Closing date:

Assistant Urban Planner

City/location:
Rajshahi
Organization:
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

This job posting has closed

About Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

ADPC is an intergovernmental regional organization with a vision to reduce disaster and climate risk impacts on communities and countries in Asia and the Pacific by working with governments, development partners, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, private sector, media, and other key stakeholders. In addition to its headquarter in Bangkok, Thailand, ADPC currently has offices/representation in 11 additional countries.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity building center, ADPC has grown and diversified its expertise across social and physical sciences to support sustainable solutions for risk reduction across a broad range of specialist areas. With over 100 staff from 19 different nationalities and a wide range of professional expertise from atmospheric scientists to social scientists with experiences from all levels of engagement typically required for disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in an effective manner. ADPC is a competent regional resource center and has seven thematic departments: ADPC Academy, Risk Governance, Climate Resilience, Urban Resilience, Health Risk Management, Preparedness for Response and Recovery, Geospatial Information. These are supported by Finance, Human Resources and Administration and Strategic Planning departments. In addition to the departments, ADPC address three cross-cutting themes: Gender and Diversity, Poverty and Livelihoods, and Regional and Transboundary Cooperation through permanent working committees.

ADPC Strategy 2020 guides the organization in providing comprehensive risk reduction support to countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC recognizes the importance of examining the linkages between disaster risk management, poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainability, rights-based approaches, climate change, and regional cooperation.

ADPC takes various levels of actions in a close connection with the national, regional and global frameworks including; e.g. ASEAN, SAARC, MRC, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR), the Paris Agreement for climate change, the New Urban Agenda, the World Humanitarian Summit, etc.

Bangladesh is one of the founding charter members of ADPC. ADPC is providing support to the Government of Bangladesh and other agencies for more than 20 years in building resilience to natural disasters and climate change in the country through various programs and projects in collaboration with a diverse range of partners. Additionally, ADPC is supporting the country with the humanitarian, DRR and CCA policy interventions, training and capacity building, system development, sector-based mainstreaming, emergency preparedness, and knowledge sharing.

In 2008, ADPC established a full-fledged country office in Bangladesh which is registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau to support the government and other agencies more closely and to ensure the sustainability of resilience-building initiatives. Over the years, ADPC has significantly contributed in building resilience to natural disaster and climate change in Bangladesh through national-level multi-hazard vulnerability and risk assessment, city-level earthquake risk assessment, formulation of strategies for DRR and CCA, integrating DRR and CCA into development, risk-sensitive land use planning, development of contingency plans, hospital preparedness in emergencies, development of various guidelines and training manuals, and etc.

For details please refer to ADPC website.

Urban Resilience Department

The Urban Resilience department of ADPC assists cities and urban communities in Asia and the Pacific in managing and mitigating urban disaster risks. It works towards enabling people, institutions, businesses, and systems in urban areas to have a greater capacity to prepare, respond, adapt, and thrive despite stresses and shocks.

Cities depend on complex and interconnected systems of infrastructure, services, communications, and social interactions, making them more vulnerable to the impacts of hazards and climate change. Asia and the Pacific is home to 60% of the world's population, and the speed of urbanization in this region is overwhelming. Almost half of Asia's 4 billion people live in cities and towns, and it is projected that by 2040, another one billion is likely to be added to the urban population of this region. Thus, ensuring urban resilience is a critical area of disaster preparedness in the region.

ADPC aims to increase compliance with existing safety regulations and risk reduction measures by building capacity and delivering useful information to high-risk sectors including construction, land use planning, and public infrastructure investments. The core activities of the department are:

• Integrating risk information into urban planning, systems, and operations: Strengthening the capacity of national-level institutions: 

• Developing receptive, resilient and active urban communities:

• Developing data such as the spatial distribution of potentially hazardous areas:

Statement of Intent:

The Assistant Urban planner will be work under the Team leader of the RMDP project for implementation of “Revision of Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan to make Rajshahi Metropolitan Development Plan (RMDP) Disaster Risk Sensitive” and operation of ADPC Rajshahi Office. She/he will be assisting the Department in the successful implementation of the project.

Note:

It is not the intent of this Position Description to cover every aspect of the position requirements, rather to highlight the most important areas of personal and joint responsibility.

This position is located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and reports to the Country Representative, ADPC Bangladesh Office.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Will closely work with Team Leader, Deputy Team Leader and Urban Planners;

2. Assist for collection and review of various reports and documents;

3. Assist for collection, analysis and incorporation of all basic information regarding the plan preparation;

4. Assist for preparation and compilation of base maps and other maps and documents;

5. Work with the team for collection of various data and information related to physical features, land use, environment, socio-economic, demographic, etc. through field survey;

6. Assist for compilation and analysis of field survey data and writing sectoral working papers and reports;

7. Assist for analysis of present land-use pattern and future demand of land for residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and other purpose; 

8. Assist for analysis of present development trends and future needs and formulation of Development Management Techniques/ Procedures.

9. Assist for preparation presentation on different studies and plans;

10. Assist to conduct on-the-job training on different aspects;

11. Work closely with all team members to ensure the timely submission of deliverables and compliance with project related requirements;   

12. Assist for any other works as assigned by the Team Leader and expert team.

Competencies

Core competencies:

Professionalism: Ability to communicate clearly links between ADPC’s strategy and the Geospatial Information Department’s goals. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership in projects by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of the projects. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment; Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving 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 all areas of work.

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

Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Managerial Competencies:

Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the

Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.

Building Trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidences in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to theirs; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.

Qualifications:

Education

• Advanced degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in Urban and Regional Planning or Civil Engineering or Geographic Information System or Environmental Science/Engineering.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of substantive work experience in preparation master plan/ land use plan/urban development plan/ GIS activities, etc.

• Work experience in urban disaster risk management and risk sensitive land use plan development is desirable.

Personal Qualities

• Uses writing skills to develop technical reports and progress reports.

• Follows up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

• Works cooperatively with others, inside and outside the organization, to accomplish objectives to build and maintain mutually-beneficial partnerships, leverage information, and achieve results.

• Develops new insights into situations and applies different and novel solutions to make improvements.

• Plans and organizes work activities; manages several tasks at once.

Languages

• Fluency in Bengali and English is required

Reporting Relationships

Direct Supervisor: Country Representative, ADPC Bangladesh Office

The following staff (In HQ and Rajshahi Office) positions may supervise the incumbent:

Director, Urban Resilience Department, Team Leader of the Project

 

Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods.

Diversity is encouraged in this workplace which supports an inclusive work environment. Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Contract

Five (05) months project-based contract with possibility of extension

Share this

Is this page useful?

Yes No Report an issue on this page

Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window).