VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Issued on: 19 June 2017
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION
Somalia Programme, Regional Office for Africa, UN-Habitat
DUTY STATION
Nairobi, with frequent travel to Somalia
FUNCTIONAL TITLE
Programme Support Expert
CONTRACT TYPE
Individual Contractor Agreement
POST DURATION
6 months
CLOSING DATE
26 June 2017
BACKGROUND
Over 1.1 million people, or nearly ten percent, of the Somali population live in protracted internal displacement. Another one million Somalis are in displacement in neighbouring countries, bringing the total displaced population to approximately 20% of the current estimated population of Somalia and these trends have been worsening in 2017, with an additional 715,000 displaced by a severe drought.
Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in unplanned and informal settlements in urban areas. For example, Mogadishu is home to nearly 400,000 IDPs, which is over one third of the overall internally displaced population in Somalia. About 55% of the IDPs are concentrated in two of Mogadishu’s peripheral districts. Overall, this constitutes one of the highest IDP concentrations across the African continent. Protracted internal displacement is therefore an inherently urban phenomenon in Somalia and must be addressed against a backdrop of increasing urbanisation and growing rural-urban migration trends, with one of the highest urban growth rates in the world. Living conditions in the IDP settlements in Mogadishu, to a large extent on account of their informal, unplanned and ungoverned nature, are dire and constantly deteriorating notably due to adverse weather conditions, forced evictions and lack of urban services. Forced evictions stood out in 2015 as protection risk faced predominantly by IDPs. This is mainly due to insecure tenure, lack of affordable and secure alternatives and most importantly due to the power imbalance between IDPs and gatekeepers created in the absence of municipal and district authorities being able to exercise their protective and regulatory role. Additionally, 75% of the recorded gender based violence (GBV) incidents are perpetrated in IDP settlements, with a noticeable increase in incidents in the first quarter of 2016 , and IDPs exhibit the highest food insecurity and malnutrition rates in Somalia, with serious malnutrition rates in Mogadishu specifically. Internal displacement has resulted in social exclusion, marginalisation and discrimination; the outcomes of the profiling of the IDP situation in Mogadishu depict a grim picture of inequality between IDPs and other population segments living in similarly impoverished conditions. Such patterns are typical in contexts such as Mogadishu, where institutional capacity of relevant authorities to strategically address the long-term dimensions of displacement is limited.
With funding from the European Union, UN-Habitat, UNHCR and UNDP, together with longstanding partners CESVI, SWDC and SIDO, have started in April 2017 the implementation of a programme aimed at facilitating the gradual resolution of the protracted displacement of IDPs in Mogadishu. EU Reinteg, notably aims at enhancing local integration capacity, which remains the preferred durable solution option for 47% or almost 200,000 of Mogadishu’s IDPs. The Programme focuses on:
(a) strengthening relevant governance structures through capacity building and accountability mechanisms to create the relevant sustainability potential for solutions, on
(b) implementing innovative, replicable and scalable solutions for basic and protective service delivery and employment, and,
(c) producing, by the end of the project, a comprehensive and implementable urban durable solution strategy which includes financing schemes for the scale and complexity of Mogadishu’s IDP situation. This joint UN initiative originates from and directly supports the Somalia IDP Solutions Initiative led by the Federal Government of Somalia and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and it builds on the primary role and responsibility of authorities to support durable solutions. The Municipality of Mogadishu is the leading institutional partner for this project.
REQUIRED TASKS
Under the overall supervision of the EU Reinteg Programme Manager, the direct supervision of the EU Reinteg Coordinator, and in close cooperation and coordination with other EU Reinteg implementing agencies and partners, the programme support expert will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Contribute significantly to the design and development of new programmes/projects in the fields of durable solutions, in particular return and reintegration, recovery and stabilization, in close coordination with other UN-Habitat units, governmental authorities and international and regional institutions as well as partner organizations in public/private sector;
- Analyse trends, local context and situations and ensure programming reflects best practices and lessons learned for EU Reinteg in particular, and more broadly in the field of durable solutions, recovery and stabilization;
- Manage the external communication relations of EU Reinteg, as per guidance with the EU Reinteg Visibility Plan. Jointly with the EU Reinteg Programme Coordinator, contribute significantly to external communications with the Federal Government, with the Benadir Regional Administration, the European Union Delegation, Humanitarian and Development community of bilateral and multilateral donors, civil society organizations as required.
