Senior Urban Planning Analyst Consultant

Result of Service

Considering the responsibilities set out herein, the Consultant shall provide monthly reports of management activities and other reports required of him/her by the Project Coordinator and/or the Coordinator of the Andean Countries Hub.

Work Location

Argentina

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination, and poverty. A brief description of the ROLAC region The UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub leads and supports urban development initiatives across the region, promoting participatory governance, inclusive public spaces, resilience, youth engage-ment and sustainable territorial development. Within this framework, UN-Habitat and Fundación YPF are implementing the FIDUS Project (Forum for Incubation and Capacity Development for Sustainable Urban Funds), aimed at strengthening local and provincial capacities for sustainable urban development in territories linked to the energy sector, with an initial focus on Sierra Grande, Río Negro Province, Argentina. The project seeks to support local governments and strategic stakeholders in the incubation, pri-oritization, and structuring of urban development initiatives through collaborative governance mechanisms, innovative financing approaches, and technical capacity-building processes. The communications strategy is a critical component of the project, ensuring visibility, stakeholder en-gagement, strategic positioning, and knowledge dissemination at local, national, and regional lev-els. The project represents an opportunity to support sustainable territorial transformation in a con-text characterized by emerging economic opportunities, infrastructure development and demo-graphic change. The project seeks to support local actors in identifying strategic investments, strengthening institutional capacities and developing urban development initiatives capable of generating long-term social, environmental and economic benefits. To support project implementation, UN-Habitat requires a Senior Urban Planning Analyst with strong knowledge of Sierra Grande and experience in urban planning, territorial development and project management. The consultancy will support the operational and technical consolidation of the project, including the development of work plans, coordination of components, territorial articulation, and technical follow-up of activities and outputs. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Project Coordination Team and the Coordi-nator of the UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub. RESPONSIBILITIES a.) Information and validation: • Keep the Project Coordination Team and the UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub Coor-dinator informed about territorial developments, stakeholder engagement processes and implementation progress. • Ensure timely communication regarding implementation progress, risks, opportunities and operational challenges. • Validation of technical outputs and implementation strategies. • Report on risks and stakeholder perceptions that may affect project implementation. • Ensure alignment of technical activities with project objectives and UN-Habitat guide-lines. • The consultant will be responsible for keeping the HUB Coordinator informed and having to obtain validation of his/her activities in the full project cycle. b.) Development: • Lead the development and updating of the project workplan. • Coordinate project implementation activities. • Support identification and prioritization of strategic urban initiatives. • Conduct territorial analysis and stakeholder assessments. • Support development of urban planning methodologies. • Facilitate participatory planning processes. • Coordinate local institutional engagement. • Support preparation of technical documents and reports. • Support implementation of the FIDUS Forum agenda. • Assist in developing project incubation methodologies. • Contribute to urban development diagnostics and opportunity assessments. • Document project achievements, lessons learned and success stories. c.) Technical and Strategic Support: • Provide technical advice on urban planning and territorial development. • Support technical discussions with local and provincial authorities. • Contribute to policy recommendations and planning strategies. • Support coordination between technical consultants. • Assist in developing project concepts and implementation strategies. • Support partnership-building efforts with governments, academia, development agen-cies and private sector actors. • Support the preparation of concept notes, presentations and strategic reports. • Enhance resource mobilization opportunities. • Contribute to knowledge dissemination and project replication strategies. • Contribute to the systematization of good practices, lessons learned and knowledge products related to project implementation. • Support the development of strategic alliances with local institutions, academia, civil so-ciety organizations and cooperation actors. d.) Implementation: • Monitor implementation of project activities according to the workplan and project ob-jectives. • Facilitate and participate in technical meetings, workshops and institutional events. • Increased visibility and positioning of the FIDUS Project and Strengthen stakeholder en-gagement and institutional partnerships. • Coordinate field missions and stakeholder consultations. • Support administrative and logistical processes. • Ensure compliance with project timelines. • Ensure that project implementation follows UN values and principles, including inclu-sion, participation, gender equality and integrity. e.) Knowledge Management: • Document implementation experiences and lessons learned. • Develop knowledge products and technical summaries. • Support project monitoring and reporting. • Contribute to dissemination of methodologies and good practices. • Support the preparation of reports, presentations, summaries and other knowledge products required by the project. f.) Others: • Other activities requested and by mutual agreement with the HUB Coordinator of The Andean Countries of UN-Habitat, within the framework of this consultancy and without prejudice to the achievement of its responsibilities. • The consultant will participate in work and follow-up meetings, both with other consultants, as well as with the Coordinator and team of the Andean Countries HUB of UN-Habitat and with the staff of the projects. • The consultant shall be responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with the principles of United Nations integrity.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban Planning, Urban and Re-gional Planning, Architecture, Geography, Territorial Development, Urban Studies, Public Policy, Regional Development, Engineering, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in one of the fields, combined with eight (8) additional years of qualifying experience, may be ac-cepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Specialized studies, postgraduate training, or certifications in sustainable urban development, ter-ritorial planning, project management, urban governance, infrastructure planning, economic de-velopment, or related areas are highly desirable. A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in urban planning, territorial development, local governance, infrastructure planning, project management, or related fields is required. The consultant must demonstrate experience in the design, implementation, coordina-tion, and evaluation of urban, territorial, infrastructure, or sustainable development initiatives, in-cluding the preparation of territorial diagnostics, strategic plans, investment plans, and planning instruments. Proven experience working with local and regional governments, development agencies, interna-tional organizations, and multi-stakeholder partnerships is required, as is experience facilitating stakeholder engagement, participatory planning processes, and collaborative governance mecha-nisms. Strong knowledge of the territorial dynamics, institutional landscape, and development challenges of Sierra Grande and Río Negro Province is required, with previous professional experience in the territory is desirable. Experience preparing technical and strategic planning documents and working with development cooperation programmes, United Nations agencies, or multilateral organizations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, Eng-lish and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another UN Official Language is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.