Serbia: Urban Management and Policy Advisor

Functional title:

Urban Management and Policy Advisor

Duty station of assignment:

Prishtina/Pristina

Type of contract:

Service Contract

Duration of assignment:

6 working months (with possibility of extension)

Closing date for applications:

27 April 2018, 15:00 hrs

Background

UN-Habitat has been actively assisting Kosovo institutions in the field of governance, spatial planning and municipal administration since 1999. Building on the results and tools generated by the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (implemented from 2005 to 2016), UN-Habitat is now implementing the Inclusive Development Programme (2016-20) (hereinafter referred to as “the Programme”), which aims to provide a strategic, comprehensive package of support to build municipal planning and management capacities, strengthen the social contract and social cohesion, and enhance coordination within a framework of inter-municipal cooperation and multi-level governance, with a view to foster inclusive development and good governance in northern Kosovo. The Programme is financed by the Swedish International Development Agency and jointly implemented with PAX and Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) in close partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA). It covers 7 municipalities in the northern Kosovo region: Leposavic/Leposaviq, Mitrovica South, Mitrovica North, Skenderaj/Srbica, Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan/Zvecan.

The Programme’s Objective 3: Foster integration by nurturing local-central and inter-municipal dialogue and cooperation, and demonstrating tangible progress to citizens by investing strategically in practical infrastructure and service delivery improvements aims develop conflict-sensitive mechanisms to harmonize and coordinate municipal, regional and Kosovo-wide planning policies; implement practical infrastructure and service delivery improvements through a Capital Investment Facility (CIF); and to enhance local-central trust and dialogue.

In order to support delivery of Programme objective 3, UN-Habitat is seeking to recruit an Urban Management and Policy Advisor, who will fulfill the duties and responsibilities outlined below under the joint supervision of UN-Habitat and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP).

Purpose of the post

The general purpose of the post is to serve as an advisor and technical expert for urban management and policy matters as well as local-central technical cooperation; and as a point of contact between the DSPCH/ MESP and the Programme’s local counterparts in their engagement with central institutions and personnel.

The incumbent will be posted within the Department of Spatial Planning, Construction and Housing (DSPCH/ MESP). The Department is notably mandated to propose, design and ensure the implementation of policy/ strategy documents in the field of spatial planning, construction and housing as well as corresponding monitoring systems, and to ensure coordination with municipalities, local and international organizations in respective domains (regulation of Kosovo Government n°05/2017 on internal organization of MESP).

Main tasks of the post

Under the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor of UN-Habitat and the direct supervision of the Director of DSPCH/ MESP, the incumbent’s responsibilities will be as follows:

1.Advisory services and urban management and policy questions, local-central technical cooperation, and liaison

Advisory services and urban management and policy questions

• Provide technical support to the development of enabling legal and policy frameworks at the central level in relation to planning and service delivery to citizens; more particularly but not limited to: develop qualitative assessment tools for spatial plans towards enhanced plans and integrated territorial governance, planning and management frameworks, and devise planning/ construction monitoring instruments at the local level with a view to consolidation and analysis of results at the central level;

• Provide technical advice for cooperation initiatives (knowledge-sharing, resource-pooling) to MESP and local governments notably within an inter-municipal cooperation framework;

• Provide quality information and advice in support of DSPCH decision-making on issues relevant to the Programme, and prepare written opinions, briefing notes, supportive materials and/ or policy recommendations, as required;

• Contribute to identify technical support needs for areas pertinent to the Programme and possible institutional response/ support mechanisms for municipalities;

Local-central technical cooperation

• Support inter-institutional liaison and coordination through dedicated fora, twinning and peer-learning mechanisms involving municipalities; more particularly but not limited to: serve as primary responsible staff member for supporting the Collegia on Spatial Planning of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM), incl. liaison and coordination with AKM, MESP and other relevant central and local institutions, substantive inputs to the work plan implementation of the Collegia, reporting and outreach;

• Provide advice and inputs for the development and implementation of training sessions for elected leaders/ municipal officials pertaining to planning/ construction policy and decision-making;

