Chief Technical Specialist – Debris Management
JOB DETAIL
1- Office/Unit/Project Description
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.
UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) derives its mandate from United Nations General Assembly Resolution 33/147 of 20 December 1978. Called upon by United Nations Member States in that year, UNDP was requested “to improve the economic and social conditions of the Palestinian people by identifying their social and economic needs and by establishing concrete projects to that end”.
UNDP’s Palestinian Programmatic Framework (PPF) 2023-2025 sets out a vision of “a world in which all Palestinians can enjoy a dignified life and fulfil their own vision of a unified, peaceful and free society”. The PPF is centered around the concept of “Transformative Resilience” and its three elements: a cohesive Palestinian identity, self-reliance, and ownership and leadership.
Over the next three years, UNDP/PAPP will build on its experiences and achievements to make critical contributions to the priorities defined by the Palestinian national development plans and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), through interventions in three programmatic priority areas: i) democratic governance and quality services; ii) inclusive economic opportunities; iii) sustainable natural resources management.
In the Gaza Strip, over 13 months of war have caused large-scale destruction and exacerbated pre-existing humanitarian needs, thus depriving Gazans of their basic human rights, including access to shelter, electricity, water and sanitation, healthcare, and education.
Gaza experienced unprecedented destruction of essential infrastructure, with around 87% of housing units damaged or destroyed, and over 50 million tons of rubble generated. Approximately 90% of the entire population has been internally displaced, seeking refuge in overcrowded shelters and unsanitary makeshift camps. Livelihoods have been severely disrupted, with unemployment skyrocketing to 80%. This unprecedented humanitarian crisis is further compounded by limited access of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as well as a shrinking space for safe and unimpeded humanitarian operations on account of continued warfare and recurrent evacuation orders.
According to the World Bank, UN and EU “Gaza Strip Interim Damage Assessment”, residential buildings were found to be making up most of the recorded damage (72%), followed by damages to critical infrastructure and services such as education, WASH, health, energy, ICT, municipal services and transport (19%), as well as infrastructure damages in the commerce, industry, and services sector (9%). Moreover, 65% of the total road infrastructure/network has been destroyed, further hindering humanitarian access and operations, as well as compounding challenges to future recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Considering that hundreds of thousands of people will have no home to return to, the need to deploy dignified transitional shelter solutions (e.g., prefabricated housing units) is critical – not only as part of the ongoing humanitarian response, but also to support and foster early recovery including rehabilitation works to partially damaged households and reconstruction of the totally damaged ones as soon as conditions on the ground allow. Area based approach will be adopted in the early recovery and reconstruction phase where all utilities will be reinstated to allow the internally displaced people return to their neighborhoods.
Access to education has also been fully disrupted, with an estimated 625,000 students in the Gaza Strip having no access to education since the onset of the war. Education facilities have been severely impacted, with an estimated 87% directly hit or damaged, and requiring either full reconstruction or rehabilitation. Higher education institutions have been significantly impacted too, with an estimated 35 university buildings destroyed and another 57 damaged. The protracted lack of access to education further exacerbates the war-induced trauma, emotional distress and mental health crisis affecting virtually all children and youth across the war-torn Gaza Strip.
ONLY CURRENT PALESTINIAN NATIONALS AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN GAZA STRIP AND WILLING TO WORK AND TRAVEL THROUGHOUT VARIOUS CITIES IN THE STRIP ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. ALL OTHER APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
2- Scope of Work
The selected incumbent will undertake the following key functions:
1- Lead development of early recovery and reconstruction strategic policies and guidelines with a focus on debris management as well as UNDP’s project or programme-relevant activities:
- Provide technical inputs to projects addressing key sectors such as essential infrastructure, education, and housing, with a focus on delivering dignified transitional shelter solutions and road rehabilitation.
- Utilize assessment results to develop a costed plan for debris, construction, housing and education rehabilitation, and demolition waste management.
- Design a comprehensive debris management strategy covering debris removal, disposal, recycling, and utilization to support infrastructure and housing recovery.
- Identify institutional capacities, policies, and legislation impacting the rubble removal process, including varying regulations for debris disposal, housing rehabilitation and construction.
- Provide technical inputs in developing project documents/proposals, either for debris management, MSWM, removal and recycling of rubble/ MSW, as a stand-alone project or as the component of a wider recovery program.
- Review the Standard Operating Procedures prepared for each activity and ensure proper adherence to it during the implementation.
- Review the safety plan of the implementation for each site and give guidance to the teams on the ground to lead risk-managed implementation.
- Develop an adequate monitoring and evaluation plan that allows periodic monitoring of the project’s results, performance, achievements, risks, and challenges.
- Identify any institutional capacities, policies and legislation that may affect the rubble removal process (including different status for disposal of debris).
- Ensure relevant maps and technical assessments for debris removal are in place.
- Provide technical inputs for environment impact assessment and mine/EO risk analysis.
