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.

These positions are located in organizational units throughout the Secretariat both at Headquarters and UN Offices away from Headquarters.  The Programme Officer typically reports to the head of a unit or to a senior Programme Officer.  The focus of these jobs is the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, operations and other activities in an assigned functional area. 

After more than five years since the official declaration of the ‘end of war against ISIL’ by the Government of Iraq in late 2017, there are still approximately 5.6 million people in Iraq affected by missing or outdated HLP documentation while it is estimated that 2.4 million people face issues due to a lack of HLP documentation or have issues with establishing security of tenure. Female-headed households remain the most affected population facing increased risk such as violation of HLP rights, secondary displacement, and violence. 

IDPs and returnees face major challenges in proving their ownership or occupancy rights, particularly where there is an absence of cadastral data, registry information, maps delimiting property rights, and a lack of official documents. Also there is no central cadaster that manages and administers data on HLP rights in Iraq. 

The project aims to initiate policy dialogues on the reform of the existing land legal framework, to improve land governance by establishing an inclusive and effective land management system that will increase security of tenure for all Iraqis including IDPs and returnees and protect the housing, land, and property rights of internally displaced people. 

The main objective of this job is to support the initiation of the policy dialogue and legal reform under the UN-Habitat project. The Programme Officer will support the initiation of policy dialogue and land legal framework reform with their expertise in policy making, policy analysis, and land management and governance.

This post is located in UN-HABITAT/ROAS at the Erbil/Iraq duty stations and the incumbent will report to the Chief Technical Advisor/Programme Manager, UN-Habitat/ Iraq Programme.  

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 delegated authority, the Programme Officer will 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.).

• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.

• 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 organisational 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 shortcomings.

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 business administration, human rights, international affairs, public administration, or other areas relevant to development and management of human settlements with focus on housing, land and property rights.  A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, administration or related area.

• Proven experience in coordination and management of programmes/projects or activities on policy dialogue, housing, land and property rights with the UN or other international agencies is desirable. 

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

• Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is 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.