National Officer (Land, Property & Housing law expert) Vacancy-Job Ref: JKETUNDP/0409/202337

UNDP is seeking a National Officer (Land, Property & Housing law expert) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The role involves supporting sustainable urban development, addressing challenges faced by displaced populations, and advocating for land and property rights. The incumbent will work on a multi-agency project to enhance recovery and resilience for internally displaced communities in specific regions of Ethiopia, focusing on integrated solutions and capacity building.
National Officer (Land, Property & Housing law expert) Vacancy-Job Ref: JKETUNDP/0409/202337

Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities, with the aim of providing adequate housing for all.

It is the lead agency within the United Nations for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat supports Member States and development partners to transform cities into safer, more resilient and healthier places with better opportunities working towards achieving inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities, with a focus on addressing urban challenges and improving the quality of life for all people.

UN-Habitat advocates for policies and practices that promote sustainable urbanization, including the integration of social, economic, and environmental dimensions. It also helps build the capacity of governments, local authorities, and communities to plan, manage, and govern urban areas effectively, including promoting participatory approaches and inclusive decision-making processes.

In Ethiopia, UN-Habitat works closely with the Ethiopian government and other stakeholders to support sustainable urban development in strategic and spatial development of regions and cities, including through resilience and climate change adaptation. In the context of displacement, UN-Habitat plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by displaced populations and supporting their sustainable reintegration into communities.

It supports planning processes that consider the needs of displaced populations and promote inclusive urban development while advocating for the protection of land and property rights by supporting legal frameworks and policies that safeguard the rights of displaced individuals and communities. As well as providing technical assistance in resolving land and property disputes, it seeks to provide up to date, holistic documentation, and analysis of the impact of crisis in cities, synthesizing information and insight from existing sources and priority sectors, supplemented by direct field research.

The incumbent under this call is expected to join a team of professionals for a multi-agency joint project to pursue a nexus-based multi-dimensional and integrated approach to enable internally displaced communities in Somali and Oromia regions of Ethiopia to move towards recovery and resilience by employing durable solutions actions that enhance communities’ coping mechanisms against future shocks to anthropogenic disasters and natural hazards by rolling out a multi-pillar intervention that aims to take into consideration the diverse aspects of solutions-based programming among UN Habitat, FAO and IOM. The general objective of the project is to employ durable solutions that enhance IDPs’ and host communities’ capacities to move towards recovery and resilience with a particular focus on the Fafan and Shebelle zones of the Somali Region, and the East and West Hararghe zones of the Oromia Region.

Along this, UN Habitat’s responsibility focuses on strengthening and building capacity of institutions through area level spatial planning to ensure sustainable re-integration of displacement affected communities for improved access to HLP through legal and policy tools and planning instruments to respond to longer-term impacts of displacement affected communities (DACs).

Reporting relationship

The project lead will directly supervise the incumbent and he/she will be directly responsible to and reporting to seeking approval/ acceptance of output from Country Programme Manager

The incumbent is expected to provide weekly update reports and monthly narrative reports in format shared by the project lead. The reports must be shared with the project manager and programme support staff as necessary.

The incumbent will be part of a team of experts working on the project. He/she is expected to work individually and, in a group, collaboratively.

The incumbent is expected to work together with different government officers, representatives of local administration, local academic institutions, civil society, representatives of host and displacement affected communities.

The incumbent is expected to travel to project sites outside Addis Ababa as needed.

Scope of the work

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the UN-Habitat Ethiopia Programme Manager and the project lead, and he/she will be responsible for the following duties:

Participate in site/neighborhood assessments, support participatory planning processes with the local government, host and displacement affected communities and different organizations to inform area-based multisectoral interventions.

Review existing policies and strategies related to sustainable land management, environment, and climate change mitigation measures. Recommend ways of sustainable use of land and land use planning in the wake of climate change ensuring that gender considerations are addressed.

key informant interviews and focus group discussions to be held with women with particular attention on women`s physical and legal access to HLP.

Conduct preliminary discussions with key actors and examine relevant documents to prepare an inception report and a work plan on HLP issues as per the requirement put forward on the project document.

Responsible for the provision of technical support and capacity building to HLP coordination mechanisms and contribute to the HLP strategy and plan of action considering the local and modern contexts.

Careful follow-up of the workplan for the project, support monitoring of project implementation and report against milestones to project team members.

Recommend flexible and politically acceptable approaches to individual versus collective tenure rights to land and resource tenure regimes with considerations that climate conditions are changing, and sustainable livelihoods can be maintained.

Coordinate with the local Consultancy firm on assessment on land registrations, ownership, spatial data gathering, development potential and training package specifically on HLP ensuring that gender considerations are addressed.

