Programme Management ( Land Specialist)-Retainer

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Within the frame of the proposed construction of the Kampala Jinja Expressway, is a   programme referenced as the Kampala Jinja Expressway “No-one worse off” (KJE-NOWO) initiative, which  aims to support UNRA to effectively implement 4 of the 7 safeguard programmes identified as being vital to meet the required IFC safeguard standards.

The successful implementation of the safeguards requires two discreet but connected sets of activities:

1. Firstly, identification of affected stakeholders and the establishment of credible dialogue and engagement platforms and forums that enable trust and confidence to be built.
2. Secondly, the collection of technical information to inform the dialogue and public engagements between UNRA and the affected persons.

In order to undertake the second activity above, there is in place a  technical UNOPS  and Cities Alliance project team that works in conjunction with Slum Dwellers International (via its local affiliate Actogether), amongst other stakeholders  namely Platform for Vendors in Uganda (PLAVU) and Association of Volunteers international (AVSI) who organise for the community liaison

Slum upgrading feasibility study.

This component of the programme is in support of the realization of both the short- and long-term development objectives related to the incremental in-situ upgrading of Kasokoso and Kinawataka informal settlements. The short-term objectives relate to the resettlement of households from the KJE ROW onto land that will benefit from a longer term incremental in-situ development process. The longer term objectives relate to a strategy and plan for the longer term upgrading of Kasokoso and Kinawataka informal settlements.

Land Audit.

This component of the programme is aimed at identifying suitable land for relocation of the project affected persons.  It aims to identify land that is free from any encumbrances and that is available for development and is within the 5 to 10km radius from their current location.  It also aims to map out the foreseeable future infrastructure projects so that no one is relocated to the ROW (right of way) of those projects

Nakawa Market Accessibility study.

Nakawa market is one of Kampala’s largest food markets providing thousands of direct and indirect economic opportunities. While every effort was taken to design the KJE alignment to minimize negative impacts on the Nakawa market, the exact scale and nature of the impacts on the long-term viability of Nakawa market by the construction of the KJE is unclear.

The purpose of this component is to

1. Determine the exact number and circumstances of traders currently trading from within the ROW that need to be relocated.
2. Identify the least disruptive economically viable short- term development options
3. Determine to what extent accessibility to the market is diminished by the construction of the expressway and if needed examine opportunities to restore or improve accessibility
4. Determine what options exist and make recommendations for the least disruptive long-term relocation or in-situ redevelopment option.

The Programme Management (Land Specialist) in collaboration with the team members and the project stakeholders will perform the following tasks:

Slum upgrading feasibility study:

• Contribute in the development of  a legal model for long term transfer of land to individual titles.
• Advice on an affordable and accessible financial model to support the land tenure model for the long term upgrading of the Kasokoso and Kinawataka informal settlements
• Contribute in finding ways to determine within existing national policy and legal frameworks a fair price for encumbered land and transfer to attain secure individual tenure rights.

Land Audit:

• Collaborate with the Technical team to identify and verify vacant or under settled land within 5km and 10km radius of the KJE Right of Way.
• Develop ranking criteria to be able to identify land suited for resettlement of households and incremental housing.

Any other duties as directed by UNOPS project office.

• A Bachelor's Degree in land management and administration or land economics from a recognized University is required.
• A Master’s degree in the relevant field will be an added advantage

• Four (4) years of relevant experience is required in real estate and housing tenure.
• Previous experience and knowledge in the country context related field is desired.
• Experience working and championing for land rights within disadvantaged communities is desired

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

This position is based in a family duty station

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.