Duties and Responsibilities
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA). UN-Habitat’s Montreal Office fosters linkages among research, policy, and action to advance sustainable urban development globally. The office will activate a network of key partners to accelerate the quality and scale of urban sustainability solutions to implement the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan, with a focus on housing, land use and basic service provision and their linkage to climate and biodiversity action to enhance urban resilience and promote equity and justice. The office will establish a hub to advance the development and synthesis of science, data, innovation, and solutions on urban sustainability. In addition, the Montreal Office will establish close working relations with Canadian and North American subnational governments, grassroots organizations, practitioners, the private sector and other relevant constituency groups. The newly established UN-Habitat Montreal Office is seeking motivated, highly skilled, and experienced professionals to join the team. The position is initially offered as a four-month contract, with the possibility of extension based on a positive performance evaluation. Reporting line This on-site position is fulltime, and it’s based at UN-Habitat Office in Montreal, Canada. The consultant reports to the Lead, Montreal Office, under the overall guidance of the Director of the UN-Habitat North America Office. Applicants must be Canadian residents or citizens or have permission to work in Canada. The consultant will carry out the following tasks and responsibilities: 1. The consultant will work under supervision of the Montreal Office team and in coordination with the New York Office team as well as with other regional, country or headquarters offices of the Agency. They are responsible for ensuring effective coordination and synergy maximization. 2. The consultant is responsible for keeping the North America Office Director and staff members in Montreal fully informed of all agreements, activities, actions, relevant challenges or missions that impact the achievement of the project objectives. 3. The consultant is responsible for preparing and submitting a Monthly Activity Report on time. The report must provide detailed information on the activities and tasks completed during the reporting period. 4. Provide general support to the office including participation in events and/or meetings and perform other duties which may be requested by the supervisors. 5. Provide general support to technical, administrative and management activities to ensure that projects meet the objectives in terms of deadlines, budget and quality. 6. Support the preparation of staff member meetings and appointments and manage and coordinate the office calendar. 7. Assist in the development of annual work plans, programme strategies and implementation of communication activities. 8. Assist in activities related to supply management for office equipment/supplies, office rental, payment of utility fees, equipment and vehicles in accordance with established United Nations procurement rules and regulations. 9. Support the logistics and procurement aspects for the organization of workshops and events. 10. Provide human resources recruitment support including activities such as the preparation and/or revision of terms of reference, track and disseminate the announcement of vacancies, follow up candidate’s document verification and contract issuing process. This support also includes monitoring of HR contracts and ensuring that appropriate and timely measures are taken for: i) renewal of contracts; ii) monthly salaries; iii) promotions and performance evaluations among others. 11. Assist the staff members in overseeing the financial situation of projects and provide support in the preparation of the programme budget, budget revisions and financial transactions. 12. Support the management of databases and information systems necessary to facilitate the preparation of budgets, financial reports, inventories and develop the existing information system to deal with the variables that occur in the ongoing operations of the program. 13. Provide support to staff members for the preparation of high-quality project proposals and donor reports.
Qualifications/special skills
Bachelor’s Degree in Administration, Finance, Economics, International Development, International Relations, Urban Planning, Political Sciences or related area is required. A minimum of 1 year experience in administration and management activities, preferably in the international development sector or with international organizations is required. Experience working in the UN Nations Common System is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this position, fluency in spoken and written English is required. Proficiency and/or fluency in French is highly desirable, and knowledge of another official UN language is considered an additional asset.
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.