Infrastructure Manager at Mercy Corps

Department Summary

• The Infrastructure Manager will be part of Mercy Corps Nigeria’s Water Security portfolio, which leads the implementation of small-town WASH and community infrastructure projects across Southern Nigeria. Following the suspension of one of MCN’s signature Small Town WASH activities and the resulting termination of construction works in Abia, and Delta states, Mercy Corps secured new donor funding to complete these critical projects and restore stakeholder confidence.
• The department provides technical leadership, program management, and compliance oversight for all infrastructure works, ensuring that water supply systems are designed, constructed, and handed over to communities and local authorities in line with international standards, government regulations, and Mercy Corps’ Infrastructure Minimum Standards.

The Position

• The Infrastructure Manager supervises infrastructure standards, processes, and implementation of small-town water supply projects with construction components in Abia and delta states.
• The incumbent leads the portfolio-level infrastructure unit, ensuring a consistent approach to the design and management of infrastructure activities across all programs. The incumbent manages team members within this unit.

Essential Responsibilities
Technical Oversight and Programs Management:

• Liaise closely with officials from contractors, host government regulatory bodies, and partners to align technical expectations.
• Conduct, or lead the development of standardized processes to conduct, technical assessments for construction projects.
• Develop, or lead the development of standardized processes to develop, design packages and bills of quantities, assisting Operations with tendering processes including contractor prequalification, tender package development, quality control plan development, contractor
• selection, and contractor monitoring.
• Design quality control processes for all construction projects in the portfolio, ensuring that the seare conducted in a standardized way that meetings process quality specifications.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ Infrastructure Minimum Standards are understood and applied across all projects.
• Work with procurement to coordinate the timely procurement of project inputs according to required specifications.
• Conduct regular site visits to monitor project implementation.
• Input into, or review, report elements associated with the infrastructure components of programs.
• Collaborate with program, finance, and operations management to streamline the delivery of construction projects.
• Ensure that construction projects are on time, on scope and on budget, using effective monitoring systems to reach desired outputs and outcomes.

Team Leadership:

• Supervise and mentor water utility engineers/technical advisors at the portfolio level and/ orinfrastructure teams within programs to ensure the quality of processes used and the quality of projects implemented.
• Develop and utilize financial controls, progress monitoring, and contract monitoring tools for multiple projects.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, community expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Contribute to team building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Work closely with security managers to develop and maintain systems and training that ensure the safety of team members, contractors and community members on construction sites. Ensure that processes and resources are in place to apply these consistently.

Strategy and Vision:

• Identify and manage key relationships with infrastructure stakeholders in country.
• Participate in the identification of opportunities for new infrastructure work to solve priority challenges, and work with colleagues to integrate these into business development plans where opportunities exist to do so.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative actions or solutions.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Supervises a portfolio-level team of engineers. Could supervise FieldEngineers and Junior Engineers, depending on the scope of the portfolio.

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Director of Programs
• Works Directly With: The Infrastructure Manager will join a multidisciplinary team and work closely with program, operations, and finance colleagues to deliver sustainable and resilient water supply infrastructure that directly benefits vulnerable communities

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work.
• We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills
Any skills you have gained through education, volunteer, work, or life experience that are relevant for the position will be considered. Be sure to fully explain transferable skills and success factors and how they apply to this position in your cover letter.

• B.Sc or equivalent in civil engineering or other relevant field; MS in civil engineering preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of design and construction experience.
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively with contractors.
• Proven ability to deliver quality construction projects using alternative project delivery method sin challenging environments and time-sensitive conditions.
• Applicants who are currently residing in Abia or Delta states, and possess strong knowledge of the local language and context are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with team members of different work styles and from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly and lead projects towards desired results.
• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps to stakeholders.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritizationm skills.
• Internationally or nationally recognized qualification in project or program management or acommitment to obtain the same in the early months of work.

Success Factors:

• A successful incumbent will combine exceptional management skills, stakeholder management skills,and technical capacities. They will have the ability to develop, implement, and manage innovative projects.
• They will have experience with diverse teams and capacity sharing, combined with individualteam member development and mentoring skills. Prioritizing, problem-solving, and seizing opportunities, while designing and applying consistent practices and processes, is essential.
• The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position will be based in Abia or Delta State with frequent travel to project sites and occasional visits
• to Abuja for coordination. These are urban/semi-urban duty stations with reliable access to basic services, health facilities, markets, and communication networks. Housing is self-arranged. Travel to field sites may involve movement in areas with limited infrastructure and require adherence to Mercy Corps’ security procedures.

Ongoing Learning:

• In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking,
• we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnicorig in, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
• We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect locallaws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
• As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.
• Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.