Local Programme Review Committee Secretariat Consultant

Result of Service

Enhanced efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of UN-Habitat’s project design, approval, and implementation processes, resulting in technically sound, strategically aligned, and well-monitored projects that contribute to the organization’s objectives under the Strategic Plan, with strengthened regional collaboration, compliance with cross-cutting standards, and improved capacity among staff for sustainable project management.

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

Six months part time

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Setting The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. UN-Habitat supports various stakeholders, including national and local governments, civil society, and the private sector, to implement the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 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. Within this mission, UN-Habitat’s efforts are organized through regional offices to better respond to the local needs and challenges of urban development. The Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC), headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one such key office responsible for developing and implementing projects in the region, with a focus on supporting national and municipal governments in formulating participative and sustainable urban policies. Over the years, ROLAC has strengthened its collaboration with local governments and stakeholders to promote integrated approaches to urban development, resource mobilization, and policy implementation. ROLAC oversees and coordinate the portfolio across the three sub-regional offices, which implement the projects on the field and liaise with the country governments of region. With UN-Habitat’s growing project portfolio and the introduction of a de Programme Review Committee (PRC) processes, there is an increased need for technical coordination to ensure that projects align with organizational objectives, regional needs, and global standards. The PRC serves as a critical quality assurance mechanism, ensuring coherence, efficiency, and effectiveness of projects across UN-Habitat’s operations. The PRC’s review and approval process supports the strategic alignment of projects through co-creation, collaboration across divisions, and mainstreaming cross-cutting themes such as environmental and social safeguards, gender equity, and risk management. The PRC Secretariat, located at UN-Habitat Headquarters in Nairobi, is responsible for coordinating project reviews and approvals across regions. It ensures that projects comply with UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan and Results-Based Management (RBM) frameworks while facilitating knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the organization. As part of ongoing reforms to improve efficiency, UN-Habitat has decentralized certain aspects of its project review and approval processes. The Executive Director has delegated authority to regional and divisional representatives to approve projects with a budget of USD 2 million or below. This decentralization of authority is intended to enhance the speed and flexibility of project approvals, allowing regional offices to take a greater role in managing and overseeing projects while still ensuring adherence to UN-Habitat’s policies and standards. In addition, within the scope of the decentralization efforts, PRC Local Working Groups (PRC LWGs) have been established at the regional and divisional levels to handle the review and approval of smaller, region-specific projects. The Regional Representatives or Directors of Divisions chair these working groups, with support from standing members who are responsible for quality control and ensuring alignment with the Strategic Plan. Specific Duties This consultancy is remote and will be based in Nairobi and will support the Secretariat functions for the PRC LWG Global Solutions Division (GSD) – The Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) related to project review coordination and approval processes, and alignment with organizational priorities and quality standards. The consultant will contribute on a part-time basis to ongoing initiatives within the framework of UN-Habitat’s PRC to enable faster decision-making and project approvals at the local level while maintaining oversight and strategic alignment through headquarters-based mechanisms. Under the supervision of the chair of PRC LWG GSD-ROLAC, the Consultant will support the PRC Secretariat function on the in-coordinating project review processes and regional collaboration, with tasks including but not limited to: 1. Project Review and Approval Support: a. Coordinate project review processes under the Programme Review Committee (PRC-HQ WG) and Local Working Groups (PRC LWG). b. Review project submissions for quality, compliance, technical soundness, and alignment with UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan. c. Ensure the inclusion of gender equality, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and risk mitigation in project designs. d. Organize and document PRC meetings, including tracking follow-up actions and recommendations. e. Clear final documents for IPMR submission. 2. Liaison and Coordination: a. Facilitate collaboration between headquarters, regional offices, and technical experts. b. Ensure regional perspectives and cross-cutting issues (e.g., gender, environmental safeguards) are integrated into projects. 3. Monitoring, Reporting and Technical Support a. Track the submission of approved projects into IPMR and approve (under the level 1) the draft projects for final approval. b. Monitor progress through internal tracking reporting system, identifying gaps, and recommend corrective actions. c. Maintain project documentation and databases. d. Contribute to knowledge products and repositories for organizational learning – in coordination with PRC-HQ WG 4. Capacity Building: a. Provide assistance on project formulation, PRC processes, and Results-Based Management (RBM). b. Coach and mentor staff to improve project quality and compliance.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban Development, Social Sciences, Economic Development, or other relevant fields is required. Minimum of 5 years of relevant international experience in project management, urban policy development, or related areas is required. Experience in working with the United Nations or other international organizations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency in other UN languages, particularly Spanish is desirable. .

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.