Construction Engineer

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Afghanistan

UNOPS strategy for Afghanistan is aimed at providing maximum support to the Government and people of Afghanistan though the delivery of projects and services in line with the government’s own priorities. The UNOPS Afghanistan Operation Center (AFOC) has been established as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFOC is implementing a number of projects in a range of sectors including infrastructure (roads and schools) development, capacity building to various ministries, and environmental protection, among others, on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan and the donor community.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Reporting to the Programme Manager KSIP, the Construction Engineer – Vertical Infrastructure (CE) will be responsible for successfully delivering on-site construction activities under the project.   Specifically, the CE will be responsible for:

• Delivering on-site building construction and refurbishment works under the project ensuring quality of work exceeding specification requirements, meeting time and cost targets specified and maintaining high level of satisfaction of all stakeholders concerned.
• Leading a team of national engineers, architects and quantity surveyors to ensure effective participation of the team in the delivery of building construction and refurbishment projects.
• Checking drawings, specifications and other design and construction documentation to ensure accuracy and constructability, identify potential design and construction issues at early stages well before they occur, and provide advice to the team on effectively resolving them.
• Working with the contractors and their staff on a daily basis to ensure delivery is maintained at the required level to meet project quality, time and cost targets.
• Working with the Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) Officer and other team members, ensure the HSSE aspects are effectively managed to meet project HSSE targets.
• Organise regular site meetings, chair the meetings, discuss the issues, provide efficient and effective solutions to issues, prepare minutes of meetings and submit to PM for approval.
• Oversee the site progress reports prepared by team members, guide them on better reporting, ensure useful reports are produced meeting AFOC report quality requirements, and submit them on a regular basis to the PM.
• Taking in to consideration the difficulties encountered in working in an environment such as Kabul, Afghanistan, ensure effective relationships are maintained with all stakeholders at all times.
• Working with the QA/QC Engineer, ensure the site works are delivered to the highest possible quality standards, setting a good example for other UNOPS projects.  Ensure high level of satisfaction of stakeholders on quality of work.
• Manage the process of design changes where required, obtain necessary approvals and implement them to ensure minimum disturbance to site work.
• Proactively manage contractor variations following acceptable procedures, negotiate with the contractor to ensure value for money for the Client, implement variations and systematically record them.
• Manage and certify contractor payments and submit to PM for approval.  Maintain accurate payment records for all contracts at all times.
• Resolve on-site and off-site contractual disputes with contractors amicably to minimize the need for escalating issues to higher management.
• Provide regular updates and communication with contractor, the PM, Government stakeholders, other team members and UNOPS Procurement, Human Resources, QA/QC and Project Management Office (PMO).
• Ensure that the contractors fully understand and implement the provisions of UNOPS policies and requirements in all aspects including HSSE and Gender.
• Capacity building of UNOPS local project staff, interns and Contractor’s staff where necessary to ensure knowledge and skills are imparted to them to deliver the project more effectively and efficiently and to help them building their careers in the future.
• Thoroughly understand and apply instructions and guidance from applicable norms and standards including the UNOPS Design Planning Manual, International Building Code (IBC) and applicable international and national codes, standards and specifications.        
• Act as the Project’s Officer in Charge (OIC) when required during periods of absence of the PM.

a. Education, Experience and Language Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction, or Architecture.
• First Level University Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction, or Architecture with an additional five years of relevant experience maybe accepted in lieu of the Master’s Degree requirement.
• Experience delivering vertical infrastructure construction projects in a development or post conflict environment is essential.
• Minimum 10 years leading, managing and overseeing vertical infrastructure project implementation teams and construction contractors.
• Five years’ experience liaising with donors, local counterparts and beneficiaries, working in international aid funded projects.
• Close familiarity with construction industry standard forms of contract such as FIDIC is required.
• Previous experience managing building construction projects in Afghanistan desirable.
• Prince 2 Practitioner Certificate or Foundation Certificate is highly desirable.

b. Key Competencies

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
• Ability to provide analytic inputs to strategic planning, results-based management and reporting.
• Ability to make the analysis of requirements and parameters provided in support of financial processes in the Regional Office or Operations/Project Centre.
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, contributions and investments, and transactions; conduct financial analysis, reporting and cost recovery.
• Ability to successfully lead the Finance Team.
• Excellent IT skills.
• Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioural/ attitudinal change.
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Keen sense of ethics and integrity in dealing with clients and service providers and demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts and clients.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Strong communications skills and ability to work in a team to achieve organizational goals.
• Good analytical skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment.
• Willingness to take on added responsibility and to build team morale and consensus.
• Strong organizational skills, and an ability to multi-task and prioritize work schedules.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA) Contract level: IICA-3
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance’

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx 

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.