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. Since 2015, UN-Habitat Syria Programme has worked closely with Syrian cities and communities to rebuild urban resilience and recover cities in Syria. UN-Habitat supports local authorities and communities (1) to collect better urban data and conduct urban analysis to reach a common understanding on urban recovery needs; (2) to identify neighbourhood and municipal area-based recovery priorities – from life-saving humanitarian, to resilience, to recovery – as a recovery plan; and (3) to support rehabilitate and rebuilt infrastructure and basic services, housing, urban environment, and urban cultural heritage. UN-Habitat Syria currently has offices in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and Deir Azzor. The UN-Habitat Syria programme operationalises projects across Syria. This post is located in UN-Habitat Syria at the Damascus duty station, and the incumbent will report to the Deputy Head of Syria Country Programme. Under the overall guidance of the Head of Country Programme and direct supervision of the Deputy Head of County Programme, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

1. Engagement, Coordination, and Networking with Stakeholders: • Establish and maintain strong working relationships with government ministries, agencies, and local authorities. • Coordinate and collaborate with local community, civil society, NGOs, academia, private sector actors, and other relevant partners. • Support and facilitate effective engagement and joint initiatives with government, UN agencies and other local and international partners. 2. Supervision of the Unit: • Manage and supervise the work of the Unit responsible for restoration of basic services and housing – including oversight of administrative, personnel, procurement, and financial matters to ensure timely, high-quality, and effective delivery of project activities. • Support regular follow-up on project progress, delays, and challenges, ensuring issues are identified early and addressed in coordination with management, ROAS, and donors/stakeholders (in coordination with Programme Management Unit). • Together with the Programme Management Unit, Ensure the improvement, harmonization, and implementation of project management and progress monitoring systems across all projects. 3. Contribution to Policy and Strategy Development: • Support the development of UN-Habitat’s overall policies, strategies, and programmes in alignment with organizational priorities and country-level needs, in particular through liaison with government partners. 4. Data-related responsibilities: • Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. • Ensures that requirements, background information used for data analysis are documented. 5. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to progarmme management in urban development. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to assist with data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. The 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. PLANNING & ORGANISING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. 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 his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in social science, engineering, architecture, urban planning, management or any other field relevant to the UN-Habitat programmes is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in urban analysis, project/programme management, and coordination with authorities and local communities for recovery planning is required. Experience working in a multicultural environment and establishing working partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders is required. Experience in housing finance, urban planning and urban policy development is required. Experience in strategic planning and overseeing the implementation of plans is required. Experience in project/programme management and monitoring at the managerial level is required. Experience and expertise in managing and supervising large and diverse teams of staff and contractors is desirable. Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Arabic is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIArabicUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Extension of appointment is subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO NATIONALS OF SYRIA ONLY. National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located and will be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of the office. If no suitable local candidate is identified, Syrian nationals residing elsewhere may be considered, in which case the candidate would be responsible for any costs related to traveling and relocating to Syria in the event of an employment offer. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.