Duties and Responsibilities
Background to UN-Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. For over forty-five years UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for cities and towns of all sizes. One of the four focus area under the Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is Strengthened Climate Action and Improved Urban Environment. UN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa (ROAf) established the Sub-regional Office of Southern Africa, to strengthen UN-Habitat presence in sub-regional/country level by engaging sub-regional/country level coordination and activities including the UNCTs, the UN AFPs initiatives, governments, donors, development partners, sub-regional entities and any other relevant dialogues. UN-Habitat Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa covers 13 countries including South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, and Mauritius. The Office cooperates with the SADC (South African Development Community) secretariat based in Botswana, providing substantive assistance to the country level as well as sub-regional level. In response to the rapid urbanization in the sub-region, the agency’s work is expanding: in addition to the current permanent presence of staff in Mozambique, Malawi, Comoros and Madagascar, the agency is currently opening an office in South Africa. Background to the position UN-Habitat is opening an office in South Africa, to strengthen the agency’s programming and support to the national/local authorities in South Africa and neighbouring countries. The office is expected to be operational in early 2025. UN-Habitat’s flagship programme, Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor (RISE UP) aims to boost resilience and socio-economic prosperity of urban poor communities in the Global South by 2030. The program currently supports South Africa, Lao PDR, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, targeting urban dwellers in informal settlements and climate hotspots by reducing climate-related disruption of livelihoods and improving basic services. The project will enhance capacity to access climate finance of national and local governments in least-developed countries, developing countries and small island states, focusing on sustainable, net-zero, and climate resilient development. South-south, regional and interregional cooperation will facilitate knowledge exchange and technical cooperation to strengthen government capacities. The project will seek to mobilize climate adaptation finance where urban risks and vulnerabilities are highest, by assessing multi-layered urban risks and climate vulnerabilities, proposing responsive actions, and prioritizing for the development of bankable urban climate action proposals for climate finance. It will showcase the commitments of local governments and urban practitioners through the Innovate4Cities partnership, in collaboration with Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, at major international forums such as UNFCCC, CBD COPs, World Urban Forum. The project will leverage existing synergies with the SURGe Initiative for global scaling. In South Africa, implementation will focus on disaster (flood)-prone areas of EThekwini Municipality Area, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape province. This position is to act as a focal point for the RISE UP project in South Africa for UN Habitat, and to contribute to the development and implementation of the agency’s broader programming in South Africa. Objectives Building on the efforts of establishing a RISE UP Secretariat, the overall objective of the project is to enhance interregional knowledge exchange and capacities of national and local governments in Lao PDR, Madagascar, South Africa, and Sri Lanka for urban sustainable, net-zero, climate resilient and nature positive development for the most vulnerable urban communities. Long-term, the project will support the integration of urban climate issues into NDCs, NAPs and municipal and national climate policy. The project has two expected outcomes: 1. Enhanced interregional knowledge exchange and strengthened capacities of national and local governments in Lao PDR, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and South Africa to understand local multi-layered risks and vulnerabilities (climate change, biodiversity & urban) and develop appropriate response options. 2. Strengthened capacity of national and local governments in Lao PDR, Madagascar, South Africa, and Sri Lanka to develop appropriate bankable climate action projects in support of the most vulnerable urban communities. Duties and Responsibilities Located in the UN-Habitat Country Office in South Africa, the National Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing project implementation, supporting broader office functions, and ensuring that the objectives of both the South Africa Country Programme and the RISE UP project are met under the overall guidance of the RISE UP Coordinator and the Southern Africa Hub Manager. The position will involve the following typical main duties leading to the ultimate requested outputs: Programme and Office Management Responsibilities: 1. Support the overall implementation and coordination of UN-Habitat’s programmes in South Africa, ensuring alignment with national urban development priorities. 2. Assist partnership development, and stakeholder engagement for UN-Habitat South Africa’s broader urban resilience initiatives. 3. Provide technical assistance and policy recommendations to government agencies, municipalities, and urban stakeholders on sustainable urban planning and climate adaptation strategies. 4. Develop knowledge-sharing mechanisms and capacity-building initiatives to enhance the urban resilience capabilities of national and local institutions. 5. Contribute to research, publications, and policy papers related to climate-resilient urban development and other thematic areas under the UN-Habitat mandate. 6. Support reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of UN-Habitat South Africa Programme activities, ensuring timely submission of reports to UN-Habitat headquarters and donor agencies. Project-Specific Responsibilities (RISE UP Initiative): 1. Oversee the daily management of all RISE UP project activities, ensuring compliance with project deliverables and UN-Habitat’s best practices. 2. Develop urban community selection criteria based on climate change risks, local vulnerabilities, and the capacity to support project implementation. 3. Facilitate consultations with city administrations to identify urban poor communities highly vulnerable to climate change impacts in EThekwini Municipality, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and Port St Johns. 4. Coordinate with the GIS Expert and local government partners to collect and analyze data on past climate impacts, urban socio-economic issues, biodiversity trends, and climate projections. 5. Conduct policy reviews to assess national and local urban development strategies, climate change policies, and governance frameworks. 6. Support vulnerability assessments and spatial mapping efforts, ensuring the integration of climate risk analysis into urban planning processes. 7. Organize capacity-building workshops, Training-of-Trainers (ToT) sessions, and knowledge exchange forums for national and local government officials and urban stakeholders. 8. Develop training materials and facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions on urban resilience, climate risk management, and nature-based solutions. 9. Lead the documentation and dissemination of project outcomes, ensuring lessons learned are integrated into broader urban policies and strategies. 10. Prepare regular project progress reports, communicate findings with stakeholders, and ensure compliance with UN-Habitat reporting guidelines. 11. Travel to project sites as required to monitor implementation, engage with stakeholders, and provide technical support. 12. Perform other duties as assigned by the UN-Habitat RISE UP Coordinator and Southern Africa Hub Manager.
Qualifications/special skills
For MA/MSC degree in relevant field, minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in environmental impact assessment and planning are required. For BA/BSC degree in a relevant field, minimum 4 years of relevant work experience in environmental impact assessment and planning are required. Proven experiences in social inclusion such as gender, disability, conflict, and fragility in planning context, setting up and implementing integrated strategic planning approaches and participatory mechanisms for multiple stakeholders are required. Substantial knowledge in environmental assessment and planning, climate change and vulnerabilities in urban areas, environmental and social impact assessment, and environmental and social safeguarding, is an asset. Recognized experience and knowledge on consultation/participation methodologies is an asset. Training development and facilitation including experience in drafting and encouraging the implementation of policy/strategic guidance and developing practical tools and resources is an asset.