Development Coordinator

Host entity: UN-HABITAT

Volunteer type: International

Areas of expertise: Project management, programme development, strategy, Climate change, environment

Application deadline: 07/09/2026

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
UN-Habitat is the coordinating agency within the United Nations System for human settlement activities and in collaboration with governments is responsible for promoting and consolidating collaboration with all partners, including local authorities, private and non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, Goal 11 of “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, as well as the task manager of the human settlements chapter of Agenda 21 and focal point for the monitoring, evaluation and implementation of the New Urban Agenda adopted during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III),held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016.

Assignment context

The Land, Housing and Informal Settlements Section (LHISS), part of the Global Solutions Division at UN-Habitat, leads the development and implementation of normative and operational approaches aimed at ensuring equitable access to adequate housing for all, slum transformation and prevention, and land tenure security, with a focus on the most vulnerable communities, including in contexts affected by climate change, displacement and crisis. In delivering this mandate, the Section leverages Japan’s global leadership in disaster resilient housing, climate adaptation, and post disaster reconstruction, working in close collaboration with UN Habitat’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Fukuoka, Japan.

The Section leads key intergovernmental processes, such as the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, coordinates global multi-stakeholder platforms, such as the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), and provides substantive contributions to prominent global events, such as the World Urban Forum and the High-Level Political Forum. Through these mechanisms, the Section ensures that the good global practices collected and the normative guidance developed have global resonance and uptake.

Further, the Section implements the UN Habitat mandate by providing technical expertise, policy advice, and capacity development to member states, local authorities, civil society, and other partners. Collaboration with JICA and Japanese institutions plays a key role in expanding the Section’s technical depth, promoting South–South cooperation, and increasing the visibility of Japan’s contribution to global housing and urban resilience efforts.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Land, Housing and Informal Settlements Section (LHISS) and the direct oversight of the LHISS thematic leads, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

1. Strategic Coordination
• Facilitate coordination and alignment between UN-Habitat headquarters, the Asia-Pacific Regional Office in Fukuoka, Japan, and other regional/country offices to ensure programmatic coherence, foster cross-regional knowledge exchange, and strengthen collective approaches to climate-resilient housing and displacement challenges.
• Coordinate UN-Habitat’s contribution to the 2026 Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group (OEWG-H3) on Adequate Housing for All, ensuring that housing-related policy inputs, recommendations, and advocacy are aligned with global governance processes.
• Coordinate UN-Habitat’s technical and policy contributions to the OEWG-H3 process, ensuring that outputs reflect both global priorities and donor interests.
• Support UN-Habitat’s engagement in the Global Humanitarian Cluster architecture, with emphasis on Shelter, Housing, Land, and Property rights.
2. Partnership Engagement
• Engage with diverse stakeholders including UN agencies, member states, development partners, legal experts, academics, and civil society organizations to promote policy coherence, inclusive governance, and knowledge exchange in the areas of housing, slum transformation, climate resilience, and displacement.
• Strengthen collaboration with JICA and other Japanese institutions, ensuring visibility and alignment with their strategic priorities.
• Identify new partnerships and funding opportunities, leveraging JICA’s sponsorship to enhance resource mobilization.
• Develop and apply monitoring frameworks to track programme results, ensuring evidence-based reporting.

3.Coordination of high-level meetings
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of content for international forums, including the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group (OEWG-H3), Urban October events, and other high-level political meetings.
4. Knowledge Development,
• Lead and support the design and implementation of programmes on housing and informal settlements’ resilience to climate change and displacement, working closely with colleagues across thematic sections, regional, and country offices.
• Collect, analyse, and document good practices; develop knowledge materials, guidelines, and policy briefs to inform global and regional housing and development strategies.
• Coordinate with the communications and advocacy team to produce and disseminate content for the Housing Knowledge Platform, UN-Habitat’s website, and GLTN platforms.
5. Donor Relations
• Provide regular updates and reports to donors on programme progress, outcomes, and lessons learned.
• Ensure donor visibility in communication materials, events, and publications.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Skills and experience

• 3-5 years of experience in project design, implementation, and the development of knowledge materials in areas related to housing, informal settlements, climate resilience, and displacement.
• Prior experience with a national or international development or humanitarian organisation working in developing and climate or crisis-affected contexts would be considered an asset.
• Good analytical skills and capacity present clearly the information analysed.
• Very good English writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI based solutions to support analysis, communication, and overall programme efficiency
• Ability to work to schedule and within set deadlines and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and timelines.
• Ability to understand complex assignments, undertake them with precision in line with the guidance given.
• Ability to work in an international environment.
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Commitment and Motivation
• Communication
• Knowledge Sharing
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Technological Awareness
• Working in Teams

Living conditions

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighbouring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country is classified as lower, middle income with a GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most essential goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. Getting around in Nairobi is easy with ride-hailing mobility apps such as Uber, Bolt among others. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The UNV will be living and working in a multicultural environment, comprising of diverse nationalities of a middle-class socio-economic status. Prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment are moderate. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm
Conditions of Service

The Conditions of Service, available here: https://explore.unv.org/cos, outline the policies and rules governing UN Volunteer assignments. Full information on entitlements at the duty station can be accessed here: https://app.unv.org/calculator.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.