Rural Infrastructure Engineer at COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale

Overall Responsibilities

• Design, supervise, and maintain rural infrastructure (water systems, irrigation, catch dams, feeder roads, soil conservation structures, market stalls) to boost resilience.
• Improve water access and management to mitigate conflicts over scarce resources.
• Promote climate-resilient engineering solutions for agriculture and disaster risk reduction.
• Strengthen community participation in infrastructure projects to foster ownership and social cohesion.
• Ensure technical solutions align with conflict-sensitive and gender-inclusive approaches.

Main Duties and Tasks:

• Assess and rehabilitate boreholes, wells, and small-scale irrigation systems to support farming and livestock.
• Design low-cost water harvesting systems (e.g., sand dams, check dams) to combat drought.
• Train Water User Committees (WUCs) on maintenance and equitable water distribution.
• Mitigate water-related conflicts by improving fair access for farmers, herders, and households.
• Construct soil erosion control structures (terraces, gabions, windbreaks) to restore degraded farmlands.
• Support climate-smart irrigation (flood/drip/sprinkler systems) for dry-season farming.
• Design post-harvest storage facilities (grain silos, solar dryers) to reduce losses.
• Implement community-based watershed management plans to prevent flooding/desertification.
• Supervise the construction of multi-purpose community assets (e.g., grinding mills, storage hubs).
• Rehabilitate feeder roads and bridges to improve market access and reduce isolation of conflict-prone areas.
• Develop BOQs (Bills of Quantities), designs, and tender documents for rural infrastructure projects.
• Monitor contractor compliance with quality/safety standards in construction.
• Document lessons learned and success stories for scaling up interventions.

Key Deliverables:

• Functional water points (boreholes, irrigation schemes) with trained maintenance committees.
• Erosion control and land restoration structures to improve farm productivity.
• Rehabilitated rural infrastructure (roads, bridges, storage facilities), enhancing market access.
• Reduced resource-based conflicts through equitable infrastructure planning.
• Technical reports, maps, and monitoring data on project impacts.

Capacity Building
Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Support in the Development and implementation of robust M&E frameworks to measure program impact.
• Analyze data to inform program adaptations and report on progress against indicators

Proposal Development:

• Contribute to the development of proposals for funding, ensuring the inclusion of cash-based interventions and livelihood components.
• Collaborate with the program development team to align proposals with donor priorities.

Coordination and Collaboration:

• Coordinate with the government (Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture), NGOs, and UN agencies (e.g., FAO, IOM).
• Engage with humanitarian actors, government agencies, and local authorities for a coordinated response.

Gender and Inclusion:

• Ensure that project activities are gender-sensitive and inclusive, addressing the needs of all beneficiary groups.
• Integrate gender and inclusion strategies into program planning and implementation.

Reporting:

• Prepare timely and accurate reports on civil work activities for COOPI, WFP, and other stakeholders.
• Document lessons learned and best practices for organizational knowledge.

Networking and Partnerships:

• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with NGOs, UN agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Leverage partnerships to enhance program reach and impact.

Knowledge Sharing:

• Facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and learning within COOPI and the broader humanitarian community.
• Organize workshops and learning events to share insights from the program.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Stay abreast of developments in cash programming and humanitarian response.
• Perform other duties as necessary, commensurate with professional background and experience, as deemed by the supervisor.
• These Terms of Reference outline the key responsibilities and expectations for the Rural Engineer under the WFP/BMZ-funded project.
• The role is pivotal in ensuring that COOPI delivers high-quality cash assistance to support the resilience and recovery of displaced populations in Northeast Nigeria.

Desired Experience:

• Degree in Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Water Resources, or related field.
• 3 – 4 years of Experience in rural infrastructure development in conflict-affected areas (NE Nigeria preferred).
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, GIS, or hydrological modeling tools (an advantage).
• Knowledge of SPHERE standards for humanitarian infrastructure.
• Strong community engagement and conflict-resolution skills.
• Fluency in Hausa/Kanuri (essential).

Language Requirements:

• Spoken and written fluency in English.