Programme Management Officer 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). In Mozambique, UN-Habitat is one of the leading partners in the fields of building back better, urban resilience and urban development.This position is located at the Regional Office for Africa (ROAf) in Maputo.

Mozambique is a highly susceptible country to risks and disasters. According to Global Climate Risk Index (2014), Mozambique falls in third place amongst 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, 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, displaced people, 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 7 of 11 provinces.

Furthermore, Mozambique is in a crucial phase of its development, since under the impulse of the big investments, considerable changes are happening in the economic and social geography of the Country. Urbanization rates have risen sharply in major cities and towns as a consequence of increased investment and employment opportunities, leading to challenges such as the growth of informal settlements and increased environmental risk, to which the Government is trying to respond. The share of urban population in the country is growing from one third now to 50% over the coming 30 years, resulting in an absolute growth from 9 million urban dwellers now to 30 million by 2050.

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. Also, UN-Habitat in Mozambique provides technical assistance and guidance for supporting sustainable urbanization practices with focus on urban development, risk reduction and resilience building to national, provincial and local governments, NGOs, Private Sector, Local authorities and Communities.

Under the supervision of Senior Human Settlements Officer (SHSO) in coordination with Director of Regional Office for Africa, the Habitat Programme Manager / Head of Programme (HPM /HoP) for Mozambique will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks in coordination with the teams at country level:

Responsibilities

a) Contributing to implementation and policy development by:

• Acting as the in-country liaison officer for UN-Habitat, with reference to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, SDGs and UN-Habitat Strategy (housing for all and sustainable human settlements), advocacy and coordination of the norms and principles of the global campaigns and implementation of global programmes;
• Applying a common administrative and financial framework for all projects operating under UN-Habitat;
• Participating in the formulation and implementation of multilateral programming instruments to ensure that Government key sectorial concerns and priorities are adequately reflected, bringing to bear UN-Habitat substantive knowledge and potential contribution, and striving to place UN-Habitat within the framework of the programming instruments:
• Supporting the smooth implementation of on-going projects and activities at country level, including by carrying out field and international missions when necessary.

b) Coordinating programme development, management and resource mobilization by:

• Providing leadership for the identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the projects and activities included in the Habitat Country Programme Development;
• Identifying and promoting programme opportunities, resource mobilization and extension of operational/organizational support to all UN-Habitat activities on sustainable settlements and urbanization;
• Providing leadership for development and management of partnerships, and mobilization of resources for implementation of the Habitat Country Programme Development;
• Ensuring the preparation of Terms of Reference, Memorandum of Understanding, Agreements of Cooperation and other substantive administrative issues including liaising with Regional Office for Africa and thematic UN-Habitat Branches.

c)Running the national office and sub-office by:

• Providing management leadership and be responsible for the day-to-day running of the UN Habitat office and sub-office in Mozambique;
• Providing supervision to staff, consultants and technical assistance teams recruited and deployed under the various projects within the Habitat Country Programme Development;
• Planning, managing and monitoring work of staff/consultants to be recruited.

d)Undertaking Coordination activities through:

• Representing UN-Habitat vis-à-vis the authorities and other partners;
• Active participation in the UN Country Team activities, and other UN common strategic planning through active involvement in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework:
• Liaising with Government and United Nations system at country level to promote their efforts to implement the system-wide strategy on sustainable urban and rural development, including the collaborative implementation framework and strengthen inter-agency processes of the United Nations Country Team;
• Acting as Liaison Officer for the Government and the broader sectorial constituency in policy related work and multilateral programming instruments;
• Supporting the national authorities and other stakeholders in participating and/or holding national and international events related to UN-Habitat’s;
• Promoting partnerships to contribute to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework in Mozambique;
• Mainstreaming global programmes, at the country level, including pro-poor housing, disaster risk reduction, building back better, integrated post-disaster recovery, urban resilience and climate change initiatives, gender equity, tenure, urban development and poverty reduction;
• Strengthening linkages and information flows between UN-Habitat, donors, UN System, local partners and the government through representation, liaison, networking and attendance at meetings.

e)Supporting Capacity building and knowledge management by:

• Sharing information on the availability of training and capacity building tools with external partners and assessing the degree of interest in applying them;
• Designing and implementing a results-based monitoring and evaluation system for normative activities such as policy support;
• Promoting knowledge management through good practices and reporting;
• Undertaking special assignments identified by ROAf, as required;
• Supporting elaboration of reports to be sent to donors, UN System and Government, ensuring quality control.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to negotiate with high-level Government, multi and bilateral technical and funding agency officials. Ability to present and debate in public forum and events the main policy and substantive messages related to the development issues identified with the Programme’s work. Familiar with UN policies, procedures and practices, including those relevant to technical cooperation projects. Good technical skills in programme and projects monitoring, execution and development, as well as recognised technical knowledge in the fields of disaster risk reduction and management, post-disaster recovery, urban resilience and development.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 the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• 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 management, architecture, urban planning, Engineering or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience on human settlements issues with recent direct experience in the formulation and implementation of human settlements programmes and projects is required;
• Experience with procedures related to technical cooperation, programme/project identification/formulation/appraisal/ implementation and evaluation and of programme management is desirable;
• Previous work experience of developing policy approaches and strategic plans for the implementation of human settlements programmes, and flexibility in their implementation under changing circumstances as well as in-depth knowledge of the Mozambique’s urban and rural development context and familiarity with the relevant policies, strategies and plans for sustainable development in Mozambique is an advantage.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency of Portuguese is required.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located. This position is therefore open to Mozambique nationals only.

Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.