National Consultant for Bangladesh - Sinking Cities Project

Organizational Context

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with UN-Habitat and APDIM, has launched a regional initiative to address the growing risks of land subsidence in Asian cities. This multi-phase project, funded by the China-ESCAP Cooperation Programme, aims to enhance the capacity of governments and stakeholders to monitor, understand, and mitigate land subsidence.

Job Purpose

This role serves as a National Consultant for the 'Sinking Cities Project' in Bangladesh, providing crucial technical, analytical, and coordination support. The consultant will facilitate the application of a standardized assessment and monitoring framework for land subsidence at national and city levels. Key objectives include strengthening local institutional capacity, ensuring land subsidence is integrated into urban planning, water governance, and disaster risk reduction strategies, and supporting data collection, policy review, and spatial analysis. The consultant will also contribute to capacity-building activities and the documentation of lessons learned for regional knowledge products, ultimately aiming to bolster urban resilience and sustainable development in Bangladesh.

Responsibilities

The National Consultant will support the 'Confronting the Silent Crisis of Asia-Pacific’s Sinking Cities' initiative in Bangladesh. Key duties include supporting the application of the diagnostic assessment and monitoring framework in pilot cities, providing country- and city-specific technical inputs for data collection, policy review, and spatial analysis. The role involves supporting stakeholder engagement and capacity-building activities to help authorities interpret findings and translate them into actionable planning and policy. Additionally, the consultant will contribute to documenting lessons learned and preparing inputs for regional knowledge products. This includes supporting the translation of diagnostic assessments into planning decisions, informing land-use planning, infrastructure prioritization, and water resource management, and proposing enhancements to land subsidence monitoring mechanisms.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of progressive professional experience in sustainable urban development, water resource management, climate adaptation, or environmental resilience is required. Experience in applied research, technical assistance, policy analysis, and working with governments on development projects is essential. Familiarity with diagnostic frameworks, monitoring tools, geospatial methodologies, and integrating technical assessments into urban planning instruments is also necessary.

Skills

Expertise in applied research, technical assistance, and policy analysis. Proven track record with national/subnational governments. Experience with diagnostic frameworks, monitoring tools, and geospatial methodologies. Ability to integrate technical assessments into urban planning instruments. Understanding of land subsidence, coastal resilience, climate change impacts, water resource management, and disaster resilience. Proficiency in geospatial analysis, GIS, and remote sensing. Strong capacity to translate technical data into actionable recommendations. Demonstrated ability to build capacity and facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement.

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