Programme Management Officer - Human Settlements

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.  Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for cities and human settlements. UN-Habitat’s humanitarian work is guided by its Strategic Policy on Human Settlements in Crisis and the agency is a member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).  At the core of UN- Habitat’s work is UN-Habitat People’s Process and New Urban Agenda, which places participatory urban analysis, and planning as a central pillar of humanitarian response, recovery, and the rehabilitation of conflict-affected cities.

UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) manages UN-Habitat’s project portfolio in the Arab States. It ensures that country priorities are in alignment with the UN-Habitat’s organizational policies and strategic objectives and brings through its Regional Representative to the attention of the Executive Management Committee (EMC) opportunities and challenges in the region, allowing for timely feedback and responses to urgent demands and requests from Member States. 

UN-Habitat is operational in Yemen since 2018 and has established a strong presence in the country, given a diversity of implemented programs in different sectors. This includes Protection, Shelter and WASH. Operations include the geographic areas of Aden, Lahj, Ta’iz and Hudaydah. Moreover, UN-Habitat has established close ties with national, governorate and local level authorities, which is essential to successfully implement programs in Yemen. In Yemen, UN-Habitat is co-chairing the HLP Tri-Cluster under the Protection Cluster.

The Yemeni conflict in 2014 resulted in almost total collapse of basic services and institutions, as well as immense pressure on essential basic services and the ultimate collapse of institutions; the priorities for urban recovery and reconstruction shall focus 1) Building back the governance system and enhance the capacity of the local institutions/authorities to better plan and monitor the reconstruction process. (2) Development of an Urban Recovery/ Reconstruction Framework and City Recovery Strategies, building on the analysis made under the city profiling. (3) Rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure including water and sanitation and electricity networks, and reconstruction of damaged health and education facilities. (4) Repairing and rehabilitating war-damaged houses: creating job opportunities through community builders and deploying local contractors for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of housing. (5) Restoring Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights where property and ownership documents are lost to ensure that HLP rights of returnees are addressed through means such as provision of legal support.

The objective of this assignment is to support the programme management in relation to implementarion ov various projects in Yemen.

The incumbent reports to the Progamme Manager and the Head of Programme, UN-Habitat-Yemen, and will be based at the Amman duty station.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Within the delegated authority and under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, UN-Habitat Yemen Programme, the Programme Management Officer – Human Settlements will be assigned to UN-Habitat Amman Office and be responsible for the following duties:

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.

• Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.

• Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources.

• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies.

• Undertakes survey initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.   

• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.

• Provides substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.

• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.

• Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.

• Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

• Take part in resource mobilization, donor relations, and relevant tasks including development of concept notes and project proposals.

• Participate in inter-agency coordination mechanism to represent UN-Habitat. 

• Performs other duties as required.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following: Counterparts, officers and technical staff in the relevant Secretariat Units and UN funds, programmes and other UN specialized agencies, representatives and officials in national and local governments, non-governmental organizations and consultants.

Professionalism: 

Strong conceptual skills. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery in the UN-Habitat focus areas of Urban Recovery, Urban Planning and Design, Housing and Slum Upgrading; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

Teamwork: 

Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team short comings.

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.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in engineering, project management, public or business administration, urban planning, law, architecture or a related field. A first university degree with a combination of two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

• A minimum of five (5) years of working experience in the areas related to human settlements, project or programme management and/or development, including at least three at the international level is required. 

• Experience in post-conflict areas is an added advantage. 

• Experience in housing, land and property rights, managing a team or an office, resource mobilization and donor coordination is desirable.

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency in Arabic Language will be an advantage.

1. Contract type: Fixed-term staff contracts
2. Contract level: P3
3. Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability'

• 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.