Civil Engineer

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.

THAILAND OPERATIONS HUB (THOH) 

Thailand Operations Hub (THOH) is a UNOPS business unit under the UNOPS Asia Regional Office. The Hub was established to better support, develop and oversee the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. 

The Hub comprises three main portfolios: THOH Thailand, THOH Indonesia and THOH Pacific and provides a wide range of services including Project Management, Transactional HR, Financial, and Procurement to clients that include other UN entities, INGOs and governments/government agencies donors. 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 

The PNG WASH Project is a EU funded initiative to be jointly implemented by UNICEF, Water PNG and UNOPS. The project budget for the UNOPS and UNICEF work is USD 12 M.

In line with the Papua New Guinea National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Policy (WaSH) 2015 - 2030, the proposed Action aims to contribute towards improving the quality of life of Papua New Guineans through increased access to and utilization of safe, adequate and sustainable water supply, sanitation and improved hygiene practices in locations with high population concentrations (hospitals, schools, and major market places). The Action aims for: increased equitable access to safe, convenient and sustainable water supply and sanitation and improved hygiene practices; as well as long-term hygiene behavior change at the personal, household, community and institutional levels particular to urban areas that are currently under-served, in line with the national WaSH policy. 

The overall objective of the proposed 5-year Action (60 months) is to increase access to clean water through safe and sustainable water supply, improve sanitation, and promote good hygiene practices, which are essential for survival and development of children and women. It will do so by primarily targeting urban locations with higher population densities, with a focus on schools, health centres/hospitals and markets, which are more prone to the spread of water-borne diseases. Ultimately, the Action aims to support decreasing the occurrence and spread of diarrhea, reduce child stunting, improve livelihoods, improve income-earning opportunities, reduce gender-based violence, strengthen COVID-19 response efforts, and support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The project expects to achieve the following results/outcomes:

• Result 1 - Outcome 1: Improved equitable access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation services in community facilities, targeting urban schools, health centres and marketplaces; 

• Result 2 - Outcome 2: Sustained use of safe water and sanitation services and adoption of improved hygiene practices among people living in targeted urban towns at personal, household, community and institutional levels, including people affected by humanitarian situations (i.e. COVID-19); 

• Result 3 - Outcome 3: Improved WaSH sector governance and enabling environment for quality service delivery in targeted urban towns.

The project has a lifespan of 5 years and is split into two phases; inception and implementation. The inception phase is due to commence in March 2021 and is expected to last six months. The intention is to commence the implementation phase towards the end of 2021. The primary component of the inception phase is the feasibility study. The objective of the feasibility study is to work with Water PNG on the identification of the target district town(s) within which the WASH services will be delivered. Following the feasibility study there will be a three month period during which the concept design of the water supply and sanitation services will be carried out and planning for the implementation phase finalised.

UNOPS, as the project technical implementing partner, will be responsible, during the inception phase, for the following activities: 

• Support the technical elements of the feasibility study;

• Support Water PNG in the review of their earlier preliminary technical designs and cost estimates for the four towns being considered; 

• Support to the project team on the analysis and identification of infrastructure solutions including design, construction, compliance, asset management and O&M requirements;

• Working with UNICEF and in consultation with Water PNG, the District Development Authorities and national government departments assess, evaluate and select the town(s) to be included in this project based on a set of objective and transparent criteria, including the factors originally used by Water PNG;

• Support the preparation of the concept design and cost estimates for the WASH services during the inception phase;

• Support the preparation of the feasibility study report that will inform the project inception phase report.

The UNOPS country project team comprises the Country Manager based in Port Moresby, the Project Manager based in Bangkok and the Programme Manager based in Bangkok. To support the planning and implementation of the above project responsibilities UNOPS is hiring a Civil Engineer and a Project Manager for the country office. The Civil Engineer will become a member of the country project team and provide technical support in their field of water supply and sanitation civil engineering.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager based in the country office, the Civil Engineer will be responsible for carrying out the following activities during the inception and implementation phases: Carry out feasibility studies, investigations and the collection of site data; the assessment and evaluation of site data: provide technical support during the planning and design stages; the preparation and review of bills of quantities; the preparation of cost estimates, writing specifications, tender documents and construction site monitoring. They will be responsible for engaging with stakeholders and writing technical reports.

