Result of ServiceBy the end of the assignment, the Urban Planning Expert will have strengthened the capacity of national and local authorities in South Africa to implement sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development strategies aligned with SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda. The outcome of the technical assistance will enable the national and local authorities in South Africa to advance evidence-based urban development that promotes equitable access to services, adequate housing, transformation of informal settlements, and climate resilience, ultimately contributing to improved quality of life for urban populations, particularly vulnerable groups including the urban poor, women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Work LocationPretoria, South Africa Expected duration12 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for Human Settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. In October 2016, at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III – member states signed the New Urban Agenda. This is an action-oriented document which sets global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development, rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities. Through drawing together cooperation with committed partners, relevant stakeholders, and urban actors, including at all levels of government as well as the private sector, UN-Habitat is applying its technical expertise, normative work and capacity development to implement the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11. The UN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa (ROAf) established a structure of four sub-regional offices (East/West/Central/South) to strengthen UN-Habitat presence in sub-regional/country level by engaging sub-regional/country level coordination and activities including the UNCTs, the UN AFPs initiatives, governments, donors, development partners, sub-regional entities and any other relevant dialogues. UN-Habitat Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa covers 13 countries including South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, and Mauritius; and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat based in Botswana; and providing substantive assistance to the country level as well as sub-regional level. Background to the position UN-Habitat is opening an office in South Africa, to strengthen the agency’s programming and support to the national/local authorities in South Africa and neighboring countries. The agency’s work in South Africa is guided by its country strategy, delineated in the UN-Habitat Country Programme Document (HCPD). HCPD sets four inter-related Priority Impact Areas: 1) Integrated Planning and Climate Resilience; 2) Safety and Social Inclusion; 3) Housing and Informal Settlements; and 4) Urban Finance. Two strategic enabling priorities, Institutional Capacitation, and Smart Cities and Digitization, are considered cross-cutting across all Priority Impact Areas as crucial activators. Given the crucial role cities play in leading climate actions and the vulnerability of urban areas to climate change, building climate resilience is a key priority. Integrated planning is expected to help advance South Africa's commitments to achieving net zero, decarbonization, and just transitions by ensuring that planning, infrastructure, and investment strategies work together to reduce disaster risk, mitigate climate impacts, and sustainably manage natural resources. The Urban Planning Expert will serve as the technical focal point for urban planning in the operationalization of the HCPD within the framework of the IUDF, the DDM and the Human Settlements White Paper. The position is based in the Country Office in South Africa, under the direct supervision of the Head of Country Office in South Africa, in close coordination with the Head of Southern Africa Sub Region. RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the supervision of Head of Office in South Africa in close coordination with the Head of Sub-Regional Hub for Southern Africa, The Urban Planning Expert will be responsible for the following: Policy Development and Substantive Support • Provide technical assistance and policy recommendations to national/local governments and other stakeholders on matters related to urban planning and sustainable urban development. • Develop urban development frameworks and technical guidelines related to urban/spatial planning, integrating principles and measures of sustainable, inclusive and resilient urbanization. • Support municipalities in the development, updating and implementation of strategic spatial plans. • Support localization of SDGs (especially SDG11), New Urban Agenda and other national/regional/international norms and frameworks through integrated planning approaches to enable resilient, inclusive and sustainable action. • Assist in the development and review of Voluntary Local Reviews and Voluntary National Reviews Data and Analysis • Support analysis on urbanization, dynamics between cities (primary cities, secondary cities) and urban-rural continuum, among others, to inform development policies and decision-making. • Support municipalities in developing spatial profiling. • Support the establishment and functioning of the integrated national Urban Observatory with data node/centres in the metropolitan cities and municipalities, to strengthen evidence-based approaches in urban planning Capacity Building and Technical Support • Provide training and capacity building for municipal urban planners and technical personnel on evidence-based and integrated planning and related methodologies including spatial profiling, territorial analysis, assessment, mapping, development of spatial development plans / master plans, participatory planning, among others. • Provide capacity building, technical assistance and knowledge transfer on urban planning methodologies for disaster risk reduction/management, climate action, urban resilience. • Support coordination among relevant departments and sectorial policies to enhance linkage of planning to investment programmes to inform investment decisions. • Provide technical assistance to municipalities in implementing priority spatial planning interventions including implementation of climate-adaptive measures and informal settlement upgrading. Others • Support the overall implementation and coordination of UN-Habitat's programmes in South Africa, ensuring alignment with national urban development priorities. • Assist partnership development, and stakeholder engagement for UN-Habitat South Africa in close consultation with the Head of Country Office. • Contribute to research, publications, and policy papers related to climate-resilient urban development and other thematic areas under the UN-Habitat mandate. • Support reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of UN-Habitat South Africa Programme activities, ensuring timely submission of reports to UN-Habitat headquarters and donor agencies. • Contribute to the development concept notes and project proposals • Coordinate with other thematic experts (urban resilience, housing and human settlements, GIS, …) in work planning to ensure coherent support. • Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Head of Office in South Africa and Head of the Sub-Regional Hub for Southern Africa Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban Planning or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in urban planning and related areas is required. Experience in implementing development programmes/projects, particularly in Africa, is desirable. Experience working with the United Nations system or an international organization is an asset. LanguagesFluency in oral and written English is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.