Health Safety, Social and Environmental Associate– Social Development

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.

During 2015 – 2022 UNOPS Nepal has engaged closely with the Government of Nepal and several development partners in the reconstruction efforts of the government of Nepal including assessment of damaged buildings and enrolment of beneficiaries into housing grant schemes. UNOPS supported homeowners engaged in the reconstruction process, modernization and improvement of policing services, retrofitting damaged houses and reconstruction of disability-friendly schools, and delivering some essential equipment to support COVID-19 response efforts. The functional objective of UNOPS Nepal is to deliver its projects efficiently and effectively in alignment with government priorities following UNOPS rules and regulations, to achieve the outcomes sought by the Government and funding partners, and to contribute to the achievement of SDGs.

While ensuring gender, diversity, and inclusion are mainstreamed in all its projects, UNOPS Nepal is currently working on several new engagements to support the government of Nepal under Health, Rule of Law, Climate Change, DRR, Urban development, procurement support among others and create new opportunities and jobs for the people of Nepal.

Background information – job-specific

UNOPS, Cities Alliance and UN-Habitat are implementing an EU, USAID and Finland funded project “Cities 4 Women: Inclusive and Climate Resilient Urbanization in Nepal”. The project focuses on improving the participatory aspects of existing urban planning processes in municipalities, giving women and girls the opportunity to share their lived experiences in the city (including accessibility, services, and use of public open spaces), and exploring possible solutions to the challenges they face. The project aims to identify key strategic interventions that could improve the lives and opportunities, not only of women in urban areas but of all residents.

For a multiyear engagement in Nepal with a focus on gender-sensitive approaches to urban planning in various Nepalese municipalities, Cities Alliance is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic Associate as Cities Alliance support staff in-country. Under the general supervision of the Cities Alliance Civic and Women Engagement Coordinator/Specialist, the Associate will support the overall project implementation and assist in all activities to ensure that project deliverables meet the expectations and requirements. Please note that the job offer is subject to the availability of funds.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Mainstreaming in Projects Strategy reaffirms UNOPS' and Cities Alliance’s commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. It mobilizes our efforts to promote equal rights and opportunities for people to live full lives. It is supported by sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure, and by the efficient and transparent use of public resources in procurement and project management. The following are part of the project guidelines:

All components of the project will mainly focus on participatory gender-sensitive assessment, co-design of public open spaces, project preparation and implementation, and mainstream climate change in all the operations. Cornerstones of the projects will include:

●      Use of Cities Alliance’s tools (e.g., Her4Climate Tool, Women Engagement in Cities (WEC) Framework, community mapping, safety audits) adapted to the local Nepalese context;

●      Monitoring of the project progress, ensuring that the Gender Action Plan (GAP) is implemented effectively. It is vital to project success to ensure that the planned activities to implement the GAP are embedded into the day-to-day operations;

●      Equal representation of women in community engagement workshops on urban planning and design, a certain percentage of women suppliers or workers, etc., to ensure requirements are met;

●      Reflect gender mainstreaming into urban planning and design information in meeting minutes and any other ad hoc reporting, such as a workshop, training, or checkpoint report;

●      Track both quantitative and qualitative data on gender-related targets and indicators, such as the gender and age balance of community engagement and indicators related to impacts on male and female beneficiaries, as well as other vulnerable groups, as applicable.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The Health Safety, Social and Environmental Associate – Social Development is executing the overall project's day-to-day operations of the Cities Alliance component. He/she will ensure the smooth and diligent management of the project activities. He/she is expected to meet the organization’s performance and delivery goals.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Programme Management Specialist- Civic and Women Engagement, the incumbent will perform a broad range of operational functions, including:

●      Participate in meetings with the local community, women’s groups, government, and other actors to ensure needs are identified and captured in meeting reports;

●      Provide support in drafting a GAP analysis of the municipal annual planning processes by collecting and compiling information;

●      Provide support to the project team, in identifying existing gender principles to be included in the planning and design of public open space projects through desk research;

●      Provide initial support, like compiling similar manuals existing, to inform the drafting of a specific manual for gender-sensitive participatory decision-making processes at the local level for the targeted municipalities, embedded in the municipal annual plan process;

●      Assist the team in developing a learning strategic report for each municipality by collecting and compiling information, gather relevant data, stories, and updates;

●      Provide necessary support by taking notes and action minutes during ateliers and workshops,

●      Assist the team in integrating Health, Safety, Social, and Environmental (HSSE) management practices into project planning and execution;

●      Draft content for social media platforms and the project webpage to effectively communicate key results and insights related to gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in close coordination with the communication project focal person;

●      Ensure that all documentation related to mainstreaming gender, participation, etc. is consistent in terminology, formatting, and presentation while incorporating inclusive language and aligning with results-based management principles; and

●      Represent Cities Alliance within the project making sure visibility of the organization is well noted among the stakeholders including beneficiaries. 

Education

•  A Bachelor’s Degree in n Gender Studies, Equality, Social Science, Urban Planning and Design, Architecture, Development Studies, Community Development, or other relevant discipline is required.
• A Master's Degree in Gender Studies, Social Science, Urban Planning and Design, Architecture, Development Studies, Community Development, or other relevant discipline is desirable.

 Work Experience

•  A minimum of two years of experience in mainstreaming gender, health, and environmental issues into urban planning and design processes is required;
• Experience working with or in partnership with the Cities Alliance, UN agencies or other development partners, federal or municipal governments, and/or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is an asset;
• Experience in organizing and facilitating participatory urban planning and design workshops at the local level is an asset;
• Experience in working with the G-suite platform including Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is mandatory;
• Experience in preparing narrative project reports to donors, and other stakeholders, as well as preparing press releases, and other written communications material for the project website and other social media channels is mandatory;
• Work experience and understanding the context of Nepal is mandatory.

  Language:  

• Fluency in oral and written Nepalese and English is required.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreements (LICA)

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applicants must attached the motivation letter with the online application.

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.