United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Position: Durable Solutions Assistant

Application Deadline: September, 19/2023

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities, with the aim of providing adequate housing for all. It is the lead agency within the United Nations for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat supports Member States and development partners to transform cities into safer, more resilient and healthier places with better opportunities working towards achieving inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities, with a focus on addressing urban challenges and improving the quality of life for all people.

UN-Habitat advocates for policies and practices that promote sustainable urbanization, including the integration of social, economic, and environmental dimensions. It also helps build the capacity of governments, local authorities, and communities to plan, manage, and govern urban areas effectively, including promoting participatory approaches and inclusive decision-making processes.

In Ethiopia, UN-Habitat works closely with the Ethiopian government and other stakeholders to support sustainable urban development in the strategic and spatial development of regions and cities, including through resilience and climate change adaptation. In the context of displacement, UN-Habitat plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by displaced populations and supporting their sustainable reintegration into communities. It supports planning processes that consider the needs of displaced populations and promote inclusive urban development while advocating for the protection of land and property rights by supporting legal frameworks and policies that safeguard the rights of displaced individuals and communities. As well as providing technical assistance in resolving land and property disputes, it seeks to provide up-to-date, holistic documentation, and analysis of the impact of crisis in cities, synthesizing information and insight from existing sources and priority sectors, supplemented by direct field research.

The incumbent under this call is expected to join a team of professionals for a multi-agency project to pursue a nexus-based multi-dimensional and integrated approach to enable internally displaced communities in Somali and Oromia regions of Ethiopia to move towards recovery and resilience by employing durable solutions actions that enhance communities’ coping mechanisms against future shocks to anthropogenic disasters and natural hazards by rolling out a multi-pillar intervention that aims to take into consideration the diverse aspects of solutions-based programming among UN-Habitat, FAO and IOM. The general objective of the project is to employ durable solutions that enhance IDPs’ and host communities’ capacities to move towards recovery and resilience with a particular focus on the Fafan and Shebelle zones of the Somali Region, and the East and West Hararghe zones of the Oromia Region.

Along with this, UN Habitat’s responsibility focuses on strengthening and building the capacity of institutions through area-level spatial planning to ensure sustainable re-integration of displacement-affected communities for improved access to HLP through legal and policy tools and planning instruments to respond to longer-term impacts of displacement-affected communities (DACs). 

Reporting relationship

• The project lead will directly supervise the incumbent and he/she will be directly responsible to and reporting to seeking approval/ acceptance of output from the Country Programme Manager

• The incumbent is expected to provide weekly update reports and monthly narrative reports in a format shared by the project lead. The reports must be shared with the project manager and programme support staff as necessary. 

• The incumbent will be part of a team of experts working on the project. He/she is expected to work individually and, in a group, collaboratively. 

• The incumbent is expected to work together with different government officers, representatives of local administration, local academic institutions, civil society, and representatives of host and displacement-affected communities. 

• The incumbent is expected to frequently travel to project sites outside Dire Dawa as needed. 

Scope of the work

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the project manager and UN-Habitat Ethiopia Programme Manager, and he/she will be responsible for the following duties: 

• Contribute to the implementation of durable solutions strategies.

• Contribute to fostering an environment that enhances partnerships with activities designed to strengthen the involvement of displaced communities and their hosts in the design and implementation of solutions strategies.

• Participate in site/neighborhood assessments, and support participatory planning processes with the local government, host and displacement-affected communities and different organizations to inform area-based multisectoral interventions.

• Key informant interviews and focus group discussions are to be held with particular attention on the needs of displacement-affected and host communities.

• Conduct preliminary discussions with key actors and examine relevant documents to prepare an inception report and a work plan on the incorporation of durable solution strategies. 

• Careful follow-up of the project’s work plan, support monitoring of project implementation and report against milestones to project team members.

• Provide advisory services and participatory enumeration in order to contribute to reducing resource-related conflicts and strengthening community cohesion.

• Coordinate with local consultancy firm on the use of a digital tool incorporating a database of land uses and existent and possible land tenure arrangements ensuring that gender considerations are addressed.

• Any other tasks requested by the Project or Programme Manager

Duties and Expected deliverables

The incumbent will have to perform the following assignments independently and in collaboration with the project lead and other team members:

• Assess institutional setup and historical and recent synthesized reports on the state and conditions of displacement in the project locations.

• Provide operational guidance on work plans and community engagement in camps, areas of displacement and areas of relocation/return or reintegration.

• Determine methods and procedures to assist with the needs and priorities of IDPs and hosting communities by mainstreaming localized solutions into the project output and activities.

• Through participatory processes, gather information for the assessment of community profiles to better understand the challenges, needs, and potentials of displacement-affected communities.

• Support the assessment of displacement causes, exacerbating factors and multi-faceted impacts of displacement to reformulate policies towards long-term and durable solutions to displacement-affected communities.

• Participate in community-based planning to inform area-based multisectoral interventions to facilitate (re)integration in areas of settlement and to strengthen civil society capacity and community cohesion.

• Work closely with the project team to inform needs for incorporation in spatial plans, city-wide structure plans and settlement development plans.

• Conduct outreach and participate in forums including in working groups on durable solutions with national, regional and local government entities, UN Agencies, NGOs, and other parties within the area of responsibility to facilitate project implementation, create partnerships and ensure proper coordination and information sharing.

• Organize exchange and experience-sharing programs and workshops on tools, policy revision, and challenges facing Displacement Affected Communities (DAC) as well as best examples and success stories on durable solutions.

• Facilitate the formulation and implementation of a package for the improved contribution of government, humanitarian, and development partners towards humanitarian development aligned with regional development plans.

• Periodically evaluate the effectiveness of government and partners’ actions in handling the needs of DAC and make recommendations for improvement accordingly

• Through regular field missions, undertake interviews, support in beneficiaries’ identification, verification and registration for HLP profile and assist with consideration on gender dimension.

• Collaborate with other experts in the identification of institutional gaps in capacity to respond to DAC and designing of capacity building training package for integration of DACs

• Participate and contribute to workshops, seminars, and participatory meetings to be held as an integral part of the project at the federal or regional levels;

• Keep custody and backup of documents, data and information to be collected in due course of carrying out the various tasks of planning sectoral studies.

• Facilitate exchange programs from other regions and countries on the creation of tools, policy revision and development for better decision-making, solving the governance challenge and improvement of rights and conditions for DAC on HLP issues.

Competency

Professionalism: Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operations. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment 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 & 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. 

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. 

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. 

Judgment/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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• BA/BSC degree in social sciences, humanitarian studies, law, or another relevant similar field

Work Experience

• Two (2) years of proven work experience in migration, forced displacement, durable solutions, humanitarian and development operations, institutional capacity building, disaster management or related issues

• Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches.

• Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement setting.

• Experience in working with the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs is an advantage. 

• Experience in the humanitarian sector, including field experience is an asset. 

• Preferred: experience in community work

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills 

• Excellent writing skills, with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for preparation of quality reports as well as media stories.

• Ability to work independently or with minimal supervision with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner and often under pressure. 

• Capacity to coordinate and organize a team and to support project implementation. 

• Ability to conduct interviews, surveys, and other data collection techniques. 

• Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in the context of forced displacement.

• Computer Literacy, Database Management 

Language 

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

• For the post advertised, good knowledge in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Somali and Oromia languages is preferred.

• Required ability to communicate with a non-expert audience is preferred.

Assessment

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

How to Apply

• Register using THIS LINK

NOTE: All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted. The 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. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

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