Technical Assistant

Result of Service

The incumbent will work in close collaboration with programme, operations and project teams to support the achievement of project objectives and organizational priorities.

Work Location

Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

Expected duration

Six (6) months

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.

The second phase of the Social Territories Program aims to strengthen the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro’s intersectoral strategy for addressing multidimensional urban poverty. It will do so by enhancing institutional capacity to produce, integrate, and use territorial evidence, while promoting actions that expand social participation, strengthen community belonging, and improve access to educational, cultural, and productive inclusion opportunities.

To properly implement the above-mentioned project, a Technical Assistant is required.

Report to UN-Habitat Manager

The Technical Assistant reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her.

Responsibilities

The Technical Assistant will support the implementation of the programme, and its activities, with the following responsibilities:

1. Provide guidance and orientation to the programme’s families and individuals selected for monitoring during household visitations in designated territories and under Rio de Janei-ro’s social policies;
2. Use the integrated Assistance Protocols and other public databases to access infor-mation about families and individuals selected for monitoring, and refer them to the ap-propriate public agencies;
3. Research complementary information about families and individuals selected for monitor-ing and forward them to the appropriate public agencies;
4. Work in partnership with civil servants from various municipal secretariats (Education, Social Assistance, Health, and others) to strengthen access to public services for families and individuals selected for monitoring;
5. Provide input for the identification and mitigation of bottlenecks within the Integrated Assistance Protocols;
6. Maintain professional and cordial relations with the programme’s counterparts;
7. Disseminate up-to-date information about the programme within designated territories;
8. Ensure that the programme's technical activities within the purview of his or her function are aligned with the Agency's and its counterparts' quality expectations;
9. Attend meetings and conferences promoted by UN-Habitat and the project’s partners as requested;
10. Have compliance with UN-Habitat quality standards and project requirements, ensuring consistency with institutional guidelines, methodologies and expected outcomes;
11. Develop reports following ABNT guidelines, ensuring alignment with UN-Habitat’s quality standards and project requirements;
12. Ensure the adoption of ethical principles in the course of the consultancy, particularly re-garding active listening, respect for diversity and the promotion of safe, inclusive and par-ticipatory learning environment;
13. Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor, consistent with the functions of the position.

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 consultant shall be paid a monthly allowance, upon presentation and approval by the Head of Brazil Office of monthly activities’ report.

Qualifications/special skills

Education

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, or related fields is required, or additional three (3) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the require-ment.

Work experience

• Minimum two (2) years of experience in assisting families in situations of social vul-nerability in Brazil is required.
• Knowledge of the National Social Assistance Policy is required.
• Experience with the programme’s target communities is required.
• Previous experience working in the United Nations is desirable.

Skills

• Good computer skills in Windows and Office packages and Web search engines are required.
• Good handling of technological tools and use of software and online platforms is re-quired.
• Good knowledge of project management methodologies is desirable.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of financial management principles and practices; applies sound judgment; shows persistence in meeting commitments and achieving results; demonstrates integrity and accountabil-ity.
• Planning and organization: Develops clear goals and priorities; identifies priority activ-ities and assignments; allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work and meeting deadlines.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others and re-sponds appropriately; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping stakeholders informed.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues and partners to achieve organiza-tional goals; values diversity; contributes to an inclusive and respectful work environ-ment.

Knowledge Management

• Contribute to the documentation, organization and dissemination of relevant technical knowledge and lessons learned related to the assignment.
• Support the preparation of tools, templates and reference materials that facilitate that effective project implementation.
• Ensure information, records and documentation produced under the assignment are properly organized and made available to authorized personnel.
• Promote knowledge-sharing and collaboration among project teams while ensuring compliance with applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office.
• For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required.

Additional Information

Travel details: Not applicable.

Remuneration

Remuneration is determined in accordance with the applicable UNOPS Local ICA or UNDP’s salary scale and the level established through the official classification process.

Notes

Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply.

The extension of this contract is subject to availability of funds and/or performance. Any contract extension is not automatic.

It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira:

• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
• Educational Background (incl. dates)
• Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)
• Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments
• Languages (proficiency level in all languages, including mother tongue)
• Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)*
• Please note that Internships and part-time work count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered.

All applications should be submitted to: Inspira

UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning people or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.