Senior International Urban Management Expert

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.  The UN-Habitat office in KSA has been working on several projects to support the UN-Habitat mandates and to boost the implementation of the NUA and the SDGs especially goal 11 as well as support the implementation of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its different programs that correspond with the mandate of UN-Habitat. The Saudi Arabia Office is affiliated to The Regional Office of Arab States (ROAS), which is responsible for the implementation of the UN-Habitat Work Programme at the Regional and at the Country level for all domains of change under the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan (2020-2023). 

MOMRAH issued a new program called “Spatial Planning and Visual Appeal program”. Through this program, MOMRAH aims to achieve a number of Vision 2030 goals, which are defined by two tracks built on three building blocks. The first track is the spatial planning track, which involves a multilevel set of spatial policies and tools that determine the future spatial territorial structure. This is accomplished through a formal planning process where land, infrastructure, and services demand guide the allocation of suitable land, incorporating specific organizational forms and hierarchies of tools to define spatial interdependencies at the local, regional, and national levels, enabling decentralized but coordinated action. 

The second track is improving visual appeal in cities which is highly dependent on a steady urban planning and urban design foundation. It involves shaping space with a focus on enhancing the experience of the urban landscape. Also, it goes beyond the function of planning and design, as it entails the combination of social, economic, and environmental dimensions that influence the arrangement, appearance, and function of buildings and places. 

Drawing on its extensive international expertise, this project will be implemented by UNDP jointly with UN-HABITAT and has been designed to support and deliver six initiatives within the Spatial Planning and Visual Appeal Program established by MoMRAH. UN-Habitat will focus on the following three outcomes:

• The municipal system is improved and restructured, updating settlement boundaries, revising the classification and categorization of Saudi human settlements, and optimizing service delivery towards efficiency and sustainability.

• The Saudi Planning framework is restructured, and planning tools are redefined, updated, and improved in line with the new classification and categorization.

• The existing MoMRAH Urban Design Studio is upscaled in a fully-fledged Urban Lab and capacitated to spearhead and device innovative tools and projects-based satellite Labs in support of MoMRAH mission.

The project will provide a strategic framework for UNDP and UN-HABITAT to provide substantive technical assistance, advisory, and quality assurance services to the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MoMRAH) to deliver on its six initiatives of the Spatial Planning and Visual Appeal Program mandate, and in particular perform its functions more efficiently and effectively in the six initiatives that are the focus of this project. The project will capitalize on UNDP and UN-HABITAT’s institutional and human capacity strengthening expertise and experience, and its strategic role as a central and impartial knowledge provider, builder of capacities, partnership broker, and facilitator of exchanges at country, regional and global levels.

The Senior International Urban Management Expert will work under the overall guidance of the Project Leader of the “Support to The Spatial Planning Reform and Visual Appeal Program in Saudi Arabia: Enabling Systemic Municipal & Planning Reforms and Providing Implementation & Capacity Building Support for the Sustainable Urbanization of Saudi Cities” in cooperation with UNDP/MOMRAH.  She/he will primarily contribute to the outcomes “Classification and Re-configuration of the Municipal System” and “Amending the Planning Framework”, but also contribute to the development of the NUP and support the “Establishment of Urban Lab” initiative on emerging and ad-hoc issues.  He/she will be mainly responsible for all matters related to urban management and governance including specialized matters related to urban settlements and principles and practices of urban management. She/he will also support all outcomes for what concerns the respective area of expertise. 

• Familiarize him/herself with the overall development context in KSA, particularly with the existing urban-related challenges, including the history of the municipal sector, the current challenges and the needed reforms of the planning and municipal systems.  

• Undertake a review of the current urban management and governance functions and responsibilities in Saudi Arabia and diagnose challenges and areas for improvement  

• Support the team in undertaking a current state assessment of the existing municipal and planning laws and legislations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and identify gaps and shortfalls 

• Introduce international urban management and governance principles and practices including best practices in municipal administration and service delivery 

• Introduce concepts of sustainable urban development and principles from global frameworks such as the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of Saudi Arabia 

• Support the team in the preparation of an updated municipal classification system and urban planning framework for Saudi Arabia, in line with current and future challenges 

• Prepare capacity-building tools and activities to equip local, regional and national stakeholders with the knowledge they need to implement the reformed municipal and planning systems 

• Produce relevant materials (presentations, reports, etc.) in line with the outcomes of the projects. 

• In cooperation with the Technical leads, coordinate with different local stakeholders to ensure the delivery of all the project outcomes. 

• Develop detailed work plans in cooperation with other senior experts to ensure project activities and outcomes are delivered. 

• Complement the municipal expertise, spatial expertise, and economic expertise of the project in the elaboration of the required reforms. 

• Conduct/update capacity assessments for municipal structures vis a vis the planning system and municipal government structures. 

• Build capacity of local, regional, and national government about municipal management improvements and reforms in cooperation with other planning experts of the project.  

• In addition to regular reporting to the project leader, regularly liaise with partners, to share lessons and resolve common challenges. 

• Document project development for future replication and expansion. 

• Report progress vis-à-vis a clear outline of duties and expected results on an annual basis as well as work plans to relevant staff. 

• Prepare various communication initiatives, including a monthly progress report, and input to project leaders as necessary. 

• Contribute to written outputs (background papers, reports, studies, etc.) to support the classification and re-configuration of municipalities, the planning framework, the NUP, and other related publications requiring a legal perspective.  

• In cooperation with other technical experts ensure that all deliverables follow a rigorous and evidence-based approach to ensure quality and methodological soundness

• Professionalism – Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Ability to work independently in support of overall programme objectives and take responsibility in incorporating youth and gender perspectives and ensuring equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Knowledge of Saudi Arabia socio-economic situation as pertaining to youth and women, urbanization issues and challenges 

• Planning and 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 . 

• Accountability -  Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments

• Communication - Speak and write clearly and effectively, promote two-way communication, demonstrate openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in urban management, governance, urban studies, economics, or a related field with a focus on urban management practices is required.  

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience working internationally in urban and project development, as well as project management in challenging environments. 

• Experience working with urban management-related issues at local, regional, and/or national levels, including multilevel governance, municipal legislation, municipal management and services, policy analysis and formulation, etc is required.    

• Demonstrated intuition working with complex and interrelated urban development issues (i.e. social, economic, environmental, governance, etc.) is required.  

• Experience in collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams towards the delivery of complex tasks is required.  

• Experience working with planning systems at local, regional, or national levels (experience with multilevel governance) is desirable. 

• Experience in preparing high-level presentations and communicating effectively with technical and non-technical audiences is desirable. 

• Experience with developing contexts and rapidly changing political environments in desirable 

• Previous experience in the Middle East and previous experience in Saudi Arabia is desirable. 

Additional required skills: 

• Be computer literate in standard software applications.  

• Be familiar with the UN-Habitat approach, as well as with the existing Planning and legal tools of UN-Habitat.  

• Knowledge of SDGs and New Urban Agenda (NUA) is required.   

• Demonstrated ability to successfully interact with different stakeholders, to understand, and be  tolerant of differing opinions and views.  

• Familiarity with the linkage between Municipal management and spatial planning is desirable.  

Language:

• Fluency in written and oral English is required for this assignment. Working knowledge of another UN language would be considered as an advantage.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.