Urban Infrastructure Advisor

Background Information – Job-specific

The Cities Alliance is the global partnership supporting cities to deliver sustainable development. To manage its activities, the Cities Alliance operates a multi-donor fund with UNOPS as host and trustee. The Cities Alliance is therefore governed by the values, rules and procedures of the United Nations and located therein. Supported by a Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership including – global organizations of local authorities, national governments, international non-governmental organizations, foundations, knowledge networks and multilateral organizations – which have come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader, with a strong track record in grant making, that supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Members promote longer-term and integrated work programs, while actively promoting gender equality throughout all activities.

In collaboration with USAID, Cities Alliance is supporting municipalities and communities in Haiti to increase municipal service delivery and promote long-term and sustained locally-driven economic and social development. Cities Alliance has established its office in Cap-Haiïien.

Under the umbrella of the “Increasing Municipal Revenues to Improve Services (IMRIS)” programme, Cities Alliance will establish a Community Upgrading Fund (CUF) in the cities of Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes. The CUF is a financial facility that organized communities of the urban poor can access to enable the implementation of projects that will have a measurable impact on the quality of the collective living or working environment.

The primary objective of the Community Upgrading Fund is to improve access by the urban poor to basic social and physical infrastructure required to improve social cohesion, economic productivity and environmental health at the community level.

Cities Alliance seeks to recruit an Urban Infrastructure Advisor to provide expertise and technical support in the implementation of construction works in informal settlements and/or public spaces through specific participatory mechanisms such as the Community Upgrading Fund (CUF) or similar.

Functional Responsibilities

The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical advice, support and quality assurance to Cities Alliance Secretariat and its offices, in particular Haiti, in inclusive urban infrastructure and the management of Community Upgrading Funds. The Urban Infrastructure Advisor will be a critical link between Cities Alliance and its operations in the field, and UNOPS IPMG (Infrastructure and Project Management Group).

This position will report to the Head of Global Programmes. The incumbent will be required to work in a collaborative manner, with colleagues at all levels across the organization and with local partners.

As it is expected that the bulk of this assignment is mostly home-based, s/he will need to demonstrate a high degree of independence and responsibility. The Urban Infrastructure Advisor might be requested to travel to the Cities Alliance project sites or to attend events online and in person. The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the Cities Alliance and that of UNOPS.

Specifically, responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Urban Infrastructure Technical Advice & Quality Assurance.

• Provide technical advice and quality assurance to urban infrastructure projects – especially community-based infrastructure, including but not limited to the preparation of technical specifications, Bills of Quantities, bidding documentation, engineering drawings, construction methodologies, construction planning and programming, and assessments of contractors technical capacity to deliver.
• Provide advice and support on new initiatives, with a focus on quality assurance and quality control of project documents, costing and cost implications, implementation plans, achievements and benchmark indicators.
• Assessment of the quality of design and construction.
• Advising the Cities Alliance teams regarding compliance with donor and UNOPS regulations, including the Health and Safety and Environmental Management System.
• Engage regularly in forums with IPMG to be up to date with current industry and development sector strategy and best practices.

2. Urban Infrastructure Implementation Support and Technical Leadership

• Substantive support to the Cities Alliance staff in the implementation of urban infrastructure projects.
• Advise infrastructure practitioners (including staff and partners) on the application, interpretation and adoption of corporate and donor policy, guidance and best practices.
• Advising the Cities Alliance teams regarding design management and design review considerations and design review requirements, and being aware of the capacity and capabilities of the various in-house units across the regions.
• Support with the identification, engagement and management of local and regional consultancy firms providing design consultancy services.
• Conduct missions to and undertake assessments of Cities Alliance programmes to review and advise on Safety and Health, Quality and progress related issues, and highlight operational risks.
• Provide expertise and support in the implementation of standards and frameworks, procurement and Works contract modality selection and management, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, OH&S, EMS etc.

3. Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building

• Dissemination of training for guidance and instructions that impact infrastructure practitioners, as required.
• Ensure best practice guidance is disseminated and communicated throughout the organization and the local offices, in particular Haiti.
• Participate in organizational knowledge by gathering case studies and best practice examples as relevant for the Programmes, making recommendations on policy and tools, as well as participating in the development of guidance material and tools.

4. Project Management Technical Advice and Implementation Support

• Advise and provide expertise/support in the implementation of construction works in informal settlements and/or public spaces through specific participatory mechanisms such as the Community Upgrading Fund (CUF) or similar, including providing technical input to governance and approach considerations and preparing technical documents.
• Provide substantive support to Cities Alliance in the planning and implementation of projects and Programmes throughout their whole life cycle.
• Be responsible for providing advice to projects or Programmes that may need to be brought “back on track”.
• Provide advice on how to embed participatory infrastructure best practices of project and Programme governance and risk management.
• Play a crucial role in advising Cities Alliance on measures to strengthen local capacity building with regards to community-based infrastructure through participatory mechanisms, as well as other cross-cutting issues.
• Assist with the development of work plans and provide tangible support in helping programmes implement inclusive community-based infrastructure.
• The incumbent may assess the risk-based performance of project/programme and follow-up missions, and provide advisory support to field staff on UNOPS best practices, engagement risks, management models, and use of PM tools and systems.

5. Gender Mainstreaming

• Ensure that all activities under her/his responsibility includes gender considerations and adequately mainstreams them throughout all actions.
• Promotes a gender-responsive institutional environment in accordance with UN Values.

Impact of Results

The effective and successful achievement of key results by the Urban Infrastructure Advisor is essential to ensure the smooth running of the project which, in turn, positions Cities Alliance as a leading player in the sustainable development of Haiti. This promotes the image of UNOPS / Cities Alliance as an effective service provider and innovation leader, and strengthens the competitive position of UNOPS / Cities Alliance as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services at global, regional and local levels.

Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education:

• Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related discipline.
• A bachelor’s degree with a combination of two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.
• Qualification (or proven experience) in Occupational Safety and Health management is an asset.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of professional work experience in an Engineering and/or Construction Management role or closely related experience is required.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in project management is required.
• Experience providing infrastructure-related training is required, e.g. quality assurance, works contract management, health and safety compliance, etc.
• Experience working in Least Developed Countries or Fragile Contexts in an international environment is required.
• Experience with community engagement and/or participatory processes is desirable.
• Experience working on social infrastructure and/or solid waste Programmes is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required (oral and written).
• Working knowledge of French is an asset.