Programme Management Officer, Human Settlements Full-Time

Org. Setting and Reporting

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 current portfolio of UN-Habitat activities in Africa is expanding and there is urgent need for strengthening the capacity at country level as part of Regional Office for Africa (ROAf).

Mozambique is a highly susceptible country to risks and disasters. According to Global Climate Risk Index (2014), Mozambique falls in third place among the African countries that are most vulnerable to disasters such as floods, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes of small magnitude, among the most frequent and recurrent disasters. In the early months of 2019 (March and April), the cyclones Idai and Kenneth hit Mozambique causing a negative impact on the communities’ livelihoods. The disaster interrupted the delivery of basic services such as water and electricity, it damaged roads and bridges that are essential for commercial activity, and destroyed more than 300.000 houses, approximately 4000 classrooms were partially or/totally damaged and other social and public buildings. Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, with gusty winds ranging from 180 to 220 km/h accompanied by heavy rainfall, also had a huge social impact, causing the death of more than 650 people and directly affecting about 2 million people in the provinces of Sofala, Manica, Tete, Zambézia, Inhambane, Cabo Delgado and Nampula.

In this sense, UN-Habitat in Mozambique is carrying out since 2002 activities in different districts in the form of building models adapted to floods, cyclones, drought and earthquake conditions, in order to positively influence national strategy formulation and policy making. It advocates for a prevention approach, through Adaptive Architecture and Planning; in the response, it advocates for sustainable relief and reconstruction as opposite to emergency funds exclusively channeled for short-term solutions.

This position is located in Maputo duty station. Under the supervision of Head of Programme in Mozambique in coordination with the Senior Human Settlements Officer (SHSO) based in ROAf, the Human Settlement Officer (HSO) will act as coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilient Recovery portfolio in Mozambique and will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks in coordination with the teams at country level:

Responsibilities

• Supporting the Head of Programme in Mozambique to further develop the country programme and strengthen the Building Back Better and Urban Resilience approaches to increasing climate adaptation capacity and promoting the culture of resilience at all levels;
• Supporting the smooth implementation of on-going projects and activities at country level, including by carrying out field missions;
• Supporting country programme development including fund raising activities;
• Preparing progress reports to be sent to donors and circulated internally for ensuring greater coordination and information sharing within the agency;
• Supporting coordination and close collaboration between ROAf, Branches in the different thematic areas of the agency with country programme;
• Assisting in the preparation of Terms of Reference, Agreements of Cooperation and other substantive administrative issues;
• Representing UN-Habitat in Mozambique in joint programming activities (Delivering as One system);
• Managing, developing and maintaining close working relationships with relevant national and international partners, stakeholders and other UN agencies in Mozambique under the area of Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilient Recovery.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Possesses knowledge of and experience in disaster risk reduction, post-disaster resilient (re)-construction and climate change adaptation. 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;
• COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
• 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 AND 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.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Disaster Risk Management is required, Planning, Architecture or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with ttwo (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in country project management and in areas related to shelter, post-disaster recovery, resilient and sustainable construction of housing and infrastructure, multidisciplinary human settlements projects and programmes and environment is required;
• Experience in the area of resource mobilisation, especially in a UN environment, is required.
  Proven project management experience in UN inter-agency coordination in Africa and/or Mozambique is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in written and oral English and Portuguese is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This project post is open for recruitment for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Please note that extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines.

Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.