Duties and Responsibilities
Background The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations agency mandated by the 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 United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), Member States adopted the New Urban Agenda, an action-oriented framework that sets global standards for sustainable urban development and guides how cities are planned, managed, and lived in. Through partnerships with governments and other stakeholders, UN-Habitat advances sustainable urbanization, inclusive governance, climate resilience, and access to adequate housing, land, and basic services. UN-Habitat is implementing the EU Operational Support to the IGAD Platform, a regional programme covering Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and the IGAD region. The programme seeks to strengthen institutional and community capacities to respond to forced displacement and return movements while promoting climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development solutions. The programme focuses on strengthening governance systems, supporting housing, land and property rights, empowering communities, and improving access to climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable services. South Sudan continues to face complex humanitarian and development challenges driven by displacement, climate shocks, rapid urbanization, and institutional capacity constraints. To support the effective implementation of the South Sudan component of the programme, UN-Habitat seeks to engage a Project Assistant to provide administrative, operational and programme support, including coordination of project schedules, meetings, missions, financial and procurement processes, documentation, reporting, and stakeholder engagement activities. The assignment will contribute to UN-Habitat's mandate of promoting sustainable urban development and durable solutions for displacement-affected communities through effective project planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and partnership coordination, ensuring timely delivery of project results in accordance with UN-Habitat and donor requirements. This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, within the Regional Office for Africa under the East and Horn Sub-Regional Programme. Under the direct supervision of the International Project Coordinator based in Nairobi, Kenya and the National Project Manager based in Juba, South Sudan, the Region-al - Urban Planner will be responsible for the following: Strategic Planning and Technical work: a) Spatial Data Collection and Analysis and Diagnostic • Collect, compile, validate, and analyse primary and secondary geo-referenced spa-tial data from multiple open-source and institutional sources. • Develop and maintain GIS databases and spatial datasets to support evidence-based planning and decision-making. • Conduct desk review of relevant international, regional, national, and local planning policies, regulations, standards, and frameworks applicable to the study area • Assess institutional mandates, governance structures, coordination mechanisms, capac-ities, and stakeholder roles relevant to spatial planning and urban development b) Multi-Scalar and Multi-Sectoral Spatial Analysis • Conduct a comprehensive multi-scalar and multi-sectoral spatial analysis to provide a regional and city-wide understanding of existing conditions, development trends, op-portunities, and challenges • Environmental Impact assessment of natural hazards, climate change, vulnerabilities, risks, and environmental constraints affecting the study area. • Infrastructure Mapping and assessment of existing infrastructure networks and ser-vices, including transport, water supply, sanitation, drainage, energy, housing, social fa-cilities, and other critical urban systems. c) Mapping, Visualization, and Analytical Graphics • Produce high-quality maps, charts, tables, infographics, and other spatial visualizations to effectively communicate analytical findings and development patterns. d) Steategic Development Planning • Identify, review, and spatially proposed infrastructure investments and development intervention, including their potential impacts on urban growth, migration and dis-placement planning and service delivery. e) Evidence based reporting • Prepare high-quality, evidence-based technical reports incorporating spatial anal-yses, maps, graphics, findings, recommendations, and professionally structured narra-tives and layouts. f) Quality Assurance, Editing, and Compliance • Proofread, edit, and quality-assure all outputs to ensure technical accuracy, consistency, clarity, and compliance with UN-Habitat standards, guidelines, and reporting requirements. Coordination and Field activities Support: • Report regularly to UN-Habitat Headquarters, the Project Manager and the International Project Coordinator on project progress, key activities, challenges, lessons learned, and emerging opportunities to enhance the achievement of project outcomes and outputs. • Support field missions in Aweil and other project locations across South Sudan, ensuring effective area-based alignment with state government counterparts, communities, humanitarian and development partners, while providing strategic, operational support for the successful implementation of project activities. • Translate, validate, and analyse field mission findings, transforming data and stakeholder feedback into actionable recommendations, technical inputs, and programme documentation to inform evidence-based planning, decision-making, and project implementation. • Support stakeholder consultations, technical workshops, capacity-building trainings, coordination meetings, and field missions, including the preparation of agendas, briefing materials, presentations, meeting minutes, and mission reports to support effective engagement and knowledge sharing. • Support the development, review, and finalization of evidence-based reports, technical guidelines, normative products, and knowledge resources, ensuring quality assurance and alignment with UN-Habitat methodologies, standards, and programme objectives. • Provide substantive technical support to project monitoring, evaluations, surveys, assessments, documentation of lessons learned, identification of best practices, and dissemination of knowledge products to strengthen programme effectiveness and impact.
