Result of ServiceBy the end of the assignment, the Urban Resilience Expert will have enhanced the institutional and technical capacity of national and local authorities in South Africa to assess, plan for and respond to urban risk, including climate risks and shocks, in alignment with SDG 11, the New Urban Agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The outcome of the technical assistance will enable the national and local authorities in South Africa to proactively reduce urban vulnerabilities, strengthen critical infrastructure and essential services, and build adaptive capacity among urban communities, particularly among marginalized populations including the women, children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and informal settlement residents, thereby contributing to safer, more resilient cities capable of withstanding and recovering rapidly from crises. 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 (SDG)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. The Urban Resilience Expert will serve as the technical focal point for urban resilience 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 Resilience 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 resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation/adaptation, and transition to green energy/low carbon development. • Support cities, especially Intermediate City Municipalities (ICMs), in development, updating and implementation of urban resilience and disaster risk reduction tools (plans, policies, strategies, and laws and regulations), aligned with the New Urban Agenda, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and SDG 11 • Support the integration of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures into national urban development policies and local development plans • Conduct desk review for the existing legislation, policies, strategies and guidelines related to urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation/adaptation, and transition to green energy/low carbon development. • Provide technical expertise for carrying out vulnerability assessment, risk mapping and resilience diagnostics. • Coordinate with relevant ministries, departments, and other stakeholders and facilitate policy dialogue and consultations on urban resilience. Programme and Project Development • Develop programmes and projects on urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation, transition to green energy and low carbon development, including nature-based solutions and access to climate financing • Provide technical assistance to national/local governments in the development of bankable project proposals on urban resilience, including assessment, drafting proposals, stakeholder consultations and preparation of funding applications for donor agencies and international financing mechanisms • Facilitate developing partnerships and collaboration with national governments, local authorities, development partners, and private sector actors for resource mobilization for implementation Capacity Building and Knowledge Management • Support knowledge generation, development of knowledge-sharing mechanisms and capacity-building initiatives for national and local governments on urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation, transition to green energy and low carbon development, including nature-based solutions (protection of natural resources, natural habitat and biodiversity), access to climate financing and gender and poverty responsive resilience planning. • Build capacity of national/local government and civil society actors in cities, especially Intermediate City Municipalities (ICMs), on participatory resilience planning approaches, including City Resilience Action Planning (CityRAP) tool. • Develop guidelines on transition to green energy and low carbon development for cities in South Africa • Support the development of contextualized tools, guidelines, and methodologies adapted to national and local conditions, including local adaptation of Urban Planning Law for Climate Smart Cities. • Document lessons learned and best practices of urban resilience interventions in South Africa. Operational Support • Support cities in developing and implementing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies integrated with resilience planning • Provide technical assistance to municipalities in applying urban resilience action planning tool, including CityRAP tool, and implementing priority resilience interventions identified through action planning processes, including infrastructure upgrading, early warning systems, and nature-based solutions • Support cities in developing monitoring and evaluation systems for the impact of resilience interventions. 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 planning, 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, urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation/adaptation 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 resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation/adaptation 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.