Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist at UN-Habitat

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Snr. Programme Management Officer/Project Manager, the ESS specialist will be responsible for the following duties: Environmental Safeguards

• Support counties and municipalities to integrate the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA, 1999; amended 2015) in the county and municipal level integrated plans as well as the planning and design of UIG projects.
• Assist municipalities to prepare environmental screening reports, Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) for sub-projects and adherence to environmental risk management requirements as provided in the KUSP2 ESHSM manual.
• Advise municipalities to incorporate environmental clauses in works contracts and ensure that contractors comply with environmental permit conditions.
• Provide guidance to municipalities on waste management, occupational health and safety (OHS), pollution control, and biodiversity conservation.
• Support municipalities with monitoring and compliance tracking of ESMP and implementation of Contractors’ ESMP (C-ESMP), ensuring strict adherence to environmental safeguard requirements.
• Train and/or participate in training of county and municipal staff on environmental risk management and environmental audit processes.
• Accompany municipal officials on field visits to sub-project locations to assess environmental compliance and provide recommendations on corrective action.
• Support municipalities to maintain an updated database on environmental compliance status for all sub-projects.

Social Safeguards

• Provide technical support to municipalities in integrating social safeguards in project planning and implementation.
• Support municipalities to prepare and effectively implement social screening, social risk assessments, and social management plans for all infrastructure sub-projects.
• Guide municipalities in addressing social risks, including land acquisition, displacement, involuntary resettlement, gender considerations, and the inclusion of Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs).
• Support stakeholder engagement and public participation processes by municipalities, ensuring inclusion and compliance with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) where required.
•  Support municipalities to monitor compliance with labor management procedures, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation measures, and grievance handling mechanisms.
• Assist municipalities to prepare social safeguards reports.
• Support municipalities to conduct periodic social audits and field assessments to evaluate the impact of infrastructure sub-projects on local communities.
• Train and/or participate in trainings for municipal social officers on social risk management, stakeholder engagement, and handling of grievances.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field is required.
• A first- level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least five (5) years of experience in environmental and social risk management, including at least two (2) similar assignments, with at least one (1) assignment in the last five (5) years is required.
• Experience in infrastructure investment projects and compliance with international environmental and social standards is required.
• Experience in environmental and social risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, grievance redress, and gender mainstreaming is desirable.
• One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
• Registration with a professional association is required. Strong knowledge of Kenya’s environmental and social regulatory frameworks.
• Familiarity with environmental risk assessment, ESIA, and ESMP implementation.
• Experience working in hardship environments is desirable.
• Proven ability to work in multi-agency settings and to engage with devolved government structures.
• Work experience within the United Nations System or similar organization is desirable.