Careers at UN-Habitat

BACKGROUND TO CONSULTANCY

• Under the overall supervision of the Programme Coordinator Climate Change and Urban Environment and in close collaboration with colleagues from the Climate Change and Urban Environment Section and climate focal points across the agency, the incumbent will be required to perform the following functions:

IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities and Innovate4Cities: 

• Lead on IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities housing elements translating global analysis into policy, programmatic and country-level applications.

NDC3.0: Strengthening the Urban Content of the NDCs / Multilevel Climate Action

• Lead the development and country-level application of NDC implementation capacity-building
• Capture and systematize lessons learned to inform UN-Habitat's broader NDC implementation ap-proach
• Lead the Urban Content in NDCs 3.0: Housing and Informal Settlements spinoff,

Programme Development and Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor – RISE UP

• Develop the CCUE-S housing-climate portfolio through resource mobilization and strategic partnerships 
• Act as focal point for Housing and Slum Upgrading Section and housing; Asia-Pacific and Section Work Plan including working on programme development (housing entry point)

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

• The consultancy will advance the Climate Change and Urban Environment Section's Workplan with a particular emphasis on the analysis of urban content of NDCs and their implementation through global and regional tools and direct collaboration with country offices and their partners. It will further advance the Section's capacity to respond to requests pertaining to the housing / informal settlements and climate change nexus. Specific deliverables are listed below:

Qualifications/special skills

• Minimum advanced university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in Urban planning, Architecture, environmental management, public policy or relevant field is required.
• A first degree with 2 additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• A minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in architecture and urban planning and design, project management and stakeholder engagement, ideally gained at the international level is required, including working on urban climate change mitigation and/or adaptation is required. Proven experience in green-buildings solutions and climate resilient housing and urban design is re-quired.
• Proven experience in communicating and visualizing urban climate change knowledge is required.
• Proven experience with NDC development and implementation is required.
• Familiarity with capacity development in an international environment is desirable.

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Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop knowledge products, events, and strategic engagements for SURGe visibility and advocacy. • Facilitate effective and productive engagement with the Bratislava Hub and the Slovak Republic.
• Develop guidelines, workshop materials and partner engagement to help member states in the implementation of NDCs 3.0 with strong urban content, under SURGe.
• Develop Resource Mobilization for multilevel climate action and the operationalization of SURGe regional hubs, including the identification of strategic opportunities and the development of pitch materials. SURGe Secretariat – Focal point for regional and country engagement
• Work on the day-to-day operations and engagement with SURGe regional coordinators, including check-in and reporting mechanisms, co-development of products and fostering of collaborations.
• Work with the SURGe regional coordinators in their regional and country rollout, including country prioritization, materials development and workshop delivery.
• Work closely with SURGe regional coordinators and SURGe countries in localizing and tailoring guidelines and materials for NDC implementation, including national implementation strategies and local climate action plans.
• Facilitate the identification of opportunities for collaboration and synergies between SURGe and RISE UP countries. Science-Innovation-Policy-Action Nexus – Innovate4Cities and IPCC engagement • Develop and implement the rollout strategy for Innovate4Cities 2028.
• Facilitate the translation and increased impact of the IPCC SR Cities, including the development of a workplan ahead of its launch
• Facilitate partner and donor engagement, organization of strategic events, and preparation of technical products. Climate-Crisis Nexus – Focal Point
• Ensure CCUE-S’ involvement in UN-Habitat’s crisis work, providing climate entry points and strategic guidance.
• Map priorities and facilitate strategic conversations and collaborations with internal and external partners.
• Develop ad-hoc knowledge products, advisory and pitches for example related to El Nino and the conflicts in Ukraine etc. Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) - Co-focal point
• Ensure Co-lead CCUE-S’ engagement with ROLAC, including liaising with ROLAC colleagues to co-create knowledge products,
• Organize events, and identification of opportunities for joint resource mobilization and NDC 3.0 implementation. 

Qualifications/special skills

• Minimum advanced university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Policy, Urban/Regional Planning, Environment Studies, International Development or a relevant field is required. A first degree with 2 additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• A minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in urban management, project management and stakeholder engagement, ideally gained at the international level is required, including working on urban climate change mitigation and/or adaptation.
• Familiarity with research and academic processes and academic partnerships at the international level is required.
• Proven experience in communicating urban climate change knowledge is desirable.
• Proven experience in project management, event organization and capacity development is an ad-vantage
• Proven experience addressing the climate-crisis-urbanization nexus is an advantage