The Civil Engineer will be expected to liaise with all country and regional office personnel. The overall purpose of the role is to support the technical team, in particular the Project Manager and Country Manager, by performing a range of activities to ensure the completion of the project’s work packages and deliverables.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the UNOPS Project Manager, the incumbent will be  responsible for the following functional responsibilities:

1. Feasibility study, planning, design and procurement.

2. Health, safety and environmental management.

3. Construction monitoring.

4. Quality management.

5. Knowledge management.

Feasibility study, planning, design and procurement

Inception phase

• Conduct feasibility study needs assessments and site investigations; carry out the assessment and evaluation of site data; liaise with stakeholders and write monthly progress reports;

• Provide input to the planning and concept design processes prior to project implementation;

• Review and report on previous feasibility studies undertaken by project stakeholders; cost estimates and compile database of local construction rates;

• Support the Project Manager with capacity building and training of Water PNG staff to enhance their  asset management system for urban WASH infrastructure;

• Provide input to the project feasibility study and inception phase reports managed by the Project Manager.

• Prepare, for the water supply and sanitation infrastructure in the selected town(s), the concept design; schematic drawings; bills of quantities; cost estimates and write draft specifications;

• Write the concept design report and support the Project Manager with the management of the concept design review process as directed by the UNOPS Design Review Manager.

Implementation phase

• Work with the Project Manager to select and appoint the project infrastructure design team, define members roles and responsibilities;

• Carry out the implementation of the feasibility study recommendations; stakeholder engagement and outstanding data collection requirements;

• Write the ToR for and Liaise with site investigation contractors and consultants such as but not limited to the topography survey and geotechnical investigation;

• Write the Design Briefs for the preliminary and final design process including: calculations; construction drawings; specifications; bills of quantities; budget estimates; timeframes; schedules and strategies for execution;

• Manage the project design team;

• Identify project risks, assess and prepare mitigation measures for review by the Project Manager;

• Support the Project Manager with the management of the design review process as directed by the UNOPS Design Review Manager. 

• Review project design reports prepared by the design team;

• Support the Project Manager with ongoing capacity building and training of Water PNG staff to prepare an asset management plan for the selected town(s);

• Assist the procurement team with the preparation of technical specifications; conditions of contract; tender analysis; evaluation and issuing works contracts.

Health, safety and environmental management

• Assist with the planning and preparation of environmental management plans by the Environmental Safeguards Specialist, as required by national regulations, to inform the design process;

• Research health, safety and environmental management national standards, codes and guidelines;

• Attend UNDSS briefings, comply with UNDSS standard operating procedures and carry out duties in a professional and ethical manner at all times and in all relationships.

• Assist with the adoption of safety in design principles during the design process;

• Research the requirements for gender equality, stakeholder participation, labour standards, biodiversity, cultural heritage, environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation during the planning, design and procurement stages;

• Assist the Environmental Safeguards Specialist with the writing of the health, safety and environmental management specifications for the physical works contract;

• Assist the Environmental Safeguards Specialist and procurement team with the assessment of contractor’s health, safety and environmental plan as part of the tender evaluation process. 

