Urban Planner and Designer - Intern (International)

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.

UNOPS Nepal context: 

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.

In alignment with government priorities, the UNOPS Nepal country office looks forward to providing long-term strategic and advisory support to the country by enhancing the capacity of national and sub-national governments and partners within all three tiers of government. By prioritizing evidence-based planning, capacity building, and developing model projects for creating sustainable and inclusive cities, UNOPS Nepal country office also aims to build strong relationships with urban municipalities at the local level. Aiming to create a sustainable city by promoting a green and resilient, climate adaptive, and socially inclusive development approach the assignment will focus on prioritizing the municipalities for its future interventions.

Project Information:

UNOPS, Cities Alliance and UN-Habitat are implementing an EU, 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.

Interns are provided the opportunity to be equal members and are offered a good mix of support work and meaningful work experience.

Interns that are not receiving funding through an internship programme external to UNOPS, or from a specific institution, are entitled to receive from UNOPS a monthly stipend designed to contribute to the cost of daily expenditures.

The Urban Planner / Designer Intern will work under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Project Manager. She/he will contribute to the Cities 4 Women project, by performing the following tasks:

• Do desk research, field surveys, and organization of expert consultations to prepare urban profiles and other knowledge products; 

• Prepare maps, charts, and reports and support the analysis;

• Documents inspiring practices on public open spaces and relevant project benchmarks; 

• Reports on meetings, panel sessions, conferences, etc.;

• Assists inorganizing and  conducting stakeholder and public consultations, and urban design workshops related to the project; 

• Support in project development, formulation, writing and publishing related to urban issues, especially on participatory planning process, participatory design of public open spaces, etc. 

• Undertake other activities that would support the work of the project including communications and knowledge management. 

Continuous interaction with colleagues, exchange of information, seeking cooperation, resolving routine administrative and process problems, referring complex issues to supervisor with recommendations for the course of action.

 Training components and learning elements

• Project Management

• Evidence-Based Infrastructure Planning

• Geographic Information Systems Mapping (GIS)

Participation in missions or training courses

In addition to accessing UNOPS online training courses and tools, the Intern is encouraged to attend and participate at learning events organized by UNOPS and other UN agencies in Kathmandu, especially on gender issues, public open spaces, etc.   

• Should be enrolled in a university program such as Bachelor, Master in architecture or urban planning and design. Candidates who have graduated from a University programme within the last 3 years by the date of the application, will also be considered. 

• A focus on urban planning and the the design of public open spaces is highly desirable.

Language Skills

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Fluency in Finnish is an assets.

Computer Literacy

• MS Office, Database, GIS, Adobe Suite, Design Rendering Software (Autocad, Revit, Sketchup); 

• GIS software(ESRI or similar) is an advantage;

• Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and others. 

Internship-related experiences

The internship is for 12 months with no possibility of extension and will provide opportunities for exposure to urban planning and design of secondary cities in Nepal, evidence-based infrastructure planning, project identification, and sustainability.  

Additional requirements

Priority would have students with experience in organizing and/or participating in architecture and urban planning and design competitions, as well as those who have published written works on cities in journals, online platforms, etc. 

Contract type: Internship
Contract level: N/A
Contract duration:12 months. 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applicants must attach their design portfolio and letter of motivation.

• 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.