Urban Planner and Designer Internship

UNOPS, Cities Alliance and UN-Habitat are implementing an EU, and Finland funded project “Cities 4 Women: Inclusive and Climate Resilient Urbanization in Nepal”. The project focuses on improving the participatory aspects of existing urban planning processes in municipalities, giving women and girls the opportunity to share their lived experiences in the city (including accessibility, services, and use of public open spaces), and exploring possible solutions to the challenges they face. The project aims to identify key strategic interventions that could improve the lives and opportunities, not only of women in urban areas but of all residents.

For a multiyear engagement in Nepal with a focus on gender-sensitive approaches to urban planning in various Nepalese municipalities, Cities Alliance is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic Associate as Cities Alliance support staff in-country. Under the general supervision of the Cities Alliance Civic and Women Engagement Coordinator/Specialist, the Associate will support the overall project implementation and assist in all activities to ensure that project deliverables meet the expectations and requirements. Please note that the job offer is subject to the availability of funds.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Mainstreaming in Projects Strategy reaffirms UNOPS’ and Cities Alliance’s commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. It mobilizes our efforts to promote equal rights and opportunities for people to live full lives. It is supported by sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure, and by the efficient and transparent use of public resources in procurement and project management. The following are part of the project guidelines:

All components of the project will mainly focus on participatory gender-sensitive assessment, co-design of public open spaces, project preparation and implementation, and mainstream climate change in all the operations. Cornerstones of the projects will include:

• Use of Cities Alliance’s tools (e.g., Her4Climate Tool, Women Engagement in Cities (WEC) Framework, community mapping, safety audits) adapted to the local Nepalese context;
• Monitoring of the project progress, ensuring that the Gender Action Plan (GAP) is implemented effectively. It is vital to project success to ensure that the planned activities to implement the GAP are embedded into the day-to-day operations;
• Equal representation of women in community engagement workshops on urban planning and design, a certain percentage of women suppliers or workers, etc., to ensure requirements are met;
• Reflect gender mainstreaming into urban planning and design information in meeting minutes and any other ad hoc reporting, such as a workshop, training, or checkpoint report;
• Track both quantitative and qualitative data on gender-related targets and indicators, such as the gender and age balance of community engagement and indicators related to impacts on male and female beneficiaries, as well as other vulnerable groups, as applicable.

 Functional Responsibilities:

• Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent will be assigned the following duties which will be performed according to project needs and structure.
• Interns are provided the opportunity to be equal members and are offered a good mix of support work and meaningful work experience.
• Interns that are not receiving funding through an internship programme external to UNOPS, or from a specific institution, are entitled to receive from UNOPS a monthly stipend designed to contribute to the cost of daily expenditures.

The Urban Planner / Designer Intern will work under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Project Manager. She/he will contribute to the Cities 4 Women project, by performing the following tasks:

• Do desk research, field surveys, and organization of expert consultations to prepare urban profiles and other knowledge products;
• Prepare maps, charts, and reports and support the analysis;
• Documents inspiring practices on public open spaces and relevant project benchmarks;
• Reports on meetings, panel sessions, conferences, etc.;
• Assists inorganizing and  conducting stakeholder and public consultations, and urban design workshops related to the project;
• Support in project development, formulation, writing and publishing related to urban issues, especially on participatory planning process, participatory design of public open spaces, etc.
• Undertake other activities that would support the work of the project including communications and knowledge management.
• Continuous interaction with colleagues, exchange of information, seeking cooperation, resolving routine administrative and process problems, referring complex issues to supervisor with recommendations for the course of action.
• Training components and learning elements
• Project Management
• Evidence-Based Infrastructure Planning
• Geographic Information Systems Mapping (GIS)
• Participation in missions or training courses
• In addition to accessing UNOPS online training courses and tools, the Intern is encouraged to attend and participate at learning events organized by UNOPS and other UN agencies in Kathmandu, especially on gender issues, public open spaces, etc.

 Education/Experience/Language requirements:

• Academic qualifications
• Should be enrolled in a university program such as Bachelor, Master in architecture or urban planning and design. Candidates who have graduated from a University programme within the last 3 years by the date of the application, will also be considered.
• A focus on urban planning and the the design of public open spaces is highly desirable.

Language Skills:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Finnish is an assets.

Source: https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=29698#1