Urban Specialist – Inclusive, Climate-Resilient, and Migration-Responsive Urban Development (Retainer)

Background Information - Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Cities Alliance, which is hosted by UNOPS, is a global partnership promoting the role of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Managed by a Secretariat with hubs in Brussels, Nairobi, and Bangkok, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership which has come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader with a strong track record in grant-making, which supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Through UNOPS, the Cities Alliance operates a Multi-Donor Fund supported by an efficient, flexible grant-making mechanism with global reach.

Cities Alliance is a global partnership that advances inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable cities as a pathway to poverty reduction and sustainable development. With a strong focus on the urban poor and secondary cities, Cities Alliance works across Asia and Africa through multi-stakeholder partnerships and strategic funding to support cities in delivering inclusive development that addresses social, economic, and climate-related vulnerabilities.

Core thematic areas of Cities Alliance include:

• Urban migration and displacement: Supporting cities to plan for and manage the inclusion of migrants and forcibly displaced populations

• Gender equality and social inclusion: Promoting gender-responsive and transformative urban governance, inclusive service delivery and livelihoods, particularly in informal settlements.

• Informal settlements: Enabling integrated upgrading approaches that improve tenure, basic services, and climate adaptation in vulnerable communities.

• Climate resilience: Embedding climate adaptation, low-carbon development, and nature-based solutions into all aspects of urban planning and governance.

  Cities Alliance is looking for Urban Specialists on Inclusive, Climate-Resilient, and Sustainable Urban Development to provide technical expertise to the implementation of its programme.

  Functional Responsibilities

  Under the direction supervision of the Senior Urban Specialist - Migration and Climate, the Urban Specialist will contribute technical and analytical support to Cities Alliance’s work on inclusive and climate-resilient urban development. The role will focus on research, diagnostics, operational tools, grant management, and peer learning activities to strengthen implementation across regional and country-level initiatives.

  Key responsibilities include:
  

  • Develop and refine knowledge products, technical tools, and city diagnostics that address key thematic areas such as climate adaptation, urban migration, gender equity, and informal settlement upgrading, ensuring outputs are contextually relevant and aligned with strategic programmatic goals.

  • Design and implement robust systems for monitoring, documentation, and visualization of programme outcomes, integrating data-driven insights and lessons learned into adaptive management and future program development.

  • Spearhead the planning and execution of peer learning initiatives, capacity-building workshops, and technical exchange forums, fostering cross-regional collaboration and knowledge sharing among practitioners and stakeholders.

  • Produce high-quality analytical inputs to inform the development of project concept notes, strategic briefs, and operational guidance tools, ensuring alignment with global best practices and emerging policy trends.

  • Drive the integration of gender equality and climate resilience considerations into all stages of program design and delivery, applying inclusive methodologies and cross-cutting analytical frameworks to strengthen program impact.

  • Implement a structured quality assurance and peer review process for program deliverables, ensuring technical soundness, coherence, and alignment with organizational standards and donor requirements.

  • Coordination and oversight of technical and administrative processes related to grant management.

  • Provide comprehensive documentation reviews, proactive engagement with grantees, and rigorous tracking of deliverables and disbursement schedules to ensure timely and compliant execution.

    📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

    ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

    
    Monitoring and Progress Controls :

    Performance will be evaluated based on the below points :

  • Timely and high-quality support for documentation, learning, and knowledge production.

• Quality and timeliness of technical and administrative support to grant management, including coordination with implementing partners and tracking of deliverables and disbursements.

Contribution to cross-cutting integration of migration, climate, and inclusion into programme materials.

Support for internal coordination and external knowledge exchange events.

Responsiveness, collaboration, and adaptability in support roles.

An Advanced university degree (Master`s degree or equivalent) preferably in urban planning, environmental studies, migration, development studies, geography, or related disciplines is required.

A first level university degree (Bachelor degree or equivalent) in the related fields with an additional two (2) years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Experience

Fluency en English is required. Knowledge of French, Somali, Arabic, Amharic, Lao, Khmer, Thai, Burmese is considered an asset.

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.