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. UN-Habitat is initiating its activities in Ukraine and there is an urgent need to fulfil the position of a Liaison and Policy Advice Officer as part of the UN-Habitat programme in Ukraine.

The UN-Habitat Programme team in Ukraine has launched the implementation of UN-Habitat’s mandate in response to the ongoing emergency situation, in collaboration with the Urban Lab. UN-Habitat’s country programme has a focus on implementation of projects at sub-regional and country level, mainly related to urban recovery in crisis and postcrisis contexts, Internally Displaced People (IDP), development of urban profiles to identify the immediate and long-term rehabilitation/recovery needs of the built environment, including damaged housing and public facilities and utilities, to inform strategic and actionable approaches to urban recovery, and support the fundraising activities for programme development.

UN-Habitat is now seeking to strengthen its team by engaging a Liaison and Policy Advice Officer to support delivery of urban recovery initiatives in Ukraine. A key component of the position is to ensure a continuous engagement and coordination with national, regional and local governmental entities, as well as other stakeholders and partners within the urban recovery sector in Ukraine. A strong coordination and alignment between UN-Habitat’s engagement and the Ukrainian recovery agenda is needed for an impactful outcome and result.

This position is located at UN-Habitat in Ukraine under the direct supervision of the Head of the Country Programme responsible for UN-Habitat programming in Ukraine, as well as the technical lead on urban recovery planning. The Liaison and Policy Advice Officer will work closely with UN-Habitat team in Ukraine and its partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and main responsibilities

The incumbent is expected to fulfill the following general duties and responsibilities:

Liaison and Partnerships:

1. Supports liaison and engagement with relevant parties in Ukraine, including but not limited to national, regional and local governments and other stakeholders; identifies and tracks follow-up actions;
2. Facilitate cooperation mechanisms between UN-Habitat’s implementing partners, partner municipalities and central level institutions;
3. Undertakes outreach activities; participates in the development of training workshops, seminars, etc.; support public participation in matters related to urban planning, urban recovery and digital solutions; participates in and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities;
4. Contributes to the broader engagement of UN-Habitat in Ukraine, including engagement with national and local government counterparts, UN agencies and INGOs active in Ukraine and relevant civil society actors, relevant for UN-Habitat? s engagement in the country;
5. Gathers information from experts to represent UN-Habitat at external meetings and events, when needed;

Policy and Research:

1. Carries out basic research on selected aspects related to Ukrainian policy developments, urban recovery including collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources;
2. Provides substantive support for policy coordination and evaluation functions, including the review and analysis of emerging issues and trends, participation in Government meetings, evaluations or research activities and studies;
3. Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc;

Programme Support:

1. Works with key partners and stakeholders to facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of UN-Habitat’s work in Ukraine; monitors and analyzes specific aspects of programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and recommends corrective actions;
2. In close collaboration with relevant technical personnel, supports on initial engagement, coordination and communication with stakeholders;
3. Provides administrative and substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying and proposing participants, preparation of background documents and presentations, handling logistics, etc;
4. Participates in field missions, including provision of substantive and administrative support, data collection, etc;
5. Performs other duties as required.

Results Expected:

The ultimate result of this assignment is to provide strategic and technical support to sustainable recovery and urbanization of cities and towns in Ukraine, including the implementation and localization of the SDGs and New Urban Agenda.

Reporting requirements

The Liaison and Policy Advice Officer will work under the overall supervision of the Head of the Country Programme and the direct supervision by the designated technical lead, both based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Working location and travel

The assignment is expected to be conducted from the UN-Habitat office in Kyiv. The position may include travel to field locations required for site visits, technical missions and engagement with stakeholders and partners.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector, functional area or other specialized field. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to assist with data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Communication: Excellent and effective written and oral skills; ability to persuade people with varying points of view and to present information in a concise and accurate manner, ability to clearly communicate links between the organizations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or

A first-level university degree in combination with (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in the field of urban development, policy making, planning and design (and/or related fields) with direct proven experience of programme/project management is required;
• Direct proven experience of urban development and/or planning projects/processes on a territorial and/or local level, in combination with e.g. policy making, urban resilience, mobility, project finance, and/or data systems is required;
• Understanding of and experience from managing urban data is an asset;
• Experience working in the public sector, e.g. national and/or subnational governments is an asset;
• Experience from the country or from other urban crisis/post-crisis contexts is an asset;
• Experience from capacity building processes is an asset;
• Working knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (and their monitoring/evaluation) and of the New Urban Agenda is an asset;
• Working experience with international development agencies and in particular the United Nations is an asset.

Language

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and Ukrainian (both spoken and written) is required.

Special Considerations:

The candidate should be familiar with, and committed to the goals of UN-Habitat, and have:

• Clear knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches to urban development, planning and design, particularly in an international development context including crisis and/or post-crisis contexts;
• Understanding of urban development frameworks and systems in Ukraine, underlying social, legal and financial mechanisms and the political context;
• Practical experience of design and implementation of urban planning and design projects, including experience in thematic areas e.g. mobility, resilience, climate/environment, project finance and smart-city technologies and concepts;
• Strong communications skills, including writing, presenting and facilitating workshops;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in multi-national/ cultural environment and flexibility in understanding and accepting different assignments;
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize and meet deadlines; work well under time constraints while retaining attention to detail, and;
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow.