Senior Specialist - Migration

Cities Alliance is a global partnership for the promotion of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Headquartered in Brussels and supported by a Secretariat, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership including – global organisations of local authorities, national governments, international non-governmental organisations, foundations, knowledge networks and multilateral organisations – which have come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader, with a strong track record in grant making, that supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Members promote longer-term and integrated work programmes, while actively promoting gender equality throughout all activities.

Cities Alliance is prioritising migration as one of four thematic areas in its  2018-2021 Strategic Plan. To lead this new work on migration which is predicated on a positive view that links migration to development and cities, the Cities Alliance will convene a Joint Work Programme on Migration and Cities. Joint Work Programmes are Cities Alliance Members’ working groups for carrying out analytic and strategic activities designed to tackle major global policy challenges affecting cities and sustainable development. JWPs are multi-year activities and are directly facilitated by the Cities Alliance Secretariat. The JWPs act as a coordination and harmonisation platform among diverse institutions, a knowledge hub to share information and sector experiences, a think tank able to support diagnostics and evidence-based policy recommendations, and to collectively advocate common messages.

The JWP on Migration and Cities is expected to inspire new and reinvigorated global thinking on the role and potential of cities in managing and seizing the opportunities and contributions arising from migration, and how that will interact with, and impact, urban programming over the long-term.

Cities Alliance is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Senior Specialist of international stature to profile Cities Alliance work on migration. The Senior Specialist will be expected to develop and lead this work programme which is multi-disciplinary in nature and which will require managing diverse stakeholder perspectives and expectations, according to a strict timeframe and budget.

• Lead the conceptualisation of the multi-year programme based on the requirements and expectations of the donors, the Cities Alliance and the programme members and partners;
• Lead the development of programme documents (Programme Concept Note, Programme Framework Document, Programme Inception document) defining Cities Alliance engagement;
• Perform day-to-day programme oversight, by monitoring the progress of programme and project implementation, assessing results and identifying areas of weaknesses to ensure the programme achieves the planned results on time, within budget and to high quality standards;
• Guide the design and development of overall monitoring and evaluation systems for the programme and implement mechanisms to monitor progress and report in a strategic and timely way to senior management, the Cities Alliance Management Board and donors;
• Ensure that the Programme has adequate mechanisms for quality assurance. This includes systems to assess key programme deliverables, as well as final products to ensure traceability of requirements, high standards and client acceptance.
• Monitor and manage any strategic risks/issues facing the programme and submit new risks/issues to senior management for consideration and decision if required;
• Develop a programme communication/sustainability plan to ensure that programme stakeholders are aware of programme activities and its results, including beyond the programme cycle;
• Manage the full cycle of technical assistance projects funded under the programme (both grants and procurement contracts) from design, appraisal to implementation;
• Organise and facilitate international, regional and national meetings and policy dialogues as envisaged by the programme;
• Lead the development of the detailed annual workplan for the programme, establish delivery targets and steer the JWP to ensure targets are achieved;
• Manage programme budgets and ensure timely and accurate reporting, narrative and financial;
• Manage the programme team (technical specialists, support staff, consultants) and ensure timely implementation, results-orientation and accountability for programme results;
• Manage frequent interactions with the donor and ensure donor reporting requirements are fulfilled;
• Regularly brief and consult with senior management on programme progress and provide information and advice as required to contribute to other programmatic initiatives;
• Ensure effective coordination with Cities Alliance Country and Regional Offices;
• Address gender mainstreaming issues proactively and systematically in all parts of the programme and related activities.

Education

Advanced (master's) university degree in economics or law or demography, or relevant urban, political and development studies is required.

Experience

• At least 7 years of work experience on migration issues is required;
• Complementary work experience in urban development is considered an asset;
• Experience in policy making and normative work on migration issues and/or other related areas;
• Experience in leading and managing complex multi-stakeholder technical assistance programmes and projects on migration issues and/or other related areas;
• Previous work experience with local authorities and national ministries in the field of urban development will be an advantage;
• Previous field experience with development organisations in countries in Africa, MENA or Asia will be an advantage;
• PRINCE2 Foundation or a similar project management certification (i.e. PMBOK, PMP, PMI) will be an advantage.

Languages

Fluency in written and oral English required. Working knowledge of other UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is an asset. 

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

• Candidates should include a cover letter and cv / resume with their application

• 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.
• 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.