning projects and demands
• Establish functional and productive working relationships with relevant branches and regional offices within UN-Habitat, as well as within the UN system and urban institutions focused on sustainable urban development;
• Mobilise additional resources (internally and externally) to support the sustainability of the Portfolio of the Unit and develop project proposals;
• Review on behalf of the Unit proposals submitted to Project Advisory Group (PAG) and provide urban planning inputs to other internal and external documents.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXPECTED DELIVERABLES:
For the CPEDU and the UPD Lab, the consultant will be expected to produce a range of deliverables including:

• Timesheet
• Spatial framework, urban proposal and plans to support the sustainable development of client cities (6);
• Events outlines, programmes, briefs and reports (2)
• Concept notes and review of documents reports (6)

EDUCATION

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban/Regional Planning, Architecture, Geography, Economics, Political Science or related field that is relevant for urban policy analysis. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

WORK EXPERIENCE
A minimum of four years of experience in urban planning, sustainable urban development and sustainability, including policy analysis, with relevant experience in developing countries, a significant part of which should be directly related to different aspects of urban planning such as urban development, international cooperation, strategic planning or land management. Work experience in the UN and/or international organization is an asset.
Ability to work with minimal supervision and with good sense of initiative to keep the supervisor regularly informed of progress.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the consultancies advertised, excellent proficiency in English, both verbal and written, is required. Ability in verbal and/or written Spanish and French will be desirable

REMUNERATION

Payments will be based on a monthly basis subject to satisfactory delivery of agreed monthly targets and work-plans over the consultancy period. The rate will be determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid as per agreement. The cost of organising meetings and training events will be supported by UN-Habitat, including DSA.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications should include:

• Cover memo or motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• 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
• UN Personal History Form (please use the United Nations standard personal history form available upon request or via: http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=24&catid=435&id=3867)
• Proof of relevant work (at least two)

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

All applications should be submitted to:
Mr. Geoffrey Oluoch
UN-Habitat
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email:Geoffrey.Oluoch@unhabitat.com
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

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