Programme Management Officer, Human Settlements

Organizational Context

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) promotes sustainable urban development globally. Its Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) manages projects in the region, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. This role, based in Riyadh, supports UN-Habitat's Saudi Arabia program, focusing on a key multi-year project with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.

Job Purpose

This Programme Management Officer role is crucial for leading the implementation of a significant multi-year project in Saudi Arabia, focused on developing a Spatial Planning Act, National Urban Policy, municipal system classification, and a National Urban Lab. The position contributes to UN-Habitat's mandate of promoting sustainable and inclusive cities by providing substantive support to programme development, monitoring, and reporting across a diverse portfolio. The role involves coordinating with government partners, managing project activities, conducting research and analysis, and ensuring alignment with national and UN strategic priorities, ultimately fostering positive urban transformation and reducing inequality.

Responsibilities

Develops, implements, and evaluates assigned programmes and projects, monitoring progress and identifying issues for corrective action. Conducts consulting assignments, facilitating workshops and developing action plans for change management. Researches, analyzes, and presents information from diverse sources. Coordinates urban policy development, including trend analysis and research studies. Designs and implements survey initiatives, analyzing data to identify problems and conclusions. Prepares written outputs such as background papers, reports, and publications. Provides substantive support for meetings and conferences, including agenda setting and document preparation. Initiates and coordinates outreach activities, training workshops, and presentations. Leads and participates in complex field missions, guiding consultants and government officials. Manages budget-related activities, including project preparation, reporting, and financial statements. Collects and analyzes data using visualization methods to support planning and decision-making.

Work Experience

Requires a minimum of seven years of progressive experience in human settlements, project, or programme management. Five years of experience managing multidisciplinary teams on complex development agreements or urban planning projects is necessary. Five years of experience advising senior officials in a government-related environment on urban planning and management is also required. Experience in urban planning and design, working in multicultural settings, and with UN agencies is desirable.

Skills

Professionalism, Communication, Planning and Organizing, analytical and conceptual skills, research and data analysis, problem-solving, project management, stakeholder engagement, report writing, presentation skills, data visualization.

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