Technical Manager

Result of Service The consultant shall duly and timely perform his/her obligations, under this Terms of Reference, and will work in close collaboration with the UN-Habitat’s operational and technical teams. Work Location São José do Vale do Rio Preto (RJ), Brazil Expected duration Six (6) months Duties and Responsibilities Background The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society, and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative, and socially fairer urban economic, social, and environmental policies. Since 2024, UN-Habitat has been developing a project with the State Government of Rio de Janeiro (Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro) through the Subsecretariat of Water Resources and Environmental Sustainability that aims to strengthen urban resilience in the State of Rio de Janeiro based on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda principles. The project, called “Inclusive and Sustainable Rio: A Territorial Approach to Localize the Sustainable Development Goals in the State of Rio de Janeiro and Leave No One And No Territory Behind” will help the State to achieve urban prosperity while implementing global sustainable urban development agendas. In particular, the initiative focuses on: expanding the engagement of the State's Direct and Indirect Administration in accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, complementing the Fluminense Government's global call to action - Rio2030, and the establishment of a culture of sustainability that contributes to increasing its urban resilience through the development of disaster prevention and mitigation actions and the engagement of local youth. To properly implement the above-mentioned project, a Technical Manager is required to co-lead the implementation of its activities in the Mountain Region. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Technical Manager reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her. Responsibilities The Technical Manager will support the implementation of the project, and its activities, with the following responsibilities: a) Technically coordinate urban and climate resilience awareness activities, according to programme documents and signed agreement. b) Prepare and review deliverables according to the agreed outcomes and indicators. c) Gather inputs and coordinate the preparation of workplans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the programme coordination in Rio de Janeiro. d) Ensure programme implementation as per the work plan with support from programme staff. e) Establish systems for programme planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners. f) Anticipate and mitigate risks to products, including relevant challenges or omissions and other situations that may affect development and implementation of the programme. g) Provide information for the systematization and exchange of successful practices and experiences with other offices in the region and with headquarters divisions. h) Ensure that the technical activities are aligned with the quality expectations of the Agency and its counterparts. i) Provide technical support on how to localize and give shape to international agreements and frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, presenting ideas on how to implement these agendas in the territory. j) Record and maintain documents on relevant programme activities, issues, and risks. k) Maintain relationships with local partners to support the implementation of the project, identify potential risks, and resolve any conflicts throughout the process. l) Ensure effective and efficient communication with counterparts and local partners, such as local governments (several Secretariats), civil society organizations, community leaders, Universities, private sector, etc. m) Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives, as needed. n) Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting from the planning to the evaluation stages. o) Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds; conduct regular monitoring activities. p) Document the product implementation. q) Contribute to the exchange of information and provide inputs to the development of knowledge products. r) Coordinate the organization of trainings, workshops, events and knowledge products. s) Attend meetings and conferences promoted by partners to strengthen the project's position and presence in the territories. t) Undertake any other duties and responsibilities within the incumbent's expertise that can be reasonably expected to help maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of UN-Habitat's response to urban development issues. u) Perform other duties which may be requested by the supervisor. The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE, from UNDSS, is required to be accredited during the first month of employment. The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System. Outputs/Work Assignment The consultant shall be paid a monthly allowance, upon presentation and approval by the Head of Brazil Office monthly activities’ report. Qualifications/special skills Education Required: • Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism, Environmental Engineering, Geography, or related fields is required, or additional three (3) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Desirable: • Postgraduate degree (Lato Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Civil Protection, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change Adaptation, or related fields is desirable. Work experience • Minimum of three (3) years of experience in project coordination, team leadership, technical advisory, and/or community mobilization on topics related to urban development or disaster risk management in Brazil is required. • Professional experience on themes related to public policies, public administration, sustaina-bility, social and urban development, public spaces, articulation and coordination of stake-holders on implementation of policies and projects is required. • Experience related to climate change is desirable. • Experience related to reducing the risk of disaster is desirable. • Previous experience within the UN System is desirable. Skills • Good computer skills in Windows, like Microsoft Office, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Web search engines are required. • Good handling of technological tools and use of software and online platforms is desirable. • Good knowledge of project management methodologies is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project manage-ment, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good urban governance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsibility, op-erate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a work-load efficiently and within set deadlines. • Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep every-one informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capacity to write docu-ments for diverse audiences. • Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guarantee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organiza-tion. • The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementation of the activities related to the project development. • The person must know the file of the Office, work with it, and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff, and due updating. • The person will prepare databases related to the project running. • The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. • The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency. • The person will only share the information produced with the team agency, assuring the pri-vacy of the content. Languages • English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. • For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required. Working knowledge of English and Spanish is desirable. Additional Information Travel details: Applicable The consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the Head of Brazil Office. Missions will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Remuneration SB-3/2 UNPD Brazil Salary Scale Notes Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply. The extension of this contract is subject to availability of funds and/or performance. Any contract extension is not automatic. It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira: • Cover memo (maximum 1 page) • Educational Background (incl. dates) • Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months) • Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments • Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)* * Please note that Internships, part-time count and voluntary work as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered. All applications should be submitted to: Inspira UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning people or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org. No Fee