GCF Readiness Team Leader and Project Development Specialist

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
peace and sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management,
financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging
environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused
professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on
behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of
nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labour force — a
strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We
continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that
encourage the recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and
personal demands.

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 lead United Nations agency for cities and human settlements. The agency is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all and sustainable development. The main documents outlining the mandate of the organization are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, the Habitat Agenda, the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and UN General Assembly Resolution A/56/206.

UN-Habitat, being the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system, has a role in delivering the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by Member States in 2015, specifically goal 11 make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, UN-Habitat is assigned as the custodian for this goal. 

As our cities and towns grow at unprecedented rates, setting the social, political, cultural and environmental trends of the world, sustainable urbanization is one of the most pressing challenges for the global community in the 21st century. In 1950, one-third of the world’s population lived in cities. Just 50 years later, this proportion has risen to one-half and will continue to grow to two-thirds, or six billion people, by 2050. Cities are now home to half of humankind. They are the hub for national production and consumption - economic processes that generate wealth and opportunity. But they also create disease, crime, pollution and poverty. In many cities, especially in developing countries, slum dwellers number more than 50% of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water and sanitation. 

UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025

UN-Habitat recently launched a new Strategic Plan for the years 2020-2025. The Plan, approved by the UN-Habitat Assembly in May 2019, reinforces UN-Habitat’s position as the global center of excellence on sustainable urban development, offering solutions that help seize the opportunities presented by urbanization, while bringing about transformational change for the benefit of millions of people, ensuring that no one and no place is left behind. 

The Strategic Plan lays out a recalibrated vision and mission, and a sharpened focus. UN-Habitat proposes to serve Member States, sub-national and local governments, and other key urban actors in the pursuit of four mutually reinforcing and integrated domains of change:

1. Reduced poverty and spatial inequality in urban and rural communities;

2. Enhanced shared prosperity of cities and regions;

3. Strengthened climate action and improved urban environment; and

4. Effective urban crisis prevention and response

Outcome 2.3 of the Strategic Plan is “Expanded deployment of frontier technologies and innovations for urban development”. Frontier technologies are influencing the emergence of smart cities, how we build and manage our cities and human settlements, and how urban managers take more informed decisions. The New Urban Agenda calls for technology and communication networks to be strengthened and for smart-city approaches that use digitalization, clean energy, and technologies to boost economic growth and improve service delivery, while promoting broad-based inclusion, including of persons with disabilities.

The implementation of the Plan is also supported by six “organizational enablers”, of which one is innovation. UN-Habitat needs to put in place the adequate institutional, managerial and financial conditions for innovation to flourish. It is only when innovation is part of everyone’s job across the organization, and when innovative solutions are used by everyone, that innovation becomes a key enabler. 

Strengthened climate change action and improved urban environment

Following the adoption of the Strategic Plan, and specifically pursuing ‘strengthened climate change action and improved urban environment’ UN-Habitat Yemen CO has developed a GCF readiness proposal for Yemen, which has recently been approved by the GCF. Besides that, UN-Habitat is developing an AF proposal.

The GCF Readiness Team Leader and Project Development Specialist will be recruited to lead the implementation of the recently approved GCF readiness project in Yemen and to lead project proposal work. And will report to the Head of Programme/ UN-Habitat-Yemen. 

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 Head of UN-Habitat Yemen Programme, the GCF Readiness Team Leader and Project Development Specialist will be assigned to UN-Habitat/ Yemen and would carry out the following activities:

• Develop a detailed project implementation work plan

• Develop ToRs for consultants / contractors and support contracting process

• Guide and coordinate the project team

• Lead the inception workshop and steering committee meeting

• Monitor project progress and coordinate with and report to the GCF

• Coordinate with UN-Habitat ROAS/Yemen and in Yemen key actors, including government

• Provide a framework to the project team to roll-out a capacity strengthening / training package.

• Provide a framework and tools for the project team to conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment

• Udate/draft new GCF readiness project proposal and budget for Yemen and respond to comments from the GCF

1. Contract type: International ICA
2. Contract level: I-ICA 3
3. Contract duration: Short-Term ICA

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.