Senior Programme Officer, Human Settlements

### Org. Setting and Reporting The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. The position is located in the Planning & Finance Section of the Planning, Finance & Policy Branch within the Global Solutions Division in Nairobi. The Global Solutions Division (GSD) is responsible for providing programmatic direction for UN-Habitat and is responsible and accountable for the programmatic delivery of the Strategic Plan. The Division leads the tools and methodology production and the integration of the various substantive competencies towards effective delivery of the Strategic Plan and the mandate of UN-Habitat. It provides substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners. The Planning, Finance & Policy Branch is the tools and methodology production and skills centre of the UN-Habitat, that develops normative guidance and cutting-edge tools through communities of urban practice. It manages a significant portion of the global and multi-country programme portfolio in the following practice areas: Integrated urban and territorial spatial planning, urban design, infrastructure and institutions; Sustainable urban proximities; Public spaces and greening cities; Local revenue generation; Public and private investments frameworks; Land-based finance; Productivity and decent jobs. It provides technical and policy advice approaches and methodologies to multi-country offices/country offices, government and partners and mainstreams them throughout the programme portfolio of the Agency. The Planning & Finance Section is responsible for coordinating the Agency’s substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning, finance and economy. It aims to develop, document, pilot/test and disseminate planning policies, norms, standards, tools, methodologies, regulatory frameworks, operating procedures and practices at global, regional, national and sub-national levels in support of (a) urban and territorial planning at all scales including urban design and public space design; (b) urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and (c) local economic development. Under the supervision of the Director, Global Solutions Division, the incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks: ### Responsibilities • Plan, oversee and manage the work programme of the Planning & Finance Section; ensure that the programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion; coordinate and manage diverse projects in the Section, in collaboration/ consultation/ liaison with other organizational units within UN-Habitat, as well as other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and partners, as appropriate. • Ensure that the normative outputs produced by the Planning & Finance Section are of high quality and developed in consultation with other Branches, Divisions, Regional/ Country/ Multi-Country Offices, as appropriate. Establish and lead Community of Practice on Planning, Finance and Economy. • Carry out administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Planning & Finance Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates. • Recruit staff for the Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. Manage, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision. A key priority is to strengthen the economic and finance aspects of the section (team and expertise building), ensuring expertise-building within the team. • Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries. • Provide policy guidance to the Chief of Branch on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional and UN-Habitat policies and procedures in the areas of urban and territorial planning, urban design, urban regeneration, urban/municipal finance and local economic development. • Prepare inputs for the work programme of the Urban Practices Branch, determining priorities and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. • Provide substantive input towards project/programme development and implementation in the areas of Planning, Finance and Economy, including allocation and assignment of human and normative resources, towards implementation of projects and programmes in the field which are not directly under the remit of the Section. • Provide assistance to country and regional offices in designing and implementing programmes and projects. Provide assistance to country programmes in designing partnerships and projects with International Finance Institutions (IFIs). Provide substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the UN-Habitat Assembly, the Executive Board and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. Provide programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others. • Contribute to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports. • Represent the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc., as required. Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise, hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. • Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • Perform other duties as required. ### Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised; ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others ability to apply rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations; ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management; shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines 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: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within pr