- Write periodically briefs for external communication and advocacy. Produces position papers for UN Senior Management (UN Country Team and UN Humanitarian Country Team) and support partners’ agencies of EU Reinteg in their visibility and communication strategies
- Draft proposals, workplans, M&E framework and budgets and provide input to strategy papers on thematic areas relevant to the unit, in particular with regards to durable solutions, focusing on return and reintegration, recovery and stabilization.
- In liaison with partner’s agencies, and supported by the Programme Coordinator compile narrative reports on Programme implementation and development, as requested by the European Union.
- Serve as the M&E focal point for the EU Reinteg Programme, develop and manage project tracking tools in coordination with the Programme Coordinator and EU Reinteg Technical Working Group Members based in Nairobi
- Plan and organize joint monitoring missions with all of the consortium members, relevant government counterparts and the European Union
- Support the EU Reinteg Programme Coordinator as focal point for donor liaison in Nairobi and participate/lead in relevant meetings with donors, as required
- Closely coordinate with the Programme Coordinator for EU Reinteg, the Programme Manager and with the UN Habitat Programme Coordinators when required
- Act as focal point for information requests on the work of the programme, in particular from the Programme Management Unit, the Regional Office and Headquarters, as well as external partners
- Represent the unit in all relevant Nairobi based internal and external meetings assigned by the Programme Coordinator
- Support and liaise with the Programme Management Unit in Nairobi on relevant administrative and financial issues Follow up with relevant units in Nairobi on procurement issues and recommend action to the Programme Manager and coordinator
- Undertake regular monitoring visits to assess the progress of project implementation and recommend action to the Programme Coordinator
- Support the drafting of project reports and project updates
- Closely coordinate with relevant units in Headquarters and other UN Habitat missions to ensure compliance of programming with UN Habitat mandate;
- Perform any other duties as may be assigned
COMPETENCIES
Professionalism: Strong technical skills in legal matters related to land administration and housing land and property rights, conceptual and analytical capacity with ability to conduct independent analysis and evaluation, ability to draft clear and effective training materials and to build partnerships and networks with institutions and academia.
Communication: Excellent writing and communication skills, articulating ideas in a clear and concise manner.
Client orientation: Able to establish and maintain productive partnerships by gaining trust and respect; to identify needs and find solutions; to monitor developments; to anticipate problems, and to keep partners informed of progress or setbacks.
Planning and Organizing: Ability to develop clear strategies that are consistent with agreed work plans; to identify priority tasks; to foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning; to monitor and adjust plans and actions as necessary
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced university degree from an accredited academic institution, preferably in Political or Social Science, Business Administration, International Relations and/or Law, or an equivalent combination of training and experience
Professional Experience
Minimum Two years of work experience in UN coordination, project design, management and implementation in the areas of internal displacement, durable solutions, recovery and stabilization
Language
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Somali is an asset.
Other
Commitment and respect of UN-Habitat and UN mandate and values. Willingness to travel to Somalia. Sound judgment, analytical skills, networking and interpersonal skills, and report/project writing skills.
Applications should include:
- Cover memo explaining competencies and motivation for the position (maximum 1 page).
- Summary CV (maximum 2 pages), or a UN Personal History Form P11
- Concept of the project, inclusive of detailed budget and timeline for implementation,
UN-HABITAT, P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya
UN Gigiri Complex Block P-104
Email: un-habitat.som@unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 26 June 2017
Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the
UN-Habitat e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster
through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org