Duties and Responsibilities
Background The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society, and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative, and socially fairer urban economic, social, and environmental policies. Rapid urbanization has exposed a growing number of children to precarious urban conditions. In developing regions, 40% of the population is under 15 years of age, and it is estimated that by 2030, more than half of the world’s urban population will be under 18. Despite this reality, children still have limited influence over the design of the spaces in which they live, as they are rarely given the opportunity to contribute their perspectives to urban design processes. Public spaces, however, play a fundamental role in their social, emotional, and behavioral development—making their participation in decisions about the urban environment an urgent priority. It is within this context that UN-Habitat, in partnership with the FEMSA Foundation, is implementing this project in São Paulo and Curitiba, with the aim of improving public spaces for children and caregivers. The focus is particularly on early childhood development (0 to 6 years) and on the central role of caregivers—women, LGBTQ+ caregivers, older persons, and other family members—in shaping accessible, safe, and inclusive spaces. To achieve this, innovative participatory design tools will be used, aiming at the implementation and scaling up of child-friendly public space policies at the urban level. The project aims to ensure that children and caregivers in cities across Latin America have access to high-quality, safe, inclusive, and sustainable public spaces that promote their well-being and development. To this end, outcomes and deliverables will be developed based on a gender-responsive and early childhood-sensitive approach. Indirect beneficiaries will also include women, older persons, internally displaced persons, migrants, community groups, and other vulnerable populations, who will likewise benefit from the improvement of these spaces. To properly implement the above-mentioned project, an Early Childhood Urban Design Consultant is required to contribute to the project. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Early Childhood Urban Design Consultant reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her. Responsibilities The Early Childhood Urban Design Consultant will support the implementation of the project and its activities with the following responsibilities: a) Develop and implement the Technical Work Plan for the consultancy, aligned with the overall project timeline; b) Participate in meetings, workshops, training sessions, and project-related missions, as requested by UN-Habitat and the Project Coordination; c) Prepare periodic reports, as requested, describing carried out activities and the development status of deliverables for monitoring by UN-Habitat; d) Prepare all supporting materials for meetings, workshops, and other activities, including PowerPoint presentations and printed materials; e) Maintain continuous communication with the UN-Habitat technical team throughout implementation, including consultation on preliminary versions of deliverables; f) Prepare all documents in accordance with the standards of the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT); g) Develop documents and workshops following the methodology used in the project Espacios Públicos Desde La Primera Infancia; h) Ensure technical quality, methodological consistency, and alignment with UN-Habitat standards across all deliverables and activities; i) Coordinate the methodological and logistical preparation of activities, including research, stakeholder consultations, and meetings; j) Maintain an organized, accessible, and up-to-date system for filing data, information, and project documentation; k) Present interim outputs, including technical notes, reports, spreadsheets, and databases, as requested by the Project Coordination; l) Participate in the design and implementation of all in-person activities related to the project (e.g., seminars, public hearings, and workshops), when required; m) Address and incorporate feedback and revisions to ensure that all deliverables meet the quality standards required by UN-Habitat; n) Ensure compliance with all agreed deadlines and deliverables under the consultancy. The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE, from UNDSS, is required to be accredited during the first month of employment. The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System. Outputs/Work Assignment The Early Childhood Urban Design Consultant shall assist the implementation of the project, according to the stated responsibilities and the delivery of the following products: Product 1 – Preparation of Preliminary Design, Community Validation, and Executive Designs (São Paulo) Description: Based on the material prepared as a synthesis of the co-creation workshops, a preliminary urban-architectural design will be developed and presented to the community for discussion, allowing for adjustments and validation. This product ensures that the project reflects the needs and perceptions of users, promoting greater alignment, legitimacy, and social appropriation of the interventions. Product 1 must include: (i) the preparation of a planning document for the urban-architectural design stage (activities and tools); (ii) the development of preliminary designs; (iii) records of discussions of the preliminary designs with the community; (iv) the revision of the preliminary designs; and (v) the preparation of complete executive designs for the implementation of interventions in the selected public space in São Paulo, detailing all aspects necessary for the execution of the works, including specifications, technical drawings, descriptive reports, and construction guidelines. This stage includes refining the validated preliminary design, incorporating technical adjustments, and ensuring its feasibility for implementation. The executive designs must comply with the required technical standards and enable their proper execution by the responsible professionals. The deliverable document must report the implementation of all the activities described above, following the methodology predefined by the project. Expected delivery date: 60 days after contract signature. Product 2 – Preparation of Preliminary Design, Community Validation, and Executive Designs (Curitiba) Description: Based on the material prepared as a synthesis of the co-creation workshops, a preliminary urban-architectural design will be developed and presented to the community for discussion, allowing for adjustments and validation. This product ensures that the project reflects the needs and perceptions of users, promoting greater alignment, legitimacy, and social appropriation of the interventions. Product 2 must include: (i) the preparation of a planning document for the urban-architectural design stage (activities and tools); (ii) the development of preliminary designs; (iii) records of discussions of the preliminary designs with the community; (iv) the revision of the preliminary designs; and (v) the preparation of complete executive designs for the implementation of interventions in the selected public space in Curitiba, detailing all aspects necessary for the execution of the works, including specifications, technical drawings, descriptive reports, and construction guidelines. This stage includes refining the validated preliminary design, incorporating technical adjustments, and ensuring its feasibility for implementation. The executive designs must comply with the required technical standards and enable their proper execution by the responsible professionals. The deliverable document must report the implementation of all the activities described above, following the methodology predefined by the project. Expected delivery date: 120 days after contract signature.
Qualifications/special skills
Education Required: • Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Urbanism is required. • Postgraduate degree (Lato Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Architecture and Urbanism, Social Sciences, Geography or related fields is required, or additional four (4) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Work experience: • Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in urban development, public spaces planning, and urban design in Brazil is required. • Experience in the design and implementation of projects related to public space, urban planning, and/or early childhood development is required. • Experience in coordinating and facilitating participatory processes, including workshops, consultations, and stakeholder engagement activities, is required. • Experience in preparing high-quality technical reports, studies, and project deliverables for international organizations, governments, or development agencies is required. • Experience in project planning, implementation, and monitoring, including the ability to manage timelines and deliver outputs under tight deadlines, is required. • Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and managing coordination among multiple stakeholders is required. • Experience in integrating gender-responsive and inclusive approaches into urban or social development projects is desirable. • Experience in working with vulnerable populations (e.g., children, women, elderly, migrants, or low-income communities) is desirable. • Previous experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations is desirable. Skills: • Strong presentation and communication skills are required. • Organization, time management, and ability to communicate with multidisciplinary teams is required. • Ability to prepare high-quality technical reports and documentation is required. • Ability to coordinate teams and manage multiple stakeholders is required. • Ability to ensure quality assurance and compliance with technical standards is required. • Understanding of gender-responsive and inclusive approaches is required. • Ability to manage documentation systems and maintain organized project records is required. • Knowledge of data analysis, territorial planning, and/or GIS is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good ur-ban governance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsi-bility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. • Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret mes-sages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capac-ity to write documents for diverse audiences. • Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic envi-ronment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guar-antee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. • The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementa-tion of the activities related to the project development. • The person must know the file of the Office, work with it, and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff, and due updating. • The person will prepare databases related to the project running. • The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. • The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency. • The person will only share the information produced with the team agency, assuring the privacy of the content.
