Country: Senegal
Closing date: 10 Mar 2018
Project:
Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient
Duty station of assignment:
Dakar (Senegal)
Functional Title:
Urban Resilience Officer
Contract type:
Individual Contract (Consultancy Assignment)
Duration:
Six months (with possibility of extension)
Closing date for applications:
10th March 2018
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Fast growing cities and urban areas of the world are engines of growth and wealth accumulation. This growth can have positive social, cultural and educational impacts however evidence demonstrates that fast economic growth combined with fast population expansion in urban areas, can increase disaster vulnerability and exposure. The level of urbanization is far higher in the developed world however the annual ‘urbanization rate’ is higher in the developing world. The primary urban agglomerations with the highest concentrations of people and economic activity mostly overlap with the areas of extreme or high risk related to disasters such as coastal areas, along rivers and in flood plains. A joint initiative between UNISDR, UN-Habitat and the European Commission, the Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient project aims at improving the understanding of, and capacity to address disaster risk at the local level in crisis-prone cities. UN-Habitat focusses on supporting local capacities in crisis-prone cities to measure their resilience status and generate an action plan to build resilience.
The project builds on the achievements of the Hyogo Framework for Action – Building the Resilience of Nations 2005-2015, and paves the way toward the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 at the local level. The Action contributes to the European Commission’s Action Plan for Resilience in Crisis Prone Countries 2013-2020 and the EU Approach to Resilience: Learning from Food Security Crises.
The project entails working with local government institutions to plan, coordinate, implement and support the various outlined activities. The primary and most direct beneficiaries are local stakeholders, city authorities and civil society. Women, children and other at risk groups, such as local level stakeholders, often disproportionately affected by crises situations, are also engaged and receive additional attention.
UN Habitat’s City Resilience Profiling Programme delivers a forward-looking, multi-sectorial, multi-hazard, multi-stakeholder model for building urban resilience that recognises the complexities and unique value of cities, and the inherent interdependencies of each part of an urban system. The Programme’s City Resilience Profiling Tool (CRPT) is a universal framework that allows the input of context-based, auditable data and generates metrics for urban resilience, in order to establish baselines or “city profiles”. Based on the results of analysis, some Actions for Resilience (A4R) are developed and incorporated into existing urban development strategies and management processes.
UN-Habitat is seeking to recruit a suitable person for the role as a Dakar Urban Resilience Officer to assist with the development and implementation of the programme in Dakar, Senegal.
MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
The overall objective of this project is to build more sustainable and resilient cities, by strengthening the capacity of key public, private and civil society stakeholders to measure, plan and act in building resilience to ensure that public and private investments are risk-informed and that early interventions in crisis-prone cities are linked to longer-term development goals. This joint initiative aims at improving local government and stakeholder understanding of, and capacity for, developing and implementing resilience action plans.
The expected results are:
Increased commitments to build local-level resilience,
Local resilience and investments measured in target cities,
Key issues and challenges identified in linking early interventions in crisis-prone cities to long-term sustainable development inputs,
Capacity is built in cities and local governments to develop and implement integrated local climate and disaster resilience action plans,
Crisis-prone cities have enhanced capacity to develop and implement plans to increase their resiliency.
UN-Habitat will work in coordination with the Commission and EU Delegations in each city to ensure consistency with the EC programming documents and complementarity between thematic and geographic actions.
MAIN TASKS OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The candidate will receive training and support on the relevant tools and processes from UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Profiling Programme staff in Barcelona and will work under the direct supervision of the Chief a.i. Risk Reduction Unit and Head, City Resilience Profiling Programme (CRPP) of UN-Habitat. The candidate will provide substantive professional support to the Programme and local governments in following tasks:
- Acts as Programme focal point for the local municipality and other partners at the assigned partner city.
- Support the implementation of the City Resilience Profiling Tool (CRPT) and the preparation of the Actions for Resilience recommendations based on the CRPT findings.
- Participate in relevant meetings with the local municipality, relevant and pertinent service stakeholders, public and private service providers, Humanitarian Country Team (UN, NGOs, CBOs and other relevant partners), in order to gather relevant information on operations and data for implementing and needs.
- Identify and Involve National and Regional universities and research centers that could play a key role on the development and implementation of the Programme.
- Identify potential pertinent initiatives and activities and – in close cooperation with the stakeholder(s) – contributes to the development of the Programme.
- Monitor and influence Programme work-plan and progress; evaluate and assess results.
