All Things Urban

SKL International has been working with sustainable urban development for the past 10 years, primarily in the framework of SymbioCity.

The Urban Programme Manager will be managing the ongoing SymbioCity Global Programme including e.g. leading the SymbioCity team, taking care of quality assurance in ongoing initiatives, monitoring and evaluation as well as exchange of lessons learned. The role also includes taking leadership of SKL International’s future initiatives in sustainable and inclusive urban development. This entails strategic development, conceptualization of a new phase of SymbioCity globally and other business development related to urban development. The Urban Programme Manager will be part of and lead the SymbioCity secretariat in Stockholm and work in close collaboration with SKL International’s Urban Specialist, Component Leaders and Facilitators/Experts.

More specifically s/he would be responsible for:

• Identification of strategic priorities; development & implementation of strategies for the programme. This includes exploration, conceptualization and design of future programme ideas and components;
• Formation, development and management of strategic partnerships both at global, regional and national level;
• Advocacy & policy influence at global, regional and national level: development and implementation of advocacy strategies and activities; development of SymbioCity’s policy work in existing cooperation countries and other countries prioritized by Sida; development of relevant policy & communication material/input;
• Business development in the area of sustainable and inclusive urban development;
• Responsible for leading and coordinating the core team in Stockholm as well as planning, managing, following up, evaluating and reporting on project activities;
• Monitor overall project delivery including compliance with contractual obligations, adherence to agreed budget and work plan and progress towards results;
• Representing the SymbioCity Secretariat externally, both in Sweden and internationally;
• Networking with global, regional, national and Swedish actors, including conceptualization and implementation of networking and outreach activities;

The Urban Programme Manager should have:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject such as: urban planning/development, international development cooperation, urban management, architecture or relevant area;
• A minimum of 15 years of working experience with sustainable and integrated urban development, urban planning, urban management and sustainability related issues;
• Extensive experience from working in transition- and developing countries as well as international development cooperation;
• Experience of political environments and carrying out policy dialogue at international and/or national level;
• Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including, national and local government agencies and authorities, international organizations, academics, development agencies, and NGOs;
• Good knowledge of Sweden’s international development cooperation policies and/or of equivalent organisations;
• Experience and capacity to effectively design and manage international development programmes that involve multiple stakeholders including training, facilitation, implementation and strategic partnerships;
• Experience in business development and funding of urban programmes;
• Be fluent in written and spoken English and preferably also in Swedish. Additional languages are a merit.

In addition to the qualifications described above, the following experiences are considered an advantage:

• Experience of urban planning/development in a Swedish municipal context;
• Experience of working with participatory approaches to urban development/planning and poverty reduction in an urban context;
• Experience of working with gender perspectives and social inclusion in an urban context;
• Experience of working with climate resilience and adaptation in urban development.

The Urban Programme Manager is a full time position and is expected to start as soon as possible. The Urban Programme Manager will be based at SKL International’s head office in Stockholm but with occasional travels to SymbioCity cooperation countries. For technical and operational matters, the Urban Programme Manager will report to SKL International’s Programme Director. For employment and administrative matters, the Urban Programme Manager will report to SKL International’s Managing Director.

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.