Background
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the programme and project managers located in the related country offices of UN-Habitat, the National Project Assistant provides ongoing project and administrative assistance and support to the Accelerating the Implementation of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS) project, performing a variety of standard administrative processes, and technical tasks if necessary, ensuring high quality and accuracy of work.
The National Project Assistant works in collaboration with the operations, programme and project staff in the UN-Habitat Country Office to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Ensures provision of City Technical Support, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support all cites in the relevant country (up to 3 cities) through the implementation of the project activities to develop and advance urban project proposals (City Technical Proposal) aligned with the ASUS framework, including cities that participated in the Phase I of the ASUS Project.
- Assist in conducting preliminary background assessment to understand the needs and capacity of the local government partner and areas which the proposed intervention is intended to address.
- Assist in conducting local consultations in person and virtually, as required, in collaboration with the local authorities, ensuring inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders.
- Coordination with national, local authorities and key stakeholders to perform participatory and consultative city diagnosis and action plan development in each selected ASEAN city and contribute to the development of the City Diagnostic Reports;
- Assist in preparing the urban project technical proposals in alignment with specifications outlined by UN-Habitat and ASEAN requirements, and with the support of technical experts. The technical areas of focus will be decided with the city.
- Support peer-to-peer exchanges between ASEAN pilot cities regarding the proposed projects.
Deliverables: - Concept note, agenda, schedule and minutes of city consultations undertaken for each city participating in the project;
- Inception Report on each participating city’s current resources, interventions, and policies to ground the development and advancement of the City Technical Proposals;
- Report on Advancement of City Technical Proposal for participating ASEAN Cities from ASUS Project Phase I;
- City Diagnostic Reports for the new participating cities, including a city sectoral analysis, legal and governance frameworks, city priorities and their alignment with the SDGs;
- City Technical Proposal, City Technical Proposal Briefs and Slide Decks;
- Identification and contribution through best practices from the country to Second ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report.
2. Ensures provision of Training and Capacity Building Programmes, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support the project team in developing country programmes and roadmaps for training and capacity building, targeting cities and relevant sub-national and national stakeholders.
- Supporting cities participation in regional-level events.
- Support in developing country level roadmap for the Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme (based on the regional plan) targeting cities:
- Support in identifying participating cities and other government and non-government city-level stakeholders;
- Support in identifying local best practices and champions to include in the programme;
- Support in defining a plan for virtual trainings and two in-person events to roll-out the programme;
- Support the project team in developing contents and support with translation as needed.
- Support in developing country level roadmap for the Multi-stakeholder Capacity Building Programme (based on the regional plan), targeting cities:
- Support in identifying participating cities and other government and non-government sub-national and national levels stakeholders;
- Support in identifying local best practices and champions to include in the programme;
- Support in defining a plan for two in-person events to roll-out the programme;
- Support the project team in developing contents and support with translation as needed.
- Conduct local consultations in person and virtually, as required, in collaboration with the local authorities, ensuring inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders.
- Support in developing report of the proceeding and findings of each session and event organized and ensure follow up with the relevant authorities.
Deliverables:
- Country level roadmap for the Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme (based on the regional plan), including stakeholder mapping and identification of local best practices;
- Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme events, including concept note, participants invitation and management, event reports;
- Training Programme Report;
- Country level roadmap for the Multi-stakeholder Capacity Building Programme (based on the regional plan), including stakeholder mapping and identification of local best practices;
- Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme events, including concept note, participants invitation and management, event reports;
- Capacity Building Programme Report.
3. Support Meetings Coordination, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support in-country arrangements for project review and follow-up missions;
- Coordinate document preparation, compilation and dissemination to meeting participants and key stakeholders including national, local authorities and relevant stakholders;
- Support research information in support of project materials and activities and assist with translations, interpretation and other support to the project team as required.
- Support the participation of the selected cities in virtual and in-person meetings and events nationally and internationally.
Deliverables:
- Concept note, participants lists, agendas, events facilitation and delivery, event reports;
- Participation of country representive in the Second ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum, including logistic and substantial preparation for cities participants.
4. Ensures provision of Country Office support, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Performing other relevant tasks related to urban development/project implementation as necessary and required by the Habitat Programme Manager.
- Collaborate with other UN agencies by participating in various climate-related initiatives.
- Undertake other assignments as required to support climate change objectives.
5. Support Monitoring and Evaluation in the CO, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support in regular monitoring and reporting on all project activities with partners and stakeholders to ensure a high quality of outputs being delivered within the agreed upon time frame;
- Support scoping studies and data collection to evaluate the interventions within the local strategic context and helping to address the feasibility, potential impact and any barriers;
- Supporting the mainstreaming of gender, environmental and social issues into the project activities and carrying out social and gender analyses across all project deliverables.
Competencies
Core
Innovation
Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Level 1: TAssesses work with critical eye * Seeks feedback on work activities * Demonstrates interest in learning about clients’ perspectives and needs
Leadership
Ability to persuade others to follow
Level 1: Takes responsibility for and ensures high quality of own work * Uses available resources, methods, partners, and information effectively
People Management
Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Level 1: Understands personal and team roles, responsibilities and objectives * Proac-tively seeks clarification when needed * Proactively seeks instruction, feedback and coaching to improve performance
Communication and Relationship Management
Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Level 1: Reliably and consistently interprets information and instruction correctly * Responds to information and instruction with professionalism and accuracy * Speaks on behalf of self with professionalism and integrity consistent with UN values
Delivery
Ability to get things done
Level 1: Meets goals and timelines for team deliverables * Understands responsibilities and meets expectations * Delivers within time and resource requirements * Awareness of organizational values and code of conduct in delivering services
Technical Competency
Level 1: Replicate Reliably * Carries out work, as directed, and demonstrates motivation to develop
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies)
Thematic Area: Business Management
Name: Working with Evidence and Data
Definition: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making
Thematic Area: Business Management
Name: Digital Awareness and Literacy
Definition: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed
Thematic Area: Business Management
Name: Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
Definition: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
Thematic Area: Business Management
Name: Communication
Definition: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.
Thematic Area: Business Management
Name: Monitoring
Definition: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
Thematic Area: Technical – Finance
Name: Budget management
Definition: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
Thematic Area: Technical _Procurement
Name: Procurement
Definition: The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Secondary education is required, or
- University Degree in urban and/or regional planning, architecture, urban economy, sustainable or international development, sustainable urbanisation or or equivalent field relevant to this post from reputed universities will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
Experience:
- A minimum of 6 years (with high school diploma) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative or project experience is required.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English and Laotian at professional level are essential.
Other:
- Previous experience in supporting global and regional programmes and partnerships development is added advantage.
- Work experience with the UN-Habitat, and general knowledge of UN rules and regulations are desirable.
- Previous experience in supporting global and regional programmes and partnerships development is added advantage.
- Experience in urban planning, urban and rural settlement issues and/or climate change resilience, preferably in a developing country in the Asia-Pacific region is added advantage.
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is essential.