Internship Opportunities at The United Nations

Responsibilities

• Contributing to developing the work Programme for the major regions of the world with a focus on regional needs in accordance with UN-Habitat's Global Work Programme and within its overall policy framework.
• Facilitating the coordination and implementation of regional work plans, including the planning and organizing of regional meetings and events, through close strategic partnerships with UN-Habitat's key partners in the region and the integration of the projects and programmes of the regional office for maximum impact.
• Providing substantive leadership in conceptualization and vision-building for the preparation of the Project Office/TAB reports on the State of the Cities for Africa, Asia-Pacific, Arab States, Europe States and Latin America-Caribbean regions.
• Through the conceptualization and preparation of UN-Habitat's regional reports, contributing to the information management component in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Arab States, Europe and Latin America-Caribbean regions, as a primary tool for transfer of normative messages on emerging trends and conditions to regional, national and local constituencies and for feedback to HQ for purposes of global thematic analysis and dissemination.
• Providing conceptual and other substantive leadership and guidance for the preparation of re-current Project Office/TAB publications, including but not limited to Annual Activities Reports and Annual Operational Reports.
• Preparing ad-hoc reports as requested to be submitted to the Office of the Executive Director (OED), donors and other UN agencies, including the Secretary General.
• Representing UN-Habitat vis-a-vis Government Authorities at the regional, national and local levels with a view to coordinating and enabling regional, national and local activities around the substantive and normative mandates of UN-Habitat as well as in high-level public events with crucial partner constituencies, Municipal Governments, Parliamentarians, UN Agencies, donor agencies, NGOs etc.
• Taking a proactive role in resource mobilization from multilateral, bilateral, national funding agents as well as multilateral and regional banks to ensure financial viability.
  

Perform any other relevant duties.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: 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.

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.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

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

Education

Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Architecture, Planning or any other human settlements related discipline. A first-level university degree in combination with a combination of two years professional experience and academic qualifications may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Knowledge on current and emerging human settlements related issues is an added advantage..

Work Experience

Minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience, preferably at the international level, in Architecture, Planning or any other human settlements related discipline is required. Proven experience and solid knowledge of the normative activities of UN-Habitat is desirable.. Experience in Africa, Arab States, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean would be an added advantage.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

Assessment

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

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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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 At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

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Responsibilities

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects related to Umoja implementation in UNEP, etc.; monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.
• Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
• Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources, including from Umoja Business Intelligence and Hana platforms.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc.
• Undertakes survey initiatives; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Provides substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.
• Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector, functional area or other specialized field. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to develop sources for data collection. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. 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.
• CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, management, economics, engineering, information science, information systems or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with a combination of two years professional experience and academic qualifications may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, information management, administration or related area. Knowledge of working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is highly desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

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