Research Consultant at UN-Habitat

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND

• The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) is hosted within the Land, Housing and Shelter Section of UN-Habitat is mandated to develop, test, disseminate and support country-level implementation of pro-poor and gender responsive land tools and approaches. In the past years, the Land, Shelter and Housing Section and the Global Land Tool Network have been expanding their work in the Arab region and in conflict-affected contexts to advance housing, land and property rights of vulnerable groups, including women, displaced people and migrants. People living in fragile contexts encounter multiple obstacles in enjoying their land and housing rights: practical, legal, political, economic and cultural. Enchaining access to land and tenure security for vulnerable groups, including women, is crucial for poverty reduction, as well as for triggering broader social and economic development, and for the full realisation of human rights, peace and stability.
• UN-Habitat is delivering on its commitment to improve land tenure security and protect the right to adequate housing in Arab states and conflict-affected countries by implementing a set of related projects. The projects focus on supporting land-related research and partnership building, capacity development and awareness-raising, disseminating inclusive and gender responsive land tools, and implementing land-related interventions in selected countries and communities.
• This aim of this consultancy is to conduct research and deliver specific written technical outputs, such as website articles, impact stories, papers, policy briefs, concept notes, and project documents. Under the overall leadership of the Land, Shelter and Housing Section of UN-Habitat and the oversight of the Regional Office of the Arab States, the consultant will report to the Land Specialist of the Land, Shelter and Housing Section / ROAS. The consultant will collaborate with relevant UN-Habitat colleagues and partners, depending on the written outputs to be delivered.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The responsibilities of the consultant include developing written documents including: website articles, impact stories, technical papers, policy briefs, concept notes, and project documents.
• The consultant will be responsible for editing into publishable quality documents written outputs prepared by others and to write papers on the basis of discussions and interviews done with colleagues and partners.
• The consultant will also be required to summarise long document into publishable policy briefs that highlight the key messages contained in long reports, and to conduct plagiarism checks on documents produced.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced degree in one of the following fields is required: literature, history, law, philosophy, international development, urban planning, or related social sciences. First level degree with additional two years’ experiences maybe accepted in lieu of advanced degree. Possession of a relevant postgraduate qualification is desirable.
• A minimum of 4 years of demonstrated working experience in research, data analysis, and report writing is required
• A minimum of two published research papers is required.
• Experience with working with a university or with an international organization is desirable

Languages

• Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of spoken and written Arabic desirable