Civil Engineer at UNDP

Job ID: 26004
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Practice Area - Job Family: Crisis Prevention and Recovery - STABILIZATION
Grade: NOB
Vacancy Type: FTA Local
Posting Type: External
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

• The nexus of security-humanitarian-development issues around Lake Chad has given rise to an intractable extremist insurgency that has left tens of thousands of people dead, approximately 2.5 million displaced, and more than 10 million people in the region affected and in need. While robust national and multi-national military operations have re-taken territory previously controlled by Boko Haram, UNDP recognizes that a new approach is required to consolidate these gains and establish the conditions necessary to transition from military to civilian responsibility for security, and from the provision of humanitarian assistance to the resumption of stalled development processes.  In this context, the UNDP is strengthening its presence in the North East region by establishing a sub-office in Maiduguri.  The sub-office will serve as the centre of operations for programming which will include a Regional Stabilization Facility, a Disengagement, Disassociation, Reconciliation and Reintegration (DDRR) and Recovery and Resilience programme. 
• The Sub-Office (SO) for North East (NE) Region of Nigeria has been operational since 2017 and UNDP has established an Operations Service Centre to support management and operations functions related to the effective delivery of programmatic results in anticipation of launch of new programmes, such as Nigerian Window of the Stabilization Facility in NE Region. The National Window of the Regional Stabilization Facility for Nigeria aims to address the needs of immediate stabilization in the target areas in North-East Region of Nigeria with high degrees of insecurity, promoting the phased transition of insecure areas toward greater security, and the reduction of current volatility whereby previously secure areas have become more rather than less vulnerable.
• Provision of basic services through construction/rehabilitation of community infrastructure is one of the programme focuses of the Stabilization Facility and integrated recovery programmes, such as school and health facilities, water wells/systems, housing units, shops/markets, among others. It is considered vital that the NE Sub-Office has a highly qualified technical team for implementing engineering work with sound quality and international standard, ensuring successful implementation of construction or rehabilitation of community infrastructures in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states in North-East Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions:

• Under the guidance and direct supervision of Senior Civil Engineer and in close collaboration with the Project teams in NE Sub-Office, the Civil Engineer will perform the following funcaitons:
• Provide  technical support for smooth procurement and project imiplementation process of basic infrastructure proejcts, including support to ensure quality and technical soundness of the BOQ and specifications of infrastructure projects
• Ensure quality of civil works and technical supervision at the project sites
• Provide technical and civil engieering support for smooth procurement  and  project implemetnation process of basic infrastructure projects, including support to ensure the quality and technical soundness of the BOQ and specifications of infrastructure projects
• Conduct the site visits to assess infrastructure facility needs and design the facility with a build-back better approaches 
• Certify designs of the facilities that are submitted by the respective authorities for civil works in BAY states
• Certify the Bills of Quantities (BoQs) submitted by the respective authorities and verify the BoQs before initiating the procurement process;
• Review and verify  the BoQs already prepared by the respective departments of national counterparts;
• Support technical evaluation process and provide advice on any procurement related issues;
• Support the project teams in NE Sub-Office in verifying the Variation Orders (VO) (if and when required);
• Verify the progress of civil work  payment requests submitted by the contractors before proceeding with disbursements of payments;
• Provide technical inputs to strengthen alignment and complementarity of UNDP’s support with government policies and plans.
• Assist UNDP as expert witness in litigation arising from the development or construction of the project and in bearings before various approving and regulatory agencies.
• Ensure quality of civil works and technical supervision at the project sites
• Analyse and share information with the team and the local technical teams on basic infrastructure activities.
• Support the assessment of the project activities of the targeted sites in BAY states ;
• Support the implementation of construction/rehabilization of infrastructure facilities , where required, and advise on project contracting requirements;
• Monitor day-to-day progress of infrastructure project activities and promptly report any abnormality or risks to the respective UNDP project managers and project teams
• Develop and design interventions based on the accurate information and risk analysis on the ground and utilizing lessons learned from the activities in consultation and coordination with respective Project Managers
• Follow up and oversee the rehabilitation of civil, electrical and mechanical works at site preparation and execution of the Works against the provided approved sketch and bill of quantities within the set time frame
• Conduct construction inspection including inspection of materials, equipment’s to be installed.
• Check materials received at construction/renovation sites against damages, missing parts and appropriate ratings; ensuring that the materials/equipment provided by the Contractor meets UNDP requirement and standards.
• Ensures that materials/equipment provided by the Contractor meets accepted requirement and standards.
• Discuss site issues with the Contractor and promptly report back to UNDP if a problem arises that requires UNDP input.
• Checks and certifies substantial construction progress/ completion and the corresponding payments. Advice UNDP to withhold payments for any work which has been rejected or any work which is not in compliance with the contract documents.
• Ensure that the Contractor maintain safety on the site and clean the site after the completion of the rehabilitation work.

Competencies:

• Ability to think conceptually and flexibly, capacity to adapt, innovate, and propose multiple options.
• A team player with good interpersonal skills
• Ability to practice courtesy and diplomacy with high rank officials.
• Time management skills.
• Enjoy sensitivity for research and academic integrity.
• Ability to work well under pressure and stressful environment
• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
• Building support and political acumen
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
• Fair and transparent  decision making; calculated risk-taking

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master Degree or Bacherlor Degree or equivalent in Civil Engineering, depending on the number of years of experience
• Registration in the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) before 2018 

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (for Master Degree) and minimum 5 years (for Bachelor Degree) of extensive coordination and development experience including renovation and construction works.
• Experience in design, preparation of BoQ, estimated costs of civil structures;
• Construction supervision experience of buildings, utility services, schools, etc
• Experience in handling of tender documents for turnkey contracts, including technical inputs/specifications for the procurement of services using the conditions of international lending/funding agencies
• Preparation of work progress reports, daily, weekly, milestone, etc
• Proven ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams and liaison with authorities.
• Experience in supervising rehabilitation works and managing projects.
• Working experience working with UN/UNDP is highly desirable;
• Experience from previous UN assignments and/or multilateral organizations and bi-lateral aid organizations would be an asset.

Technical skills required:

• Functionally-related professional management skills.
• Technical related skills.
• Ability to plan and prioritize work activities to meet organizational goals and organize and oversee work processes efficiently to achieve quality results.
• Knowledge of strategic planning processes, programming.
• Knowledge of fund raising, project and programme drafting.
• Reporting skills.

Language Requirements:

• Fluent in spoken and written English is a requirement. 
• The ability to communicate effectively in Kanuri, Hausa, or other local language spoken in the NE region is an asset.