Background

Governments at the 19th Session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council, adopted by consensus resolution 19/18 calling on UN-Habitat to establish a Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People (SHSPPP) and a Technical Cooperation Trust Fund (TCTF). The long-term development objective of the SHSPPP is to improve the human settlements conditions of the Palestinian People and in so doing contribute in a modest way to reaching peace, security and stability in the region. During the recent 23rd Governing Council, a new resolution was adopted, requesting UN-Habitat "to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues in view of improving the housing and human settlement conditions of Palestinians, addressing the urbanization challenges, supporting the building of a Palestinian State, humanitarian action and peace-building, in the areas where there are acute humanitarian and development needs, identified through technical assessments by UN-Habitat in coordination with all concerned parties". 

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The post is located in the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People.  

UN-Habitat is leading the implementation of a 5.5-year EU funded Project: “Quality Urban Development and Sustainable Interventions – Rehabilitation for Revitalization (QUDSI-R4R)” in partnership with local technical and academic entities. The Project aims to improve socio-economic conditions for Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem by rehabilitating towards revitalizing historic sites as a catalyst for Palestinian integrated urban regeneration. The activities of the project focus on strengthening the old city’s Palestinian intergovernmental coordination; Rehabilitation and maintenance as well as business development and sustainability of key areas in the Old City; as well as professional capacity building for individuals who work in the Old City’s regeneration, advancing their professional development in several core competencies capable of unlocking new commercial opportunities in the economic sector. In parallel, the project also includes an interconnected track of Technological Empowerment and Innovation directed to Palestinian youth. 

Funded by the European Union, UN-Habitat is seeking a candidate to fill the position of Grants and Contracts Associate, under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.  As this position is related to QUDSI-R4R project in the occupied Palestinian territory with an expected duration of five and half years (Already started in January 2022) , the Service Contract extension will be conditioned to satisfactory performance evaluation as well as availability of funding under the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

1) Provides Grants and Contracts follow-up and support in ensuring full compliance with UN/UN-Habitat contractual rules, regulations, policies and strategies, and the effective internal controls framework; with local implementing partners and UN-Habitat team.

2) Ensure full contractual compliance through timely preparation of AOCs and contracts in accordance with UN-Habitat and donor templates, policies and procedures.

3) Monitor grants and contracts delivery in accordance with Project’s Log-frame objectives and results including both financial and narrative results, monitoring visibility and communications plans of IPs, contributing to knowledge management by collecting all knowledge products from all partners.

4) In close coordination with the Project Manager and Project Management Team:

verifying Implementing Partners (IPs) reports and other submissions as well as lead the processing of those reports and recording of forecasts;

5) Undertake programmatic visits and micro-assessments of Project partners in accordance with Project and corporate UN-Habitat and EU protocols.

6) Supporting and following through on requests for payments from and to project Implementing Partners.

7) Develop and implement the projects’ fundraising strategy and maintain a proper filing system (resource mobilization data base) for immediate and expedited access to narrative, technical and financial data and records and to ensure its continuous update and feasibility for future proposal submissions.

Impact of Results 

Attain and maximize the project’s development results to the targeted population, beneficiaries, participants, whether individuals, communities, institutions, through: 

  • Extent to which the objectives of the project have been achieved as intended in particular to the project planned overall objective. 
  • Track and control any external effects to the project, such as: 
    • facilitated/constrained external factors 
    • production of any unintended or unexpected impacts, and if so, how have these affected the overall impact
    • facilitated/constrained project/programme management, through their co-ordination arrangements, by the participation of relevant stakeholders 
    • additional contribution to economic and social development 
    • additional contribution to poverty reduction 
    • creation of a difference in terms of cross-cutting issues like gender equality, environment, good governance, human rights, conflict prevention etc.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation:  Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Leadership:  Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management:  Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Communication:  Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Delivery:  Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Technical/Functional Competencies:

Teamwork:  Ability to work in harmony with other team members and provide support where needed, and build consensus for task purpose and direction with team members.

Accountability:  Ability to take ownership for work and honors commitments and deliver outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time cost and quality standards.

Knowledge Management and Learning:  Ability to shares knowledge and experience. And actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Leadership and Self-Management:  Ability to Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:  Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of programme, managing data, reporting. Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems. Good knowledge of Results Management Guide and Toolkit.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in management, administration, development studies, community development, or related field.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 3 (three) years work experience in development programs. 
  • Preferable experience in implementing UN/international funded programs with knowledge of key EU regulations

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic.
  • Hebrew Language is desirable.

Other:

Demonstrated familiarity with the NGOs and CBOs sector in East Jerusalem, especially that provide one or more of the following: -

  • Rehabilitation. 
  • Technology.
  • Innovation
  • Economic Empowerment.

Experience in using Microsoft office as well as social media web-portal platforms 

TO APPLY:

APPLICATIONS WITHOUT THE COMPLETED UNDP P-11 FORM WILL BE TREATED AS INCOMPLETE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

UNDP P11 form (new Personal History form) (google.com). Kindly ensure to upload both CV and P-11 as one document as the system will only allow one attachment.