The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the UN 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.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant’s main responsibility will be to support the activities of UN-Habitat’s SDG Localization and Local Governments Team, specifically in terms of (i) VLR methodology and tools development; project development and design; (iii) technical support to project implementation.

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Providing technical expertise for the implementation of projects, including mainly engagement with local consultants/teams and review of deliverables they submit, such as reports on data and stakeholder consultations.
• Providing technical expertise in developing and reviewing VLRs supported by the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team UN-Habitat offices, or developed by relevant partners.
• Providing technical expertise for the finalization and update of the Action-oriented VLR Methodology.
• Supporting the development and finalization of practical tools related to the Action-oriented VLR Methodology.
• Assisting in the review of research and policy documents linked to SDG localization, local governance and multilevel governance for the SDGs developed by UN-Habitat or its partners.
• Providing technical expertise to develop and review project proposals developed by the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team or other UN-Habitat colleagues.
• Engaging in partner meetings, events and workshops, including support to the development of preparatory and background material.
• Engaging in the team’s capacity-building activities targeting national, regional and local governments, including review of training material and support to delivering to beneficiaries.
• Conducting regular research on innovative tools and platforms for data analysis and management, including through attendance of relevant training sessions.
• Identifying and establishing opportunities for collaboration with other UN-Habitat teams working on SDG localization, local governments and multilevel governance as well as with UN-Habitat regional and country offices.

Reporting Line

• This post is located in the Urban Practices Branch of UN-Habitat and specifically within its SDG Localization and Local Governments Team. The incumbent will be supervised by the Human Settlements Officer coordinating the work of the team, and under direct supervision of the Chief of the Urban Practices Branch. The expert will work in proximity to the other members of the team as well as other units, sections and offices across the agency.

Requirements

Qualifications/special skills

• Masters Degree in Political Science, Social Sciences, Urban Studies, Architecture, Data and Statistics, Development Studies or other relevant area. Required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant working experience on issues related to sustainable development, urban planning, project management, and data and statistics.
• Working experience on the Agenda 2030 and the local implementation of the SDGs will be highly valued.

Languages

• Fluency in English is mandatory for this specific consultancy. Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.