Associate Civil Engineer, Multiple positions 190 views0 applications

2. Position Background

Background Information – Zimbabwe

The Project will fall under the purview of the UNOPS KEMC (Kenya Multi Country Office) Located in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kenya Multi Country Office manages a growing portfolio of engagements, including associated strategic and operational risks. The KEMC sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Nairobi/Kenya which manages a portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in East and Southern Africa. This includes a large portfolio of Infrastructure, procurement and project management service projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and several Island states.

Following the devastation caused to life, livelihoods and property by tropical storm Idai in March 2019, the WB has allocated up to US$ 72 million to finance a recovery project for Zimbabwe and the African Development Bank has allocated US$ 25 million to finance the Post Cyclone Idai Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (PCIREP) in Zimbabwe. The projects addresses both early and mid-term recovery needs in multiple sectors (livelihoods, health, education, agriculture and infrastructure). UNOPS has been requested to establish a multiple projects in Zimbabwe to assist with the recovery of the selected areas in Zimbabwe that were most affected by the storm.

There are multiple projects and sections that require Associate Civil Engineers including the World Bank funded Zimbabwe Hurricane Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP) and the AFDB funded PCIREP (Zimbabwe) Project.

Three (3) Engineers will be required for the above mentioned projects, two (2) based in Chimanimani and one (1) based in Chipinge. The project is looking for civil engineers with experience across the various civil engineering spectrum from roads, bridges, water supply, electrification, irrigation, as well as structures.

The Associate Civil Engineer is responsible for the direct implementation of project objectives. S/he must be able to apply with direction, the duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria, given below.

The incumbents will be based in one of the field offices, with regular travel to other districts of Manicaland Province and will work in close collaboration with their respective Project Managers, Lead Engineers,
and the KEMC Technical Services Unit.

The Associate Civil Engineers will work under the guidance and supervision of and report to their respective Lead Engineers to monitor the construction work implemented by contractors and by direct implementation.

• Responsible for day-to-day coordination with the contractors and suppliers according to the needs and requirements on site.
• Inspects and reports on contractor’s  progress of works ensuring that the contractor meets the high quality standards expected by UNOPS.
• Checks contractor’s set out and works, including compliance with Contract Specifications and ensures that contractors comply with their work plans to complete work with specified time frame.
• Provides support and guidance to the contractor and assists in resolving site problems, as necessary.
• Attends daily the project site(s) in order to monitor progress of works, identifies the existing problems and provides appropriate solutions through application of sound engineering standards in consultation with the Lead Engineer/ Project Manager.
• Responsible for preparation of progress reports on construction activities, according to the agreed timeframe of works and submission of such on a weekly basis to the Project Manager.
• Responsible for supervision of technical staff and consultants assigned to the project, and the assignment and monitoring of duties during the progress of  works.
• Responsible for the preparation and verification of a database for the available materials shipped to the project, schedules of labor force, and monitoring of quality of such during the progress of works.
• Assesses the work activities of contractor/s, measure completed work and make recommendations to designated UNOPS project managers for progress payments to contractors.
• Maintain records; compile periodic reports and any specific reports required by UNOPS standard procedures.
• Co-ordinates between contractor/s and UNOPS.
• Evaluates and assesses works schedules and programmes, including the comparison with the schedule baselines and reports to the Lead Engineer and Project Manager accordingly.
• Checks all laboratory reports, operation and maintenance manuals, and keeps records and report to the Lead Engineer /Project Manager accordingly.
• Checks, verifies and approves the interim payments submitted by the contractor/s and submits detailed reports to the Lead Engineer/ Project manager.
• Assesses and reports on the project closing plans, archiving of cost and progress report and hands over all related reports to the Lead Engineer /Project Manager.
• Performs other related duties as required from the Lead Engineer /Project Manager.

Core Values and Principles:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

                                 i. Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management

                               ii. Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place

                              iii. Champion and communicate project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity

                                 i. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and  mainstream them into the project plans.

                               ii. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff.

                              iii. Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts.

• Partnerships and Coordination

                                 i. Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system.

                               ii. Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations or other relevant partners.

• Accountability for results and the use of resources

                                 i. The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue to a supervisor.

• Excellence

                                 i. Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

Education

• A Higher Diploma in Civil & Structural Engineering from an accredited institution is required
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Civil & Structural Engineering from an accredited university will be an added advantage and will be accepted in lieu of the respective years of experience

Experience

• Four years of relevant working experience in Civil & Structural Engineering Design is required
• At least (one) 1 year field experience is required
• Experience working on construction sites in remote rural areas an advantage
• Experience supervising construction teams desired
• Experience using Autocad, Autocad Civil 3D, CADS RCs is desired
• Good team player and positive attitude is desired

Language

• Fluency in written and oral English language is required