UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) - Fukuoka
ACROS Fukuoka Building 8F, 1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, 810-0001, Japan
habitat.fukuoka@un.org | https://fukuoka.unhabitat.org/

FOR A BETTER URBAN FUTURE
1 August 2024
Extension: 20 August 2024
Extension: 2 September 2024

Terms of Reference
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:

UN-Habitat

DUTY STATION:

Kuala Lumpur or relevant cities, Malaysia

FUNCTIONAL TITLE:Local Project Officer

DURATION:CONTRACT MODALITY:

Start: as soon as possible(Extendable up to 31 December 2026)
UNOPS LICA 8

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Organizational Context:
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements andsustainable urbanisation. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially andenvironmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. Leading efforts
to advance UN system-wide coherence for sustainable urbanisation, UN-Habitat is playing a key role
implementing the Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September 2015 as well as theNew Urban Agenda (NUA) adopted in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.
Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, was established with the signing of
the ASEAN Declaration, aiming to promote collaboration and cooperation among Member States, as well as,
to advance the interests of the region as-a-whole. There are currently 10 Member States: Brunei Darussalam,Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, forging
ahead together towards the achievement of ASEAN Community Vision 2025.
Since 2008, UN-Habitat and the ASEAN Secretariat have engaged in a variety of UN and ASEAN Secretariatengagements. Most notably, UN-Habitat has been developing a new generation of sub-regional programmes
which target all or selected ASEAN countries, especially in the area of cities and climate change. Meanwhile,
the Bangkok Programme Office of UN-Habitat is increasingly engaged in knowledge programmes with fellow
UN agencies, on issues of migration, health, resilience and urban data in support of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

About the Project:
Since 2020 UN-Habitat has established a strategic partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat to advancesustainable urbanisation across the ASEAN Member States. As a key first phase of this collaboration, theproject ‘Accelerating the Implementation of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy’ (known followingas ‘ASUS Project – Phase I’) was implemented from 2020 to 2022, combining technical support at the locallevel to eight pilot cities in ASEAN and knowledge management and advocacy initiatives at the regional level,
including delivery of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum and the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation
Report. The project contributed to increasing ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS)
understanding and application in cities, and bridge ASEAN cities' experiences to regional and global levels.
The ASUS Project – Phase I was conceived as a first step to support the achievement of the expected ASUS
goals by 2025.
This ASUS Project – Phase II builds on the accomplishments of its previous phase and aims to scale-up andimprove the approaches and initiatives adopted, to:

Deliver strengthened technical support and advice to ASEAN cities, including existing pilot cities anda new group of cities;
Further build capacity within cities to develop viable project proposals within an ASUS framework;
Strengthen the engagement of national governments and stakeholders in the adoption of ASUS and tosupport cities efforts in the definition and implementation of urban project and plans, in line withASUS;
Facilitate regional advocacy and research that enhance knowledge management and production to
support a broader adoption of ASUS across the region.

The key components of this proposal and the ASUS Project – Phase II are: (i) Technical and Strategic Supportto Cities and (ii) National and regional Advocacy, Knowledge Management, and Capacity Building. The main
project targets are ASEAN local governments and stakeholders, especially secondary and intermediary cities,
which have been identified by ASUS as the main actors of current and future urban development across
ASEAN. All proposed project components and related outputs aim to strengthen local capacities, whilst
complementing technical support for regional advocacy, knowledge management, and capacity building.

Functional and Reporting Relationships:
The individual will be based in Malaysia. Under overall guidance of the UN-Habitat Regional Office
Representative and supervision of the Chief, UN-Habitat Bangkok Program Office and the ProgrammeManager, the individual will work closely with the team, under the coordination of the Urban Development
Expert and Knowledge Management Coordinator, and with officials from country, regional, and headquarter
offices of UN-Habitat. The individual will report also to the UN-Habitat focal point of the country, tocoordinate the project activities in coherence with the overall agency work in the country.

Responsibilities:

2The Local Project Officer will coordinate the local and national outputs related to technical advice and capacity
building for cities. The regular tasks include:
City Technical Support

Support all cites in the relevant country (up to 3 cities) through the implementation of the project
activities to develop and advance urban project proposals (City Technical Proposal) aligned with theASUS framework, including cities that participated in the Phase I of the ASUS Project.
Conduct of preliminary background assessment to understand the needs and capacity of the local
government partner and areas which the proposed intervention is intended to address.
Conduct local consultations in person and virtually, as required, in collaboration with the local
authorities, ensuring inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders.
Coordination with national, local authorities and key stakeholders to perform participatory andconsultative city diagnosis and action plan development in each selected ASEAN city and contributeto the development of the City Diagnostic Reports;
Preparation of the urban project technical proposals in alignment with specifications outlined by UNHabitat and ASEAN requirements, and with the support of technical experts. The technical areas offocus will be decided with the city.
Support peer-to-peer exchanges between ASEAN pilot cities regarding the proposed projects.

