UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable and resilient towns and cities. It is the focal point agency 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.

In Jordan, UN-Habitat has been working with national and local stakeholders on multiple integrated focus areas, including policy development, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation, public spaces, COVID-19 socio-economic response, WASH, food security, as well as infrastructure and basic services. The UN-Habitat Country Office of Jordan has been working on several projects which work on enhancing the inclusion, participation, and enhanced socioeconomic conditions of all stakeholders, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations in urban areas.

Habitat is implementing several initiatives to improve access to reliable services and socio-economic opportunities for migrants and refugees in urban settlements. The initiatives focus on activities that develop a common understanding of the issues affecting cities, towns and neighborhoods, mapping provisions and gaps in public infrastructure services in coordination with humanitarian interventions. UN-Habitat’s work endeavours to support connecting short-term humanitarian responses with long-term development interventions to enable more comprehensive and inclusive development.

Additionally, UN-Habitat, is supporting the municipalities’ in developing their Voluntary Local Review (VLRs) with a strong recognition of the importance of data collection and management for the planning decision-making process and the sustainability of cities. The VLRs aim at contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, by focusing on local action. VLRs are an essential tool to assess a city’s progress in achieving sustainable development goals and identifying areas for improvement.

Furthermore, one of the keys focuses of the program is on public space development to enhance socioeconomic conditions. UN-Habitat recognizes that well-designed and accessible public spaces are crucial in fostering social cohesion and economic opportunities. By engaging communities in the planning and transformation of public spaces, the program creates vibrant and inclusive environments that encourage interaction among diverse populations.

The scope of work will also ensure significant contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by supporting the selected cities and neighborhoods to become increasingly inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

The UN-Habitat Jordan team now seeks to strengthen its capability in the delivery of these programmes by engaging an urban planner with experience in the regional context.

Position Purpose: 

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Head of Country programme or the Human Settlements Officer, the Urban Programme Officer is assigned to fulfill the following responsibilities:

Key Duties and Accountabilities:

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

The National Programme Officer ensures proper and effective coordination with the government counterparts focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Support in effective and timely implementation of UN-Habitat programmes by providing appropriate technical support.
• Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitor and analyze specific aspects of programme/project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; liaise with relevant parties; and identify follow-up actions.
• Develop new programmes and drafting concept notes and project proposals, and support in the development of Project and Programme Review Committee documents.
• Provide technical support to the project team in the area of data analysis and report writing.
• Coordinate capacity building opportunities and initiatives of key institutions and mechanisms.
• Provide partners and the local government with assistance, training, and capacity development initiatives as needed.
• Provide technical inputs to the establishment of an effective monitoring system for the delivery of project results.
• Identify best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of projects/programmes and disseminate information.
• Participate in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in Jordan’s Governance Results Groups, specifically to identify synergies and areas for possible greater joined up programming.
• Undertake assessment and collect up-to-date information for new projects/initiatives to improve the living conditions of the people in the Southern Governorates.
• Perform any other duty.

Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in architecture, Urban Development and Planning, or a related field is required.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

• 5-6 years with a bachelor’s degree or (3-4) years with a master’s degree years of progressively responsible experience in the field of urban development and planning (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience is required.
• Working experience with international development agencies is required.
• Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and of the New Urban Agenda required.
• Technical reports writing skills and a high-level of computer literacy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, AutoCAD) is required.
• Good personal organization, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and demonstration of self-motivated persistent follow-up with diverse executing entities including office visits and field follow-up.
• Clear knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches to urban development, planning and design, particularly in international development, is essential.
• Strong analytical skills in relation to urban form, urban systems, underlying social, legal and financial mechanisms and the political context are essential.
• Ability to develop strong graphic materials (concept plans, diagrams, street sections) as well as substantive text reports is essential.
• Fluency in Adobe Suite software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) is required.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in multi-national/ cultural environment and flexibility in understanding and accepting different assignments is required.
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize and meet deadlines; work well under time constraints while retaining attention to detail.
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow.

Language requirements: 

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of another UN official language will be an advantage.

Expected Demonstration of Competencies:

People Management (Insert below standard sentence if the position has direct reports.)

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Keywords:

List 3-5 most important skills from competencies required for the position – limited to 1-3-word descriptions – that will help inform workforce planning of critical skill supply and demand.

1. Professionalism (Perform defined tasks).
2. Delivery (Meets goals and timelines).
3. Teamwork (collaboration, partnership and Team spirit).

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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