2- Provide technical advisory to early recovery and reconstruction projects with a focus on debris management:
- Assess the scope of building and infrastructure damage, the mapping of the area and the composition and volume of rubble and waste to be removed. This includes comprehensive assessments of damage to housing units, educational facilities, and essential infrastructure.
- Analyze education facilities, housing units, and the state of public infrastructure including landfills and dumping sites and the accessibility to them by different kinds of vehicles and machinery.
- Establish priorities for the areas of debris removal, disposal and recycling, in consultation with relevant actors.
- Design specifications and/or review the scope of works for the procurement of needed C&D/rubble removal and related equipment for debris management.
- Support the evaluation of Contractors that will be undertaking the works on the ground in line with the set specifications and international best practices based on UNDP procurement rules and guidelines.
- Oversee engineers and contractors to ensure the efficient and timely execution of debris removal, disposal, recycling operations, housing unit rehabilitation, and the restoration of educational facilities.
- Track projects implementation progress while ensuring quality assurance and adherence to environmental protection standards.
3- Ensure high quality team management on early recovery and reconstruction interventions with a focus on debris management:
- Provide technical assurance for design specifications and/or review scope of works for the procurement of needed C&D/debris removal and related equipment for the debris management.
- Continuously monitor and give guidance to project manager to ensure engineers and contractors are implementing within the prescribed time frame and following developed SOPs and proper actions under risk management.
- Devise the proper plan with the team to capture the progress of different projects’ activities including transitional shelter neighborhoods, debris management, reconstruction of damaged schools and public buildings, utility networks and others. S/he will develop quality assurance indicators providing clear evidence to proper risk managed implementation.
- Review various mitigation measures effectiveness to preserve environment and protection and carry out corrective actions if necessary, during implementation.
- Continuously review the plans for early recovery and reconstruction in terms of priority areas, quantification, coordinated access of materials, availability of land for temporary solutions, storage and recycle areas and strengthening environmental protection.
4- Contribute to the effort of country office’s knowledge management and dissemination:
- Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities, particularly in the areas of donor relations, partnerships, and resource mobilization.
- Provide substantive and sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice including corporate communications repositories.
- Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff both on internal and external knowledge management.
- Oversee maintenance of UNDP’s Intranet on country office activities for internal knowledge sharing, and the sharing of relevant knowledge products with external stakeholders through the corporate website.
- Work with the Programme/Communication teams to ensure all knowledge products and success stories are captured, updated, readily available and in the right order, as and when necessary.
- Support the UNDP working group for debris management with active participation, technical inputs to SOPs and sharing debris management related information and lessons learned.
- Actively attend cluster meetings of different assigned sectors to mainstream sustainable solution.
The incumbent performs any other duties agreed to within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
3- Institutional Arrangement:
Under the guidance of the Head of Gaza Office and the direct supervision of the Assistant Special Representative in Gaza the Chief Technical Specialist will lead the project team members and experts to ensure solid achievements of UNDP’s work for early recovery and reconstruction and ensure programmatic synergies with the different interventions capturing opportunities for complementarities to be able achieve the concept of area-based approach through which she/he will supervise Civil Engineers. the incumbent will guide the project team to coordinate and collaborate with the different UNDP teams and units to boost their activities on the ground and achieve results in risk managed approaches, good quality and in a timely manner.
4- Competencies:
| Core competencies | |
| Achieve Results: | LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact |
| Think Innovatively: | LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems |
| Learn Continuously: | LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to
expand horizons, diversify experiences |
| Adapt with Agility: | LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands |
| Act with Determination: | LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results |
| Engage and Partner: | LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency
collaboration |
| Enable Diversity and Inclusion: | LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity |
People Management
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
| Thematic Area | Name | Definition |
| Business Direction and Strategy | System Thinking | Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system |
| Business Direction and Strategy | Negotiation and Influence | Reacha common understanding/agreement, persuade others, resolve points of difference through a dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions and create ‘win- win’ situations. |
| Business Development | Knowledge Facilitation | Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge oftools and approaches to stimulate
active participation,contribution, andexchange. |
| Business Management | Project Management | Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. |
| 2030 Agenda: Prosperity | Recovery Solutions and
Human Mobility |
Debris/Solid Waste Management |
| Business Management | Results-based Management | Ability to managethe implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focusat improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts,
methodologies, instruments, and tools. |
| Business Management | Monitoring &Evaluation | Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results.
Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns |
ONLY CURRENT PALESTINIAN NATIONALS AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN GAZA STRIP AND WILLING TO WORK AND TRAVEL THROUGHOUT VARIOUS CITIES IN THE STRIP ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. ALL OTHER APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
5- Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA
| Min. Education requirement |
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| Min. years of relevant work experience |
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| Required skills |
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| Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section |
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| Required Language(s) |
Knowledge of Hebrew is an asset |
| Professional Certificates | N/A |
6- The following documents shall be required from the applicants:
- Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
- A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
- Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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