Mission and objectives

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. Responding to crisis and post-crisis context is part of UN-Habitat’s mandate and strategic plan.

Context

In Ukraine, UN-Habitat is supporting national and subnational governments in their recovery efforts, linking short term reconstruction needs to longer term resilience solutions. At local level, UN-Habitat provides support to recovery planning efforts of local governments, through its Urban Lab established in Kyiv. The programme also strives to increasing Ukrainian urban planning and design capacities, through support to the civil society, academia, think tanks and practitioners among others. At national level, UN-Habitat provides support to the government of Ukraine, and more specifically to the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, on the development of national policies and instruments that guide regional and local governments’ urban recovery. UN-Habitat’s engagement towards a sustainable recovery of cities in Ukraine is underpinned by its efforts to strengthen the digital and data capacities of national, regional and local government entities to improve decision making and enable implementation of climate resilient recovery planning, through UNITAC, a collaboration between UN-Habitat, the UN Office for Information and Communication Technologies (OICT) and the HafenCity University (HCU).

Task Description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Head of the Country Office or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Translator/Interpreter will provide: Effective interpretation in support of office functions • The Translator/Interpreter delivers effective interpreting services at meetings, site visits, negotiations, and other stakeholder engagement formats. • The Translator/Interpreter ensures the full and precise delivery of bidirectional English–Ukrainian/Russian verbal communications between UN-Habitat personnel and other stakeholders as and when required for the purposes of implementation of UN-Habitat portfolios, as well as finance, HR, administration, communication, or partnerships functions. • In consultation with relevant stakeholders, the Translator/Interpreter selects the appropriate mode of interpreting (consecutive or simultaneous) and, where necessary, or coordinates interpreting with any external providers involved. • The Translator/Interpreter is available to go on official travel to project sites and meeting locations within Ukraine upon reasonable notice. • Provide administrative support before, during and after meetings/events, including agendas, invitations and minutes. Effective translation, recording, and retention of information relevant to office functions • The Translator/Interpreter delivers translations, as well as records and retains information relevant to office functions. • The Translator/Interpreter performs translation of received documents/communication/knowledge products etc, and ensures product quality and cross-document continuity, maintaining glossaries and terminology bases as necessary. • The Translator/Interpreter effectively coordinates translation work where external providers are involved. • The Translator/Interpreter records information in the form of meeting minutes and similar products. Support to the office team in high-quality communication with stakeholders and partners • The Translator/Interpreter supports the office team in high-quality communication with stakeholders and partners. • The Translator/Interpreter produces and contributes to products that include but are not limited to briefs, updates, reports, media publications etc. This work may require researching and retrieving background and analytical data from internal and external sources as assigned by the requesting unit. • The Translator/Interpreter undertakes/supports meeting organization and coordination, drafts/contributes to background materials, talking points, and other meeting-related products, as well as performs other tasks related to stakeholder communication as instructed. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing • The Translator/Interpreter provides sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learned and disseminating best practices in translation/interpretation. • The Translator/Interpreter collects feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilizes these productively. • The Translator/Interpreter may be required to perform additional tasks as requested by the supervisor.

Competencies and values

• Teamwork • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

Living conditions and remarks

As it is a national UN Volunteer’s assignment, the UN volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves. Entitlements of National UN Volunteer The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy with the possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. This is a full-time contract. Allowances: • Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): USD 1587 (equivalent in UAH) is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities, and normal cost of living expenses. This includes Well-Being Differentials for the period while the ICSC applies hardship classification to duty stations in Ukraine as “E”. • USD 400 entry lump sum, one-time payment. Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the Commencement of Service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer Contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. If a UN Volunteer dies during the UN Volunteer assignment, the eligible designated beneficiaries will be entitled to receive a life insurance lump sum. Leave entitlements: • Annual leave: UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave may not be carried over in case of reassignment or a new assignment. • Learning leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period. • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive seven days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. This amount will be reset at the established interval period.