Coordinate with local consultancy firm on the use of a digital tool incorporating a database of land uses and existent and possible land tenure arrangements ensuring that gender considerations are addressed.

Lead fundraising efforts including exploring new sources of funding for HLP (i.e., humanitarian, development and private donors, foundations etc..) in coordination and collaboration with the in-house team, through designing projects, writing technical sections of proposals, preparing budgets, and projecting timelines.

Any other tasks requested by the Project or Programme Manager.

Duties and Expected deliverables

The incumbent will have to perform the following assignments independently and in collaboration with the project lead and other team members:

Perform research, analysis, and synthesis of topics and issues related to HLP in the local context in the two project regions and in the country ensuring that gender considerations are addressed. Undertake analysis of the practice on the ground identifying challenges and opportunities of the project areas to achieve program and project objectives.

Assess progress and results, identify problem areas, and take corrective steps to achieve program and project objectives.

Conduct participatory processes with the local communities on elaboration of land tenure plans ensuring that gender considerations are addressed.

Reports on community planning workshops with disaggregated data, results, and findings.

Provide relevant data from the current laws and policies applied in the regions, the historical and most recent synthesized reports and studies of the region and localities related to HLP.

Review of international and national best practices on HLP rights of displacement affected communities, identifying challenges and opportunities within the project areas.

Training and capacity building on participatory tools on HLP for service providers to integrate the rights of DACs in HLP matters legal framework, counselling, and access to tenure assistance for households under the different menu of options, improvement of rights and conditions for DAC.

Preparation of Training materials on HLP local, national, and international context for better decision making, solving the governance challenge and improvement of rights and conditions for DAC on HLP issues

Conduct meetings with local government and hosting community on tenure arrangements and situational analysis, participatory assessment for reaching consensus on land uses, occupancy, and tenure arrangements.

Periodic progress reports against milestones based on monitoring of project activities, provide communication materials for the project under implementation, including stories, news.

Prepare recommendations on owner-driven methodology to facilitate the construction of durable/ permanent shelter and HLP support for (re)integrating households, returnees and/or IDPs newly settled and in need of those housing rehabilitation or construction.

Make recommendations for settlement planning.

Facilitate exchange programs from other regions and countries on creation of tools, policy revision and development for better decision making, solving the governance challenge and improvement of rights and conditions for DAC on HLP issues.

Keep custody and backup of documents, data and information to be collected in due course of carrying out the various tasks of planning HLP sector study.

Coordinate with consultants on documentation of summaries of recommendations for IDPs housing, appraisal, successes and failures.

Expected Outputs

Perform research, review existing policies and strategies related to HLP issues. Undertake analysis of the practice on the ground identifying challenges and opportunities of the project areas to achieve program and project objectives

Community engagement, site assessment reports including visual representation of data and analysis ensuring that gender dimensions are considered.

Participatory processes with the local communities on elaboration of land tenure plans ensuring that gender considerations are addressed

Plan and execute community planning workshops, awareness, and capacity building trainings for staff of local government offices in inclusion of DAC rights in provision of services.

Training materials on HLP local, national, and international context for better decision making, solving the governance challenge and improvement of rights and conditions for DAC on HLP issues

Propose and document summaries of recommendations for IDPs’ housing

Reports against milestones based on monitoring of project activities.

Procurement plan for necessary software and hardware for the project implementation.

Communication material for projects under implementation, including stories, news.

Competency

Professionalism: Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals.

Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operation. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Qualifications/Experience/Skills

Education

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) or BA/BSC degree in land administration/management, law, international development, development studies or any other field relevant to the assignment.

Work Experience

For MA/MSC. degree in a relevant field, four (4) years of relevant work experience in land management issues and research/policy development is required. Two years of relevant experience for LLM (Masters in Law) and MSC in engineering.

For BA/BSC degree in a relevant field, six (6) years of relevant work experience in land management issues and research/policy development is required. Four (4) ears of relevant experience For LLB and BSC in engineering.

Experience with technical/programming exercise in HLP.

Training development and facilitation including experience in drafting and encouraging the implementation of policy/strategic guidance and developing practical tools and resources.

Experience in working with the United Nations is an advantage. Experience in the humanitarian sector, including field experience is an asset.

Preferred: experience in women’s land rights and application of gender equity and social inclusion in all aspects of project design and implementation

Preferred: experience working on law and policy at the intersection of climate change and land tenure

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Excellent writing skills, with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for preparation of quality reports as well as media stories.

Ability to work independently or with minimal supervision with a high degree of responsibility, in a flexible manner and often under pressure.

Capacity to coordinate and organize a team and to support project implementation.

Ability to conduct interviews, surveys, and other data collection techniques.

Language:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Ethiopian working language and the language of working regions is desirable. Ability to communicate technical knowledge to non-expert audience is preferred.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

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