Strategic Urban Governance Consultant

Result of Service

The consultant shall duly and timely perform his/her obligations, under this Terms of Reference, and will work in close collaboration with the UN-Habitat’s operational and technical teams.

Work Location

São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Expected duration

Seven (7) months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society, and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative, and socially fairer urban economic, social, and environmental policies. The city of São Paulo is the largest city in the Americas and one of the largest metropolises in the world. The municipality has a population of 12 million, of which approximately 3.6 million live in precarious areas or informal settlements, experiencing socioeconomic and climate vulnerability, and with little or no access to green spaces. The Municipality of São Paulo approached UN-Habitat to help address the uneven distribution of public green spaces and social inequality in the city's urban space. Thus, in September 2022, a Contribution Agreement was signed to improve access, inclusion, and sustainability of public green spaces in the city to improve climate adaptation and resilience in the long term. The project, named Viva o Verde SP, concluded in September 2025. A second phase of Viva o Verde SP was established to implement the main recommendations raised in the first phase and promote inclusive park governance, management and design. The two phases of Viva o Verde SP aim to support the Secretariat of Green and Environment (SVMA) of São Paulo Municipality in its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda regarding green public spaces. As part of the second phase, a key expected output is the development of a proposal for intersectoral coordination within the municipal administration to enable the implementation of a co-management and territorial planning unit referred to as the Territory-Park. This concept is based on the area of influence of municipal parks, a perimeter for a shared agenda of partnerships, activities, actions, and interventions involving communities, councils, stakeholders, and public facilities located in proximity to the park, articulated through a socio-environmental network. The Territory-Park approach seeks to strengthen coordination across actors and sectors, fostering integrated territorial management, and enhancing the role of green public spaces as structuring elements of the urban environment. The consultancy will use the Viva o Verde SP project’s 19 parks of intervention as the territory of reference to develop the different products. To properly design the Territory-Park Strategy, a Strategic Urban Governance Consultant is required. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Strategic Urban Governance Consultant reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her. Responsibilities The Strategic Urban Governance Consultant will support the implementation of the project, and its activities, with the following responsibilities: a) Develop the consultancy work plan, detailing the stages, methodology, timetable, stakeholders involved in the product’s development, interim deliverables, and other elements necessary for monitoring the consultancy’s progress. b) Map relevant initiatives, best practices and key concepts in São Paulo, Brazil and abroad, related to public space and urban park policies. c) Systematize and analyze the main public policies and programs in the city of São Paulo, relevant to the study areas, identifying strengths, challenges, and gaps for the establishment of the Territory-Park policy strategy. d) Participate in meetings and collaborative activities with public managers and the intersecretarial Working Group, created by the Viva o Verde SP project, to support the diagnosis and design of the Territory-Park Strategy. e) Participate in meetings with UN-Habitat, the municipality of São Paulo, the project’s Reference Group and other relevant stakeholders, contributing to technical discussions and formal presentations on the progress and results of the consultancy. f) Promote and participate in technical meetings, workshops, interviews with stakeholders and other required events for the development of the consultancy’s outputs. g) Deliver all documentation and data used in the preparation of the report in an organized manner. h) Systematize and consolidate the outputs into a final synthesis document, to be validated by UN-Habitat and the municipality of São Paulo. The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE, from UNDSS, is required to be accredited during the first month of employment. The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System. Outputs/Work Assignment The Strategic Urban Governance Consultant shall assist the implementation of the project, according to the stated responsibilities and the delivery of the following products: Product 1 – Work Plan Description: Product 1 must contain: (i) methodology for the development of each product; (ii) detailed plan of activities to be carried out; (iii) timetable; (iv) list and description of the stakeholders to be involved; (v) list of key documents and guidelines that will be used as a reference; and other necessary elements for the development of the product. Expected delivery date: 10 days after signing the contract. Product 2 – Diagnosis of the Areas of Influence Description: Product 2 must contain: (i) review of the legal framework, policies, monitoring and evaluation indicators, plans, and projects affecting the areas of influence of the project’s 19 parks of intervention; (ii) identification and review of existing studies on these areas and on similar concepts, such as “Território CEU” in São Paulo, in Brazil, and abroad, preferably in similar contexts of the Global South; (iii) analysis of the role of sub-municipal administrations and other stakeholders in territorial management; (iv) a consolidated dataset with the collected information, structured in the form of indicators, to support the development of a future database; (v) diagnostic report, integrating findings from technical assessment, including an annex with the systematization of data and information in Excel format; and (vi) executive summary of the diagnostic, designed for internal dissemination and engagement of the Working Group. Expected delivery date: 75 days after signing the contract. Product 3 – Territory-Park Strategy Description: Product 3 must contain: (i) specific strategies for the assessed areas of influence of the project’s 19 parks; (ii) a general strategy applicable at the city scale; and (iii) the complete draft of the Territory-Park Strategy report including the specific 19 park strategies and the city-wide strategy. Expected delivery date: 150 days after signing the contract. Product 4 – Final Version of the Diagnosis of the Areas of Influence and Territory-Park Strategy Description: Product 4 must contain: (i) executive summary of the Territory-Park Strategy; (ii) final version of the Territory-Park Strategy incorporating all changes requested in the review of Product 3; and (iii) presentation of the strategy at an event in the city of São Paulo. Expected delivery date: 180 days after signing the contract.

Qualifications/special skills

Education Required: • Postgraduate degree (Lato Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Urban Planning, Architecture and Urbanism, Public Administration, Geography, Political Science, Engineering, or related fields is required, or additional five (5) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. • Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism, Public Administration, Geography, Political Science, or related fields is required. Work experience • Minimum eight (8) years of experience in sustainable urban development public policies in Brazil is required. • Proven track record in designing and implementing public policies at the local level, coordinating multiple actors and levels of governance, is required. • Demonstrated experience in the drafting and development of urban and territorial development legislation, including regulatory frameworks and planning instruments, is required. • Background in working with public spaces is desirable. • Demonstrated ability to facilitate participatory processes is desirable. • Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation of public policies is desirable. • Good knowledge of international, national or subnational good practices of sustainable urban development systems is desirable. • Previous experience within the UN System is desirable. Skills • Good handling of technological tools, such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, is required. • Previous experience in research aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda is required. • Experience in monitoring and evaluation of public policies is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good urban governance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. • Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capacity to write documents for diverse audiences. • Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guarantee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. • The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the activities related to the project’s development. • The person must know the file of the Office, work with it, and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff, and due updating. • The person will prepare databases related to the project running. • The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. • The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency. • The person will only share the information produced with the team agency, assuring the privacy of the content.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. • For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required. Working knowledge of English and Spanish is desirable.

Additional Information

Travel details: The consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the Head of Brazil Office. Missions will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Remuneration LICA 5 (part-time 50%) – BRL: 50.256,00 (Total net amount) UNOPS Salary Scale. The consultant will receive a total amount of BRL: 50.256,00 according to the following schedule: • Payment 1 [10%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 1 (BRL: 5.025,60) • Payment 2 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL: 15.076,80) • Payment 3 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 3 (BRL: 15.076,80) • Payment 4 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 4 (BRL: 15.076,80) Notes Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply.  The extension of this contract is subject to availability of funds and/or performance. Any contract extension is not automatic.    It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered.    All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.  Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira:    • Cover memo (maximum 1 page)  • Educational Background (incl. dates)  • Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)  • Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments  • Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)* * Please note that Internships, part-time and voluntary work count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered.   All applications should be submitted to: Inspira    UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning people or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org.

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.