International sustainable urban development expert

Result of Service

Successfully complete the GEF-8 CEO endorsement request package for the Nairobi SC project.

Work Location

Nairobi, Kenya

Expected duration

15 Months

Duties and Responsibilities

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. This consultancy is in UN-Habitat’s Urban Energy Solutions Team / UBSS / GSB / GSD and will be home based. UNEP’s Climate Change Division works with a portfolio of Global Environment Facility (GEF) medium-size and full-size climate change mitigation projects in Africa. The projects, which are in different stages of development (concept, design, implementation, closure), are executed by different partners (Ministries, NGOs, etc.). The Climate Change Division, in its role as implementing agency, provides oversight and ensures adherence to GEF guidelines. Under the supervision of the Lead, Urban Energy Solutions Team, and in coordination with the UNEP Task Manager for Africa for GEF mitigation projects, the consultant will execute the project preparation process (including developing the full GEF-8 CEO endorsement request package) for the Nairobi Sustainable City (SC) project. Responsibilities: • Lead the preparation of the CEO endorsement document and its attachments. • Be responsible for the design of all substantive elements of the CEO endorsement document and its annexes, including sections such as the log frame, budget, workplan, results framework (indicators, end-of-o-project targets), baseline scenario, gaps and barriers analysis, alternative scenario, stakeholders engagement, risks, consistency with national priorities, institutional arrangements, gender action plan, knowledge management, theory of change (ToC), and monitoring and evaluation. • Prepare an outline of the strategy and methodology to develop such elements, including a provisional timetable. • In coordination with the UN Habitat, UNEP and with support from National Government, the consultant will take the lead in organizing a project scoping mission (first in-country mission) including a stakeholder consultation workshop, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the project baseline, maps the gaps and barriers, collect relevant country data, co-financing, the problem tree, theory of change and proposed project interventions to prepare the project’s “skeleton” document. Prepare a report summarizing the workshop, with an attendance list. • Prepare a mission report with the support of the national coordination consultant, including main findings on scope and stakeholder consultations (following first country mission). • Develop the project “skeleton” document, consisting in a 2-3-page document indicating the proposed project components, outcomes, outputs (with budget at output level), deliverables, as well as the proposed indicators, the problem tree and the theory of change. • Prepare a presentation for internal discussion to UN Habitat and UNEP management describing national circumstances and context, baseline, barriers, proposed intervention, and indicators. • In consultation with the government, establish project and program specific indicators for the project results framework. • Align substantive elements of the project with national strategic and planning documents. • Undertake a gender analysis (with the support of the national coordination consultant), ensure project deliverables are gender sensitive and prepare a Gender Action Plan with activities, indicators and targets. • Undertake a stakeholder’s analysis and prepare a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (with the support of the national coordination consultant). • Participate in / contribute to other sectoral consultation workshops organized by the National Government as part of the project development process. • Prepare a first draft of the CEO Endorsement Package, including relevant annexes (annexes to be included in the first draft will be discussed and agreed upon with UN Habitat and UNEP). • Prepare and organize in close coordination with the national counterparts a stakeholder validation workshop (second country mission) to validate the developed CEO Endorsement Document (log frames, results framework, budget, workplan, gender action plan, etc.) with key country counterparts. • Prepare a mission report and validation workshop report with the support of the national coordination consultant, summarizing the findings, recommendations and decisions taken during the workshop, and the participants’ list. • Lead the discussion of co-finance contributions, validate the amount and nature of contributions, identify to which project Component(s) the contribution is allocated, complete the co-finance budget template and provide any inputs required to obtain signed co-finance commitment letters. • Prepare a final and complete version of the CEO Endorsement Document and annexes for UNEP internal review. • Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the UNEP Project Review Committee (PRC) and draft the responses to the Committee’s reviews. • Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the GEF secretariat and draft responses to Secretariat reviews, until final approval. • Inform UN Habitat and UNEP on the status of work and highlight, in a timely manner, risks related to the quality of the information received and the fulfillment of the project’s development schedule.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced University degree in economics, engineering, urban development, environmental sciences, business, management, or a related discipline is required. A first level degree with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. – 5 Years Minimum experience in in developing, assessing, evaluating or managing projects in the field of climate change mitigation, sustainable urban development, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, environment and/or development is required. – Experience in working with national governments in Africa or developing countries is required. – Experience in drafting project documents is required; Experience working with GEF, UN Habitat and/or UNEP projects is a desirable. – Experience in working for multilateral or bilateral funding entities in the field of sustainable urban development, climate change, environment, or development is a desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.