Training and Capacity Building ProgrammesSupport the project team in developing country programmes and roadmaps for training and capacity
building, targeting cities and relevant sub-national and national stakeholders.
Supporting cities participation in regional-level events.
Develop country level roadmap for the Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme (basedon the regional plan) targeting cities:
o Identify participating cities and other government and non-government city-levelstakeholders;o Identify local best practices and champions to include in the programme;o Define a plan for virtual trainings and two in-person events to roll-out the programme;o Support the project team in developing contents and support with translation as needed.
Develop country level roadmap for the Multi-stakeholder Capacity Building Programme (based on theregional plan), targeting cities:
o Identify participating cities and other government and non-government sub-national andnational levels stakeholders;o Identify local best practices and champions to include in the programme;o Define a plan for two in-person events to roll-out the programme;o Support the project team in developing contents and support with translation as needed.
Conduct local consultations in person and virtually, as required, in collaboration with the local
authorities, ensuring inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders.
Develop report of the proceeding and findings of each session and event organized and ensure follow
up with the relevant authorities.

Meetings Coordination
 Support in-country arrangements for project review and follow-up missions; Coordinate document preparation, compilation and dissemination to meeting participants and key3
stakeholders including national, local authorities and relevant stakeholders;
Support research information in support of project materials and activities and assist with translations,interpretation and other support to the project team as required.
Support the participation of the selected cities in virtual and in-person meetings and events nationallyand internationally.

Country programming support
 Performing other relevant tasks related to urban development/project implementation as necessary andrequired by the UN-Habitat focal points for the country.
Monitoring and Evaluation
 Regular monitoring and reporting on all project activities with partners and stakeholders to ensure ahigh quality of outputs being delivered within the agreed upon time frame; Support scoping studies and data collection to evaluate the interventions within the local strategic
context and helping to address the feasibility, potential impact and any barriers; Supporting the mainstreaming of gender, environmental and social issues into the project activities
and carrying out social and gender analyses across all project deliverables.

Expected Deliverables:
With reference to the tasks captured in the scope of work in the previous section, the Local Project Officer
will be required to complete and provide the following deliverables as part of the contract:
Deliverables

Target due dates

Payment

Deliverable 1 – Workplan for the city consultations in thecountry and brief on the cities participating in the project.

20/09/2024

25 %Deliverable 2 - Inception Report on each participating city’scurrent resources, interventions, and policies to ground thedevelopment and advancement of the City Technical Proposals.

20/10/2024

25 %Deliverable 3 – Country level roadmap for the Urban Planning
for City Leaders Training Programme (based on the regionalplan), including stakeholder mapping and identification of local
best practices.

20/11/2024

25 %Deliverable 4 - Country level roadmap for the Multistakeholder Capacity Building Programme (based on theregional plan), including stakeholder mapping andidentification of local best practices.

20/12/2024

25 %Competencies
Professionalism: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work4

programme, human resources, database management, etc. Ability to apply knowledge of various
United Nations administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations in work situations.
Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery ofsubject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines andachieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when
faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility
for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in allareas of work.
Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by
genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda
before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when suchdecisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts
joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

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

Qualifications
Education
An advanced degree in urban and/or regional planning, architecture, urban economy, sustainable orinternational development, sustainable urbanisation or other fields relevant to this post from reputed
universities, or bachelor’s degree with additional six years relevant and progressive experience in the fields
may be accepted in lieu of the post-graduate or advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent).
Experience
A minimum of two years’ progressive and relevant work experience in international development, urbandevelopment and technical city level advice and capacity building, preferably in the field of human settlementsin the region. Previous experience in supporting global and regional programmes and partnerships
development is added advantage. Work experience with the UN-Habitat, and general knowledge of UN rules
and regulations are desirable.
Language
For this position, fluency in oral and written English and Malay is required. Knowledge of another official
United Nations language will be considered an advantage.

Contract period, level of engagement and duty stationThe initial contract will be starting as soon as possible and until 31 December 2024 with a possibility ofextension up to 31 December 2026. The post is based in Malaysia, with travel to be expected.

5Remuneration
In compliance with UN-Habitat policy.

HOW TO APPLY:Interested and qualified candidates are requested to please indicate their immediate availability toundertake the assignment as per terms of reference above. The application must be accompanied witha completed UN Personal History Profile (PHP) or P11 (MANDATORY):

PHP – Online : (1) Please create your profile in inspira.un.org, (2) Go to “My applications”,(3) “Create Draft Application”, (4) fill all required steps, (5) save the application and go backto “My applications”, (6) “Print the Admin Profile” and download it to be submitted via
email. (Your online PHP profile can be updated and used for future applications)OR
P11 – Offline: Please download the form (MS-Word) from UN-Habitat ROAP website:
https://fukuoka.unhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Personal_History_P11-1.doc

The application should comprise of: UN Personal History Profile or P11 – without detailed one of those forms, application wouldbe rejected.
 Recent Curriculum Vitae (CV)Please indicate the Post Title: “Local Project Officer – Malaysia” in your email subject.
All applications should be submitted to:
UN-Habitat Bangkok Officehabitatbkk@un.org
Please note that applications received after the closing date stated below, will not be given
consideration. Only short-listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will becontacted for an interview. Overall remuneration will be determined according to the qualifications,skills and relevant experience of the selected candidate. In line with UN-Habitat policy on gender
equity, applications from female candidates will be particularly welcome.

Deadline for application: 19 September 20246