Internship Opportunities at UN-Habitat

Competencies

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

• Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
• Have graduated with Bachelor's degree, Masters, PhD or equivalent
• Be computer literate in standard software applications.
• Have demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
• Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
• Preferred areas of studies: Urban Studies, Humanitarian or Development Studies, Social or Political Science, Business Administration, or a related field.

go to method of application »

Competencies

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

• Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
• Have graduated with Bachelor's degree, Masters, PhD or equivalent
• Be computer literate in standard software applications (Microsoft Office).
• Have demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter;
• Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
• Preferred areas of studies: Regional/Urban Planning, Policy Formulation, Urban Economy and Finance, International Development, Slum upgrading, and Communication.
• Interns are expected to support other ongoing activities of the Unit and Branch and their capacity to write and have analytical skills will be highly valued.

go to method of application »

Duties and responsibilities

The consultant's main responsibility will be to advance the activities of UN-Habitat's SDG localization and Local Governments team, specifically in terms of knowledge management, communication and graphic design, and project implementation.

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: Knowledge management, communication and graphic design:

•  Develop a communication strategy and plan for all activities of the Team
•  Develop communication material (social media flyers; posts; online stories etc.) and coordinate its dissemination through the Team's network and on UN-Habitat's communication channels
•  Develop graphic material for reports, knowledge products, and online content developed by the team
•  Manage and update UN-Habitat's Voluntary Local Reviews (https://unhabitat.org/topics/voluntary-local-reviews) and Multilevel Governance (https://www.multilevelgovernance.org/) online platforms
•  Manage the setting up of UN-Habitat's SDG localization website and ensure it is updated regularly
•  Collect data on Voluntary Local Reviews and SDG localization in coordination with the knowledge management focal point
•  Update the Team's list of contacts
•  Maintain regular relations with UN-Habitat's Communication and Information Technology teams

Project implementation on SDG Localization and Voluntary Local Reviews:

•  Work in coordination with the Team's project managers to collect data, monitor and report on ongoing projects and activities
•  Develop monitoring tools to support the project team's monitoring and reporting activities
•  Draft report of activities to be shared with partners and donors
•  Prepare and participate in coordination meetings with donors, implementing partners and local stakeholders, including taking minutes for reporting purposes
•  Work in coordination with the team's project managers to provide administrative support to projects, including the preparation of agreements, ToRs etc.
•  Review knowledge documents and specifically Voluntary Local Reviews developed by local partners
•  Develop, in coordination with the team and implementing partners, capacity building and training activities for local governments

Qualifications/special skills

Competency:

•  Planning and organization: Ability to work independently with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner and under pressure.
•  Communication: Excellent inter-personal communication and networking skills.
•  Professionalism: Strong programme management, monitoring skills. Good coordination skills, with ability to handle multiple activities concurrently, work under pressure and to tight deadlines. Ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Ability to undertake complex research independently.
•  Teamwork: Ability to participate effectively in teams of various expertise as well as organizations. The candidate should share credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings and should have a positive approach to work with consistent energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Academic Qualifications:

• University Degree in Political Science, Social Sciences, Urban Studies Social Sciences, Communications, Development Studies or other relevant area is required.
• Experience: A minimum of one (2) years of relevant experience on working on issues related to sustainable development, urban planning and local development is required. Working experience on Agenda 2030 and the local implementation of the SDGs will be highly valued.
• Language: Fluency in English is mandatory for this specific consultancy. Knowledge of other UN Working Languages is an asset.

go to method of application »

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant's main responsibility will be to deliver on specific activities related to UN-Habitat's SDG localization team projects.

Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: Knowledge management

Delivery of the research project and supervise the management of the digital platform on multilevel governance, and provision of technical expertise for the development of knowledge material on VLRs as well as local reviews developed by local partners.

Responsibilities include:

•  Supervision of the management of the digital platform: multilevelgovernance.org
•  Preparation of background material for meetings with the knowledge partners and provision technical guidance for the development of the global research on multilevel governance
•  Manage the necessary administrative tasks for the development of the research and the digital platform
•  Prepare and implement workshops related to the project and the topic of multilevel governance, specifically in occasion of Urban October.
•  Provision of technical expertise for the development of knowledge material, specifically for the development of the VLR-COVID-19 tool
•  Review Voluntary Local Reviews developed by partner cities

Project Support

Providing technical guidance and administrative support for the kickstart and implementation of two global projects on SDG Localization and Voluntary Local Reviews.

Responsibilities include:

•  Prepare implementing partners' coordination meetings, including support in the preparation of background material (briefings; agendas etc.) as well as reporting (minutes; note taking etc.)
•  Manage administrative processes necessary for the implementation of both projects
•  Based on the workplan, provide an overview of the administrative needs and gaps, proposing solutions to the project manager on how to address them
•  Provide technical expertise in the preparation of the projects' implementation process - country workplan; training calendar etc.
•  Prepare the background material for the preparation and implementation d workshops related to the projects.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Provide guidance on the monitoring instruments and processes for the projects coordinated by the team, especially the regional and global projects covering Eastern European, Central Asian, Arab, African, and Easter Asian countries. Responsibilities include:

•  Manage data collection on the project implementation processes.
•  Prepare tools for the collection of data and information related to the implementation of the projects - surveys, online forms etc.
•  Prepare the necessary monitoring reports (narrative and financial) for the projects managed by the team
•  Prepare and keep updated the monitoring and evaluation database for both projects

Qualifications/special skills

• Professionalism: Strong programme management, monitoring skills. Good coordination skills, with ability to handle multiple activities concurrently, work under pressure and to tight deadlines. Ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Ability to undertake complex research independently.
• Teamwork: Ability to participate effectively in teams of various expertise as well as organizations. The candidate should share credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings and should have a positive approach to work with consistent energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Academic Qualifications: University Degree in Public Affairs, Political Science, Social Sciences, Urban Studies Social Sciences, Communications, Development Studies or other relevant area is required.
• Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience on working on issues related to sustainable development, urban planning, local development and project management is required. Working experience on Agenda 2030 and the local implementation of the SDGs will be highly valued.
• Language: Fluency in English is mandatory for this specific consultancy. Knowledge of another UN official language, specifically Russian (written and oral), is an asset.