Background

UN Women is grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women, and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action in PNG.

Rooted in UN Women’s mandate on ending violence against women, and in line with its Strategic Plan 2011-2017, UN Women is implementing a Global Programme “Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls” (SC GP). The programme builds on the experiences to date of leading women’s and international organizations and local level initiatives across various parts of the world.

The Global Programme aims to produce local models, tested and proven through an impact evaluation in the cities of Kigali, Quito, Delhi, Port Moresby and Cairo, which can be widely disseminated to policy-makers, mayor’s offices, donors, and civil society for adaptation and scale up.  UN Women office in PNG joined the SC GP with its pilot Programme: Port Moresby: A Safe City for Women and Girls”.

The role of the Project Specialist in the Safe City Programme is to provide advice and assist all relevant stakeholders in the infrastructure refurbishment at Gordons market with advice and technical expertise. Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Safe City Team Leader, the Project Specialist for the Safe City Port Moresby Programme works in close collaboration with National Capital District Commission (NCDC) Safe City programme staff, the programme staff in the UN Women Country Office, other UN agencies, and programme partners to exchange information, ensure harmonization of UN messages and ensure consistent service delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Safe City Project Specialist will advise NCDC Safe City employees on the implementation  and coordination of all infrastructure development initiatives that are part of the Port Moresby Safe City programme currently being implemented in marketplaces, through the following tasks:

Management and Planning:

• Provide coordination and secretariat support to the Technical Steering Committee overseeing the reconstruction and expansion of Gordons market;
• In collaboration with NCDC liaise with all relevant government departments to ensure the proposed new traffic plan is endorsed and implemented in a timely manner in Gordons area;
• Assist NCDC Safe City staff with guidance and  expert necessary advice related to the physical planning of the built environment (e.g. drainage, topology and storm water systems to prevent flooding and drainage blockage), and ensure principles of universal design, safety, and other relevant elements are incorporated;
• Assist relevant NCDC staff to ensure pedestrian friendly areas are incorporated into the reconstruction plans and that pedestrian traffic considerations are included in the design of the Gordons new market;
• Provide training and strengthen capacity of relevant stakeholders on creating safe, inclusive and community focused public spaces including those of particular relevance to women, girls and the disabled;
• Ensure that women’s safety audits, mapping, baseline data and other information available in the Port Moresby Programme is incorporated into the design and takes into consideration the needs of the beneficiaries/agents of change;
• Ensure participatory planning for the reconstruction and expansion of the Gordons market takes place;
• Assist relevant divisions of NCDC to prepare scope of works, tenders, contracts and negotiate revisions, changes and additions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers and subcontractors;
• Collaborate closely with other NCDC Divisions, such as Health, Engineering, Buildings Projects, etc to implement works;
• Ensure achievement of the outcomes/deliverables of the infrastructure design and maintenance component of the plan of action in a timely fashion and within budget and quality standards (including compliance with safety and environmental standards, and other regulations);
• Assist NCDC with technical advice to ensure the schedulling of project works in logical steps and budget time required to meet deadlines. Work with NCDC to determine labor requirements including plumbing, lighting, fencing, roofing structure, painting, etc.;
• In collaboration with NCDC staff and acting in a Project Specialist role,  carry out checks on a regular basis on the in the intervention site, where physical planning measures are being carried out to ensure implementation as planned;
• Advise NCDC staff where appropriate to ensure all necessary permits and licenses are in place prior to any construction projects;
• Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, and design professionals to discuss and resolve matters such as work procedures, complaints, and problems that may arise during the process where physical improvements to the built environment in the market is being carried out.

Capacity Building and Training:

• Provide ongoing training and capacity building to Markets Division staff on supervising and planning for civil works of public markets with a particular reference to issues relevant to women, girls and the disabled;
• Provide ongoing training and support to ensure successful implementation of the Markets Division operations, procurement practices and contractor management follow the agreed procedures as per the division’s Operations Manual and follow the highest ethical standards and consideration of human rights in dealing with market vendors;
• Assist Markets Division in defining (scope, timeframes, deliverables/outcomes, costs etc) of the cyclical and “on call” maintenance plan for the programme pilot sites.

Coordination and Reporting:

• Coordinate with relevant government divisions who are responsible for the drafting and review of necessary legal documents to create a licensing system in the new and expanded Gordons market that will align with National and State legislation on health, sanitation, and the informal economy as well as State obligations on universal design; 
• Lead the coordination for submission and verification of FACE forms and timely report submission to acquit for cash advances provided to implementing partners;
• Work with Markets Manager and Supervisors to ensure reports and assigned resources (financial, equipment, etc.), submission of quotes, documents, etc are in accordance with quality and transparent standards;
• Represent the Safe City Programme and liaise with donors, partners and relevant counterparts in all matters relating to infrastructure development; 
• Assist Markets Manager to create a functioning and efficient division;
• Work with the Markets Division and train them on preparing budget estimates and progress and cost tracking reports on infrastructure works, always ensuring they reflect the needs of the beneficiaries of this programme;
• Support the Port Moresby Safe City Team Leader in any other matters relating to coordination and ensuring a smooth operation of the programme;
• Any other duties as directed by UN Women management and programme supervisor.

Impact of Results:

The post has an impact on the results to be delivered under the gender urban infrastructure component of the Port Moresby Safe City programme in the largest market in the country as well as other programme sites.

By helping ensure effective design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of construction plans and providing operational and reporting support to the Safe City Team Leader, the incumbent enhances the organization’s capacity and credibility in implementation of highly effective programmes with strong impact.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage contributions and investments, manage transactions, conduct financial analysis, reporting;
• Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to advocate and provide required technical advice;
• Lead teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills including the ability to speak in public fora;
• Focuses on impact and results for the partners and responds positively to feedback;
• Ability to operate and work in resource challenged environments;
• Ability to research for, plan and write complex donor and substantive reports to a high standard.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters degree in urban planning, architecture, engineering, project management or relevant field.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years relevant experience in project management required;
• Demonstrated experience in building capacity of national institutions, in particular around establishment of transparent mechanisms and change management;
• Candidates with demonstrated experience in developing and managing complex technical construction projects with different stakeholders and clients will have a distinct advantage;
• Experience in construction projects in a post-conflict or post-disaster setting is an asset;
• Experience in the preparation and evaluation of request for tenders, quotations, etc.;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and achieve results through collaboration;
• Must have excellent computer skills including MS Office including Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Word;
• Knowledge of architectural/engineering software is an asset; 
• Understanding and experience in designing public spaces incorporating elements of universal design, disaster preparedness, and inclusivity and gender considerations is essential;
• Experience in participatory planning for construction projects would be an asset.

Languages:

• Oral fluency in English with strong, proven writing skills is required. Knowledge of local language is an asset.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• Previous applicants need not reapply as their previous submissions will be considered.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.