Urban Finance & Economy Specialist

Qualifications/special skills

• Academic Qualification: An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in Economics, Public Policy, Public Finance, Political Science, Development Studies or a related field is required.
  
• A first-level university degree, combined with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
  

Work Experience:

• At least 2 years of relevant work experience in the field of public finance, public policy, and/or local economic development is required; • Experience working on Own Source Revenue and/or municipal finance is desirable;
  
• Prior experience working in developing countries is desirable;
  
• Working experience with international development agencies such as the United Nations is desirable.
  

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the overall supervision of the Team Lead on Finance and Economy, the consultant will be responsible for the following duties: Diagnostic Assessment
  
• Map the institutional landscape in Dadaab-Hagadera and Kakuma across county, national, humanitarian, and community actors • Review legal, policy, institutional, and administrative frameworks and governance constraints affecting revenue generation and service delivery in refugee-hosting areas • Assess service delivery responsibilities, gaps, and unfunded mandates
  
• Estimate the scale and cost of current service needs
  
• Conduct a literature review on local government finance, OSR, and land-based finance in refugee-hosting contexts
  
• Assess existing revenue instruments, performance, and potential across 5 major revenue streams and identify opportunities to improve billing, collection, and enforcement
  
• Analyze county assets, liabilities, revenues, expenditures, financing gaps, and fiscal sustainability building on the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment
  
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and financing options for capital investment projects
  
• Analyze the landscape for external funding and financing Strategy and Reform Design
  
• Develop case studies on public land use and land-value capture to identify revenue opportunities in both counties/municipalities • Assess realistic revenue options, including market fees, business permits, transport charges, and commercial land/asset revenues • Assess digital tools, mapping tools, or asset inventories to improve revenue administration
  
• Develop practical recommendations for strengthening OSR and broader financial position, specifically tailored for refugee-hosting counties and the transition to the Shirika Plan
  
• Develop an OSR strategy for each county and a phased implementation roadmap distinguishing immediate OSR opportunities from medium-term and transfer/concessional-dependent options Capacity Building
  
• Draft a Practice Knowledge Tool on Municipal Revenue Enhancement & Financing, with a focus on Dadaab and Kakuma Stakeholder Engagement and Representation
  
• Consult with county and municipal officials, national government stakeholders, humanitarian and development partners, private sector actors, and other relevant stakeholders
  
• Prepare and submit high-quality written outputs, presentations, technical notes, and reports in line with UN-Habitat standards and the agreed consultancy workplan
  
• Represent the Finance and Economy team in UN-Habitat meetings and with external partners; prepare and deliver presentations on UN-Habitat's work on Finance and Economy
  
• Provide administrative and project management support to the Finance and Economy Team as needed