Construction monitoring

Implementation phase

• Carry out construction monitoring, under the supervision of the Project Manager, as set out in the physical works contract;

• Identify and report on potential delays and / or cost overruns that can be avoided;

• Monitor and report on the contractor’s compliance with the health, safety and environmental requirements as set out in the contract;

• Prepare weekly and monthly reports, for review by the Project Manager, that cover monitoring activities;

• Assist the Project Manager by acting as witness during the post construction commissioning process;

• Manage the collection of field data and preparation of As-built drawings by the contractor;

• Carry out file archiving of all feasibility study; planning; design; procurement; construction monitoring and contract administration documentation in line with UNOPS archiving procedures;

Quality management

• Carry out quality assurance procedures during the inception and implementation phases (planning, design, procurement and construction stages);

• Provide input to the preparation of the Construction Quality Management Plan, that includes the Quality Assurance and Quality Control Plans;

• Assist with the coordination of the Design Review process;

• Carry out quality control activities to ensure that they are correctly initiated, managed, monitored, reported and closed in accordance with UNOPS policies and procedures;

• Assist the contractor, using UNOPS HSSE guidelines, to implement adequate health and safety training for their personnel; 

• Assist the Project Manager with the preparation of contract administration documentation: progress reports; contractor and stakeholder meeting minutes; site monitoring reports; 

• Examine the contractor’s progress payment claims for accuracy and compliance with the conditions of contract;

• Prepare and check for accuracy the database covering the available materials shipped to the project; the schedules of labour and monitoring of quality during the physical works construction;

• Liaise with local contractors and material suppliers to monitor current market conditions and trends;  

• Prepare draft site instructions for review by the Project Manager before issuing to the contractor.

Knowledge management

• Take personal responsibility for engaging in continued professional development (CPD);

• Mentor UNOPS technical personnel that may be recruited by the country office (Associate Engineers);

• Assist with capacity building and training in sound engineering practice for national and local government personnel;

• Provide support to the contractor’s training programme for their personnel in sound environmental management practices and appropriate health and safety standards during construction;

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for development planning and knowledge building.

• Participate in the relevant UNOPS Communities of Practice, actively interact with other Engineers and the Engineering community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the UNOPS intranet Knowledge System;

• Collaborate with technical team members at country and regional levels including but not limited to engineers, project managers and quantity surveyors;

• Ensure final reports and handover reports are completed on time and to the required quality;

• Performs any other related duties as may be assigned.

IMPACT OF RESULTS

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Civil Engineer directly impacts on the achievement of project outcomes in terms of sound engineering practice; scope of work; time; budget and meeting stakeholder expectations. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of UNOPS as an effective service provider in project services, management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

Education

• Postgraduate (Advanced) university degree (master or equivalent) in civil engineering, water supply,wastewater engineering or related fields  is  required.

• Undergraduate university degree (4 year bachelor ) or equivalent  in civil engineering from an accredited university with additional two (2) years of relevant experience may be considered. 

• A Washington Accord accredited qualification or similar accreditation may be accepted in lieu of a 4 year bachelor of engineering (honours) degree.

Professional licence or registration

• Professional licence or registration from a recognised professional body or institution, such as the Papua New Guinea Professional Engineers Registration Board, is an asset.

• Membership of the Institution of Engineers Papua New Guinea (IEPNG) is an asset. 

Experience

• A minimum of two (2) years' of relevant practical engineering experience with an advanced university degree and with at least one (1) year of specific experience in the practice area of water supply and sanitation infrastructure is required;

• For a candidate who has a 4 year bachelor of engineering degree (honours) with a professional licence or registration, a minimum of four (4) years' relevant practical engineering experience with at least one (1) year of specific experience in the practice area of water supply and sanitation infrastructure is required;

• Prior experience in contract management is desirable;

• Experience in structural engineering, including seismic design and design review is an asset;

• Experience working with UNOPS, UN or other humanitarian/development agencies is an asset;

• Experience working on international and local projects in disaster prone areas is desirable; and 

• Experience working on urban WASH projects is desirable.

Technical requirements

• Experience in using a recognised drawing software package is required. Familiarity with Google Workspace (formally G Suite) is desirable. 

• Familiarity with civil engineering modelling software relevant to water supply and wastewater engineering; project management software and remote monitoring software is desirable.

Language requirements

• Fluency in English and Tok Pisin is required.

• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Contract type: ICA 

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.

This is a family duty station.