Urban Resilience Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Urban Resilience Analyst

Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full-time

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Urban Resilience Analyst will provide dedicated support to the Urban Resilience Advisor, and contribute to urban resilience policy and programme development, implementation, partnership building, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts in support of the ECOWAS Commission.
• The Urban Resilience Analyst will be based in the ECOWAS Commission’s Humanitarian Affairs Division of the Humanitarian and Social Affairs Directorate in Abuja, Nigeria and shall be responsible for supporting inputs into operationalizing the AURP towards ECOWAS’ regional programmatic efforts to build the resilience of its Member States to the losses from urban disasters.
• Under the supervision and guidance of the Urban Resilience Advisor, s/he will support the coordination and delivery of policy guidance to shape the implementation mechanisms of the AURP and the delivery of strategic programme activities in West Africa. 
• The Urban Resilience Analyst will support scaling up of the urban resilience work being carried out in the Sahel region by UNDP in partnership with UN-Habitat through the Sahel Resilience Project Phase 1 and continued in Phase 2.
• S/he will also contribute to developing other AURP implementation mechanisms for the ECOWAS region, such as the Joint Regional Programme (JRP) on Smart Urban Resilience in Africa in collaboration with UNDP and UN-Habitat, and the AUC’s partnership with the GIZ-funded ‘Resilience Initiative Africa’ project (RIA). S/he will contribute to other functions of the Humanitarian Affairs Division in areas such as urban risk assessment, urban early warning and early action systems, urban recovery preparedness as well as integration of disaster and climate risks in urban planning through coherent policy, strategic and programme advisory services at the regional and national level, as per the requirements of the ECOWAS Commission.

 The Urban Resilience Analyst’s scope of work will include, but will not be limited to the following responsibilities and tasks: 

• Support the Urban Resilience Advisor in coordinating and providing technical advice to the ECOWAS Commission on urban resilience programming.
• Support the development of an ECOWAS-specific urban resilience programme and ensure its alignment with the AURP and the Regional Resilience Strategy for West Africa;
• Supporting in the operationalization of the AURP in West Africa, incorporating inputs from relevant Directorates and external partners in programme design, including outlining a work plan for its implementation at the regional level;
• Coordinate with and consult the ECOWAS Commission, Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs and other relevant Directorates to identify and outline appropriate institutional structures and mechanisms (new and existing) to support the delivery of urban resilience programming in the ECOWAS, including considerations of bilateral and multi-stakeholder meetings and workshops for effectively operationalizing the AURP in West Africa and developing an ECOWAS-specific urban resilience programme;
• advising the establishment or strengthening of an interdepartmental working group to serve as a platform to discuss, formulate and support initiatives on urban resilience in a coherent and coordinated manner;
• Participate to the development of a partnership and resource mobilization strategy for urban resilience programming in West Africa, including the development of products that can be used to support the ECOWAS Commission to draw key partners for resource mobilization;
• Provide assistance and day-to-day programme management support for urban resilience related work (including meeting attendance, minutes and note taking, preparation of draft texts and reports, draft memos, managing programme folders and records, and tracking of outputs and deliverables), including producing relevant reports and programme evaluation modalities relating to urban resilience programming and operationalization of the AURP, and liaise with the Humanitarian Affairs Division, Communication Directorate and Sahel Resilience Project team for the development of advocacy plans for urban resilience and the dissemination of communication material and channels; 
• Support the development and delivery of training (including training material), and capacity-building efforts that underscore urban resilience programming, and support overall day-to-day management of urban resilience programming in the Humanitarian Affairs Division through the preparation of reports, briefs, memos, and statements, among others; 
• Conduct research and literature reviews, and keep abreast with the overall policy, research and practice landscape of DRR and resilience in West Africa, and any other tasks related to urban resilience or closely related areas that will be assigned by the supervisor based on the emerging needs.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Urban Studies and Planning, Earth Sciences Environmental Science, disaster management or a closely related field of study is required or  
• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in the above fields combined with two additional years of experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum two years experience (for Masters Degree holders) or four years experience (for Bachelors Degree holders)  in Disaster Risk Reduction, resilience-building or climate change adaptation, with a focus on policy and programme development and/or implementation support in the area of urban risk management, urban planning or urban development;
• Experience/Knowledge of urban development and management, urban risk reduction, disaster risk reduction and climate change concepts, frameworks and principles;
• Demonstrable evidence on experience and knowledge of data collection methods, effective, systematic and transparent data management methods, and data analysis using a range of methods (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods);
• Proficiency and experience in MS Office applications and analysis tools;
• Fluency in English both written and verbal communication including presentations;
• Demonstrated ability  to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge;
• Demonstrated ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
• Coordination experience working with intergovernmental organizations, governments, development partners, and international organizations;
• Experience in supporting programme design, coordination, implementation and project management processes;
• Experience in working in fast-paced environments including in international/multi-country settings;
• Knowledge and experience in working with multiple stakeholder involving AU, RECs, Member States, and Development Partners such as the UN systems and other development organizations;
• Previous experience in producing publications/ published material is an asset;
• Knowledge and practical skills in using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), GIS-based tools;
• Having at least six months of experience in providing technical assistance and capacity development support in disaster risk reduction and/or climate change to regional and multi-stakeholder institutions and/or organizations in Africa such as the AUC, the ECOWAS Commission or other regional economic communities in supporting the establishment and coordination of multi-partner interventions highly desirable; 
• A minimum 6 months of experience working in Africa on urban risk reduction and resilience and/or climate change adaptation and/or recovery in an urban context is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English is essential, and fluency in French is highly desirable.

Application Closing Date
2nd May, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online