Environmental and Social Safeguard - Senior Analyst, Multiple positions

The Cities Alliance (CA) is the global partnership supporting cities to deliver sustainable development. To manage its activities, the Cities Alliance operates a multi-donor fund with UNOPS as host and trustee. The Cities Alliance is therefore governed by the values, rules and procedures of the United Nations and located therein. Supported by a Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership including – global organizations of local authorities, national governments, international non-governmental organizations, foundations, knowledge networks and multilateral organizations – which have come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader, with a strong track record in grant making, that supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Members promote longer-term and integrated work programs, while actively promoting gender equality throughout all activities. As per its Charter, the main objective of the Cities Alliance is to reduce urban poverty and promote the role of cities in sustainable development.

In collaboration with USAID, Cities Alliance is supporting municipalities and communities in Haiti to increase municipal service delivery and promote long-term and sustained locally driven economic and social development.  A key aspect of the Programme are;

• Strengthening of participatory and inclusive local governance, 

• Capacity building for participatory, integrated and sustainable planning and management of solid waste management system, 

• Improved municipal revenue stream and investments.

• Improved access to basic infrastructure services in public spaces, especially in markets. 

Cities Alliance has established its office in Cap-Haitien.

Cities Alliance seeks to recruit 2 retainers as Environmental and Social Safeguard - Senior Analysts
to work with the CA Secretariat and its Haiti office to work in social development Programme, design, monitoring, implementation of environmental and social safeguards throughout the Programme.

A key part of the Programme is to improve Environmental and Social Safeguard Management performance by identifying, preventing or mitigating adverse impacts on the environment and on the communities and supporting project deliveries in a sustainable manner. Cities Alliance and its partners intend to manage the environmental  and social risks and impacts throughout the life cycle of projects in a systematic manner that leads to continuous improvement and development of local capacity. Additionally, Cities Alliance/UNOPS must comply with the environmental policies and frameworks of its Key partner USAID Environmental and Social safeguards and stakeholder requirements around social safeguards policies and frameworks of bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, governments.

The Environment and Social Safeguard Specialist will be responsible for assisting Cities Alliance and its implementing partners in Haiti in identifying interactions of the programme, projects with the environment and social dimension, defining the associated impacts of these interactions and proposing mitigation measures as well as protocols for implementing them in compliance with the UNOPS and USAID ESMS and adopting relevant guidelines applicable to the programme context.

The Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist will be responsible for:

Ensuring compliance with Environmental and social safeguards policies of bilateral and multilateral donor agencies as well as local regulations. 

• Establish environmental and social baselines. 

• Identify potential environmental and social risks and impacts. 

• Review the local regulatory requirements as well requirements emerging from compliance with USAID environmental and social safeguards frameworks and policies.

• Strategize the development of adequate tools for implementation of ESMS. 

• develop appropriate plans including social impact assessments reviews. 

• Prepare any reports or recommendations. 

• Interact and consult with relevant actors and stakeholders.

Ensure that consideration for social and gender issues is streamlined in project implementations.

• Identify vulnerable communities and groups and ensure minimization of social impact risks. 

• Develop and propose methodology for establishing social baselines including identification of potentially vulnerable groups including women, children and minorities.

• Identify if the project interacts with any indigenous communities or other sensitive cultures. 

• Identify if the project activities may lead to loss of livelihood for any stakeholders.

• Propose plan for preparation of adequate instruments to identify and mitigate any environmental and socially negative impacts and to streamline gender and other social concerns into project operations.

Providing support in procurement, management and monitoring for implementation of the ESMS 

• Identify if third party services need to be procured to meet the ESMS requirements and/or donor and other stakeholder safeguards requirements or policies. 

• Develop relevant TORs and assist in procurement of services. 

• Ensure that the deliverables adequately address the requirements of the various stakeholders including any operational documents such as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and operation manuals.

Support monitoring and reporting activities 

• Develop implementation plans including monitoring and documentation mechanisms and appropriate budgets for incorporating environmental and social compliance requirements.

• Define relevant stakeholder responsibilities and monitoring mechanisms. 

• Provide adequate document controls and reviews.

In addition to the above specific tasks the specialist will also 

• Contribute to the analysis of the organization’s social risk profile and determination of key controls.

• Provide technical advice to Programme partners on what needs to be included in projects.

• Carry out training on environmental and social safeguard management in line with UNOPS and USAID standards and best practices. 

• Implement the process for performance review and reporting. 

• Assist project teams to develop and implement Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and guidance.

• Assist Project and field offices to establish monitoring inspections, meetings, reporting and internal auditing.

• Assist the project team and partners to embed environmental and social issues into the processes of design and construction of infrastructure. 

The specialist engaged in monitoring and reporting on UNOPS and USAID environmental and social safeguard plans.  S/he will work under the supervision of the Local Coordinator and the Urban Development Specialist to ensure alignment to Cities Alliance/UNOPS and USAID tools, approaches and systems.

• Undertake any other functions related to the successful implementation of the project as may be requested by Cities Alliance.

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Environmental Sciences or Engineering, Environmental Management, Civil Engineering, Natural Sciences or other relevant discipline is required. 
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a combination of two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.
• Certification or accreditation in implementing environmental and social safeguards frameworks and/or policies would be considered an asset.
• Project management certification (e.g. Prince2 Foundation) is desirable;

• Previous experience in development and environmental monitoring (environmental assessments, risk-based assessments, implementation of local development programs) is required. 

• Experience working on and implementing USAID/ multilateral and bilateral agencies environmental and social safeguards frameworks and/or policies would be an asset. 

• Relevant experience working in developing countries especially in the Caribbean or in Haiti is an asset. 

• Relevant experience of environmental and social assessment of infrastructure and municipal solid waste management projects is an asset. 

• Experience of third-party certification audits for environmental management is an asset.

• Fluency in English and French (Written and oral) is mandatory.

• A good knowledge of written and spoken Haitian Creole is an advantage.

[Instructions: Please delete this paragraph and insert relevant information below:

1. Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
2. Contract level: LICA 9 / ICS-9
3. Contract duration: Ongoing ICA contract , subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.