- Prioritized areas that need support and Identify gaps, risks and challenges to be addressed
- Actively participate in relevant similar initiatives and sector meetings and contribute to the preparation of meetings and events in the service sectors of intervention in the city
- Report on project progress, problems and proposed solutions; contributes to the production of global reports, information and communication tools in the areas of intervention.
- Contribute to the improvement of working method and tools with own experience as well as cooperating with other colleagues in other cities under same implementation, sharing experiences and promoting best practices.
DELIVARABLES AND TIMELINE
Monthly progress report to be submitted at the end of each working month detailing: key observations, challenges, progress in data collection and work planned for the following month(s). Work plans will be agreed with the Head, CRPP on a monthly basis subject to the main tasks of the assignment (above) and in consideration of the workload priorities at that time.
PROGRESS CONTROLS AND PAYMENT INSTALLMENTS
Payment will be made in monthly installments upon completion and acceptance of monthly progress report. A time sheet must be submitted by the individual contractor, duly approved by the Head CRPP, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees.
Final payment amount will be based on actual days worked for that month.
TRAVEL
If UN-Habitat determines that the individual contractor needs to travel outside the designated duty station in order to perform his/her assignment, that travel is provided by the organisation. When travel is authorized for the individual contractor, economy class shall be the standard of accommodation for air travel in all cases and irrespective of the duration of the journey. Individual contractors are responsible for all necessary visas and work permits required by local authorities before commencing their assignment with UN-Habitat.
COMPETENCIES
Professional: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to donor relations, public-private partnerships and private sector fundraising. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and the use of a variety of research sources. Ability to organize seminars, consultations, training workshops and special events. 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.
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 Organizational: 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.
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.
EDUCATION
• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Urban or Regional Planning, Architecture, Engineering, Economics, or similar fields deemed relevant to the subject areas covered by the CRPP Terms of Reference.
• A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
WORK EXPERIENCE
· A minimum of 5 years of experience working in or with government, local authorities, participatory processes; environment, climate change, sustainability; risk reduction or similar.
· Experience working with minimal supervision and using own initiative with proven results.
· Direct experience working in Dakar, Senegal, or familiarity with the local government and/or territory will be strong asset.
· Experience with community based organizations (women and vulnerable groups) considered an asset.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
• Fluency in French and English, both oral and written, is required.
SKILLS
• Experience driving a programme, making connections and quickly fostering new partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Confidence to work under pressure in diverse environments, with diverse partners and with minimum supervision to meet deadlines.
• Ability to establish own goals and work towards them autonomously and achieve results.
• Good communications, reporting and representation skills.
• Good team-work and drive for results.
• Ability to keep supervisors and partners informed of progress.
• Proven organizational skills and ability to handle work in an efficient and timely manner.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The candidate should be:
• Familiar with and committed to the goals of UN-Habitat.
• Willing to take responsibility, act professionally at all times, and make sure tasks are fully completed.
• Sensitive to gender issues and issues of concern to vulnerable groups.
• Express enthusiasm and willingness to continue learning new skills and share experiences with other members of the team.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, and proven ability to work within a team
Evaluation criteria
Applicants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications, work experience, skills and financial proposal. The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: responsive/compliant/acceptable having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial criteria (30%) specific to the solicitation.
CV Review:
• Educational qualifications as defined in the ToR (10 points);
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience as defined in the ToR (20 points);
• Experience driving a programme, making connections and quickly fostering new partnerships with key stakeholders including direct experience working with local governments (10)
• Language proficiency in spoken and written French and English (10 points)
Competency based interview max points (20 points)
Maximum available technical score points: 70.
Incomplete proposals will not be considered. The fees might be subject to changes and negotiations starting from the proposed fee of the consultant. All consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org. General Conditions of contract for the services of Individual contractor can be downloaded from:
http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=7879 1
How to apply:
HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates must submit an email quoting the post title and the duty station to the following email address: office@cityresilience.org
with the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
• Cover letter in English explaining why they are suitable for the work
• Completion of a CV in P11 Form which can be downloaded at
http://mirror.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=24&catid=435&id=3867
Financial Proposal. The offeror's letter including form for the financial proposal can be downloaded at
http://unhabitat-kosovo.org/repository/docs/Financial_proposal_IC_6631.docx
The CV shall include information on the past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.
Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the UN-Habitat e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
All applications should be submitted to:
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
City Resilience Profiling Programme
Email:office@cityresilience.org
Deadline for applications: 10th March 2018
UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact:recruitment@unon.org