• Contribute to provision of advice, as well as organization and implementation of, multi-level thematic policy dialogues involving local and central government leaders and public servants, international and national civil society and policy experts, and others, within the framework of the Programme and in coordination with Programme partners and MESP;

Liaison

• Serve as a point of contact between the DSPCH/ MESP and the Programme local counterparts in their engagement with central institutions and personnel;

• Act as a facilitator in support of partner municipalities for all processes and procedures requiring the consent of MESP;

• Support DSPCH in implementing coordination mechanisms between implementing agencies for matters relevant to the Programme, and advice on respective knowledge transfer, documentation of lessons learned to/ for other Kosovo municipalities and facilitate experience sharing;

• Participate in appropriate activities and events of the MESP, as necessary;

2.Other tasks

• Participate actively in MESP and UN-Habitat Kosovo Office staff meetings (frequency tbd);

• Assist with translation and interpretation, both verbal and written, when required. Provide language quality checks of written materials;

• Provide monthly progress reports and inputs to progress reports to UN-Habitat Kosovo Office;

• Perform any other functions and tasks as mutually agreed with respective supervisors.

Duty station

The work shall be performed from the DSPCH/ MESP Office in Prishtina/ Pristina. Transport to and from work will be the staff member's responsibility. Travel to partner municipalities will be supported by MESP and/or the Programme.

Competencies

Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence with strong conceptual skills and mastery of subject matter combined with a proven ability to write specialized documents. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments 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. Communication: Excellent and effective written and oral skills; ability to present information in a concise and accurate manner. Planning and Organizing: Ability to work at a high level of responsibility and with minimal supervision; proven organization skills and ability to manage a heavy workload efficiently and within set deadlines. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by valuing others ideas and expertise and is willing to learn from others. Conflict management and consensus facilitation skills. Creativity:** Strong conceptual thinking. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches, takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”, and offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs.

Qualifications and other requirements

NOTE: The quality and extent of the candidate’s qualifications, skills and experience in the requirements below will determine the grade/level to which a successful applicant will be appointed.

Education and experience

• Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in social or political science, public administration, urban geography, urban/ spatial planning, architecture, or related domain, plus at least 5 years professional practical experience in related field.

Language

• English is the working language of UN-Habitat Kosovo Office; professional-level command of English is required (reading, writing and speaking);

• Fluency in Albanian is required. Fluency in Serbian is an asset.

Key skills

• Familiar with principles of sustainable development and institutional capacity building;

• Excellent knowledge and experience of the Kosovo public administration architecture and functioning;

• Demonstrated experience in providing advisory services to central and/ or local governments preferably in urban management/ development, governance and inter-municipal cooperation fields, or relevant areas; working knowledge or ability to rapidly get acquainted with the package of laws relating to planning, construction and environmental management;

• Relevant experience on institutional, policy or strategy development in urban management/ development sector;

• Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to author a diverse array of knowledge products, including concept papers and policy recommendations

• Good ability to assess institutional capacities in the central/ municipal and urban management/ development sector; related experience and institutional capacity building preferred;

• High level of interpersonal skills. Proven track record of building effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders, especially elected officials and civil servants at central and local level;

• Good solution defining and creative skills;

• Computer skill is a requirement;

• Familiarity with MESP’s priorities and UN-Habitat's mandate, approaches and strategies in the area of urban management, governance and sustainable development in Kosovo is an asset.

Special considerations

The candidate should be:

• Familiar with, and committed to the goals of UN-Habitat

• Willing to take responsibility, act professionally at all times, and make sure tasks are fully completed

• Sensitive to gender issues and issues of concern to vulnerable groups

• Flexible and prepared to pursue goals through teamwork

For the full job description and how to applyplease check:http://www.unhabitat-kosovo.org/en-us/Job-Vacancies

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates must submit an email quoting the post title to the email address:

recruitment@unhabitat-kosovo.org

with the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Cover letter explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Completion of a CV in P11 Form which can be downloaded at

http://unhabitat-kosovo.org/repository/docs/p11_form.doc

The CV shall include information on the past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Deadline for applications: 27 April 2018, 15:00 hrs

Only short listed candidates will be contacted. 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