Chief of Section, Programme Management at UN-Habitat

Responsibilities

• Plan, oversee and manage the work programme of the Land, Housing and Shelter Section; ensure that the programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion; coordinate and manage diverse projects in the Section, in collaboration/ consultation/ liaison with other organizational units within UN-Habitat, as well as other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and partners, as appropriate.
• Ensure that the normative outputs produced by the Land, Housing and Shelter Section are of high quality and developed in consultation with other Branches, Divisions, Regional/ Country/ Multi-Country Offices, as appropriate. Establish and lead Community of Practice on Land, Housing and Shelter.
• Carry out administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Land, Housing and Shelter Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters an critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.
• Recruit staff for the Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values; Manage, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision.
• Foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries.
• Provide policy guidance to the Chief of Branch on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional and UNHabitat policies and procedures in the areas of land management, security of tenure, universal access to housing and slum upgrading
• Prepare inputs for the work programme of the Urban Practices Branch, determining priorities and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Provide substantive input towards project/programme development and implementation in the areas of Land, Housing and Shelter, including allocation and assignment of human and normative resources, towards implementation of projects and programmes in the field which are not directly under the remit of the Section.
• Provide substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the UN-Habitat Assembly, the Executive Board and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
• Provide programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
• Contribute to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
• Represent the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc., as required.
• Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise, hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Provide substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners.
• Lead team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. 
• Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of theories, concepts and approaches related to land, shelter and housing. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in urban planning, urban management, housing, public policy, land management, law, governance or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in public administration, urban policy, urban management, land management, land policy, housing policy, slum upgrading, legislation, governance or related field is required. Experience in managing large, multi-country projects or programmes in the area of sustainable urban development is required. Experience in mobilizing resources for normative activities or operational projects in the area of housing or slum upgrading is required Experience working with the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.