UNDP | Spatial Planner

الوصف الوظيفي

UNHABITAT Spatial Planner - Ramallah

Application Type :     External Vacancy
Job ID/Title :     953 - UNHABITAT Spatial Planner
Category : Other
Brand : UN-HABITAT
Application Deadline :     17-Jul-17
Duty Station :     Ramallah
Type of Contract : Service Contract
Languages Required :Arabic, English,
Starting Date :(date when the selected canditate is expected to start)     01-Aug-17
Duration of Initial Contract :     12 months, renewable based on availability of funds and performance


Background:

The programme was established upon the adoption of the consensus resolution 19/18 by governments at the 19th Session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council in 2003. The long-term development objective of the programme is to improve the human settlements conditions of the Palestinian people and in so doing contribute in a modest way to reaching peace, security and stability in the region. During the 23rd Governing Council in 2011, a new resolution 23/2 was adopted, requesting UN-Habitat "to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues in view of improving the housing and human settlement conditions of Palestinians”. In the 26th Governing Council of UN-Habitat in 2017, a resolution on consensus basis was adopted calling UN-Habitat “to continue to focus its work where there are acute humanitarian and development needs as identified through technical assessments by UN-Habitat”.

One of the programme components is entitled ‘Planning Support to the Palestinian Communities in Area C’. The overall goal of this component is improved resilience of Palestinian communities in Area C through sustainable local development, building rights and access to basic services. Beneficiaries are Palestinian communities in Area C (circa 300,000 residents), the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) and other line ministries, as well the entire Palestinian planning community. The project under which the incumbent will serve is funded by the EU and is currently implemented by UN-Habitat in partnership with MoLG. The project is entitled ‘Fostering Tenure Security and Resilience of Palestinian Communities through Spatial-Economic Planning Interventions in Area C’, and aims at improving the economic wellbeing of the Palestinian communities in Area C; improving the built environment conditions by better defining the land use functions, and by planning, designing, and management of public spaces with a focus on advancing tenure security’; and enhancing coordinated advocacy to defend the building and planning rights of Palestinian communities in Area C. Key stakeholders in the project are MoLG; Village Leaders and their Communities in Area C; Technical Staff and Management of other donor and aid organizations engaged in programmes with MoLG and in Area C and UN-Habitat's local implementing partners, Israeli Authorities through UNSCO.

Under this project, UN-Habitat is recruiting a Spatial Planner who will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager at UN-Habitat and the focal point for planning interventions in Area C at MoLG, and under the overall supervision of the Head of Office at UN-Habitat. The Spatial Planner will be seconded to MoLG.

S/he will be part of UN-Habitat's support team to urban planning related projects. S/he will take the lead on specific expected results assigned to her/him.

Description of Responsibilities:

The Spatial Planner will contribute to building up and maintaining a network of local organizations and professionals working on planning related matters, liaise with relevant counterparts with the Palestinian Authority, sister UN Agencies and project partners on project activities, as requested by the Project Manager. More specifically, the Spatial Planner will be responsible for:

- Working closely with and supporting the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Ministry of Local Government
- Networking with all relevant stakeholder (through regular meetings, workshops and conferences)
- Placemaking and detail project designing, including Bill of Quantities for the actual implementation of small-scale projects.
- Following up with plan-making and approval processes for the (Detailed) Local Outline Plans in Area C.
- Organizing and conducting field visits on regular basis.
- Working closely with local implementing partners during the plan-making and follow-up activities related to the local outline plans and other   planning interventions, including cluster plans and city-regions plans in Area C and beyond.
- Leading on specific technical initiatives at the request of the Project Manager at UN-Habitat.
- Effective involvement of women and youth in all participatory activities related to this project through the implementation of a specific gender strategy.

Competencies :

Professionalism:

Demonstrates professional competence and mastery in the fields of participatory spatial planning, community-led initiatives; shows persistence when faced with difficult challenges; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; commitment to continuous learning; actively seek to develop oneself professionally and personally; good analytical skills, which means the ability quickly identify the key subject(s) in complex and dynamic situations.

Communication:

Strong conceptual skills combined with a proven ability to speak and write clearly and effectively; listens to others; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed; Good oral and written communication skills; proficiency in spoken and written Arabic and English, while oral communication skills in Hebrew would be considered a great asset.

Teamwork:

Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; contribute to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; show willingness to learn from others;

Accountability:

Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for her/his own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Qualifications :

At minimum a Bachelor Degree (BSc) in Spatial or Urban Planning, or landscape designing or combined expertise of spatial planning and architecture/engineering.

Minimum of 2 years of relevant working experience in areas related to spatial and urban planning, preferably within the planning context of Area C of the West Bank.

Fluency in English and Arabic languages.

Previous experience working with UN is an asset.
Proven ability to coordinate complex assignments including designing of work plans, facilitate the cooperation of partners, build consensus.
Knowledge of the spatial and urban planning legal framework and processes of the State of Palestine, with specific demonstrated knowledge of the Area C context.

Demonstrated expertise in conducting and facilitating urban and spatial planning processes.
Good knowledge of MS-Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); knowledge of ADOBE design suite (ID, Illustrator, Photoshop) and/or standard GIS software (ArcView, ArcGIS, QGIS), and AutoCAD programmes.
Proficient in website and internet applications, database management.
Valid driving license.