Vacancy announcement from UNDP : Civil Engineer

Career opportunity

Position: Project Officer- Civil Engineer

Location: Okhaldhunga, NEPAL
Application Deadline: 07-Aug-21 (Midnight New York, USA)
Additional Category: Climate & Disaster Resilience
Type of Contract: Other
Post Level: Other
Languages Required: English
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Oct-2021
Duration of Initial Contract: One year with possibility of extension

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The High Mountain catchments of Nepal are particularly prone to drought, landslides and floods, due to coincidence of seasonal snow melt with the summer monsoon season. In these highly vulnerable mountain regions warming trends are increasing and the impacts are magnified by the extreme changes in altitude. Around 85% of rainfall occurs during the four monsoon months of June to September and results in extensive flooding annually. Climate change is intensifying the monsoon rainfall and increasing snow and glacial melt rates, which is contributing to increased frequency and severity of flood and landslide disasters which result in extensive economic, life and livelihood losses annually. At the other extreme, water scarcity and droughts also pose a threat to the agriculture-reliant livelihoods of these regions. Climate change is increasing the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall and runoff, thus intensifying the problem of excess water during the monsoon and water scarcity during the dry season, increasing economic damages to agriculture, property, and the environment, disrupting lives and livelihoods and threatening food security.
A long-term solution to this climate change problem is to rehabilitate and maintain functional integrity of watersheds that have critical functions of water storage and release, infiltration, drainage control, and soil moisture retention. Using watersheds as organizing units for planning and implementation of natural resource management and resilient livelihood development is an approach to effectively tackle an immediate and long-term climate risk reduction issues, in relation to floods and droughts. Taking watershed management concerns into consideration the proposed LDCF project on “Developing climate resilient livelihoods in the vulnerable watershed in Nepal” will embed Integrated Watershed Management approaches in Nepal through policy and practice at the national and sub-national levels. It will do so through establishing the legislative and institutional framework for integrated watershed management to address climate change induced hazards and introducing and scaling up integrated adaptive watershed management practices covering 844km2 of watershed areas and benefiting 121,606 vulnerable people. While the project interventions in the legislative and institutional frameworks will be at national and sub-national level, project investment in adaptive management practices will be done within sub-watersheds of the Dudh Koshi river basin which is the most vulnerable to floods and droughts.
To support in design,implementation of civil/structural engineering, water management, conservation technologies, connected to integrated watershed management, and reducing multiple impacts of climate induced multihazards, the DCRL project is recruiting an Engineer to ensure the quality and standard service.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall direction of National Project Director (NPD), and National Program Manager (NPM), and under the day to day supervision of the Field Coordinator (FC), the Project Officer – Civil Engineer (Engineer) will be responsible for the designing, planning, and execution of the engineering structures, tools development, modelling support, and its application on IWM. The Engineer will work along with the team members and will be responsible to coordinate and establish the linkages amongst all the project team members, groups, stakeholders, line agencies, and with local and provincial level concerned officials. The Engineer will provide the timely, accurate, reports to the PMU through the Field Coordinator.

Overall Roles and responsibilities

1. Major Roles and Responsibilities in Project Implementation:

Conduct and provide technical support a detailed analysis on the situation and impacts of climate induced multi hazards, and propose the appropriate design structures;
Prepare database of engineering specific baseline conditions, implemented activities, quality of activities during and after completion of the project works;
Provide support and guidance to the project implementing partners, users committees, communities, groups, and assists in resolving sites problems, as necessary;
Inspects, monitor, supervise project works in progress ensuring that the work quality meets standards;
Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, as well as Environment, Social Management aspects into the engineering works during the design and construction phases;
Maintain records, compile periodic reports and any specific reports required by GON, UNDP, and GEF standard procedures;
Conducts field visits to project location requiring specific technical assistance and, based on performed assessment recommends best solution for project implementation and contracts management, to mitigate any deviation and ensure timely delivery;
Prepare/review budget estimates based on the recommended solution for project implementation and contracts management;
Prepare/review Terms of References for detailed design for reconstruction/ rehabilitation of structures where needed;
Coordinate the works and oversight the construction and supervision of the project works;
Provides the oversight of the watershed rehabilitation/construction work including the quality and quantity of the materials, construction techniques and works finishing;
Reviews and refines technical documentation and specifications (existing and future lay out, Bill of Quantities (BoQ) with estimation of costs, technical description, design and specific drawings, provide technical support to procurement processes under the project);
Assess and identify potential impacts of the project, and also carry out the documentation, publish case study, best practices, learning, and knowledge management resources;
Ensure the proper documentation for final handover upon completion of all project engineering works in coordination with the relevant counterparts, officials, communities, groups;
Ensure necessary supporting documentation is in place prior to issuance of tendering; project implementation, payments;
Participate in evaluation of bids and selection of best bidder to the tender for rehabilitation/construction works and assessment of the bidder’s competencies and experience against minimum qualification requirements as per the Request for Proposal/Invitation to Bid requirements;
Analyses and reviews the offered unit rates against the cost estimate in correlation with BoQs, provided by a service provider, and to assess whether they are realistic;
Provides written report about the compliance of the evaluation process with UNDP procurement procedures;
Develop knowledge management products on the application for the identified interventions and create awareness among communities, relevant professionals, institutions;
Organize and facilitate related training, exposure visits, and other project activities;
Provide active support to development of watershed management related tools, modelling techniques, and its application for testing and technology transfer, internalization to the government system and partner agencies;
Maintain the field level, Environment and Social safeguard management plan in close coordination with concerned officials;
Provide periodic feedback to Project Management Unit, Project Implementation Unit based on Evidence-driven facts;
Monitor the related progress according to work plan, Action Plan ensuring that targets are fully met and the reporting requirements are fulfilled;
Review the Action Plan annually, and update and revise corresponding work plans as necessary; and
Plan the actions with close coordination and guidance of the PIU and PMU.

2. Providing quality assurance and support to implement project activities:

Maintain close coordination/linkages with targeted local level agencies, I/NGOs, and CBOs, user groups focusing on engineering and other related, associated on-going work and opportunity for complementarity;
Provide backstopping on field activities implemented by local project partners;
Provide Management and technical inputs to the implementation of the Programmes, activities and outputs – including organizing and participating in meetings, trainings, workshops and other events and by providing analysis of results;
Organize and coordinate programmes, activities aimed to enhance capacity of local partners in compliance against programme and fiduciary standards; and
Take active role to develop and support the overall Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, knowledge management, publications, documentation to capture all the data, information storage, lesson learned and success stories.

3. Monitoring and reporting of field based activities:

Ensure that all project data, information on physical and financial progress are duly maintained with transparently, expediently, and effectively in line with UNDP rules and regulations;
Plan, coordinate and organize regularly joint monitoring of the engineering and other related activities in the field;
Ensure timely preparation and submission of reports, as per the requirements of GON, UNDP and Global Environmental Facility (GEF);
Support to the Project Implementation Unit, for the regular meetings of between line agencies, provincial and local level stakeholders; and
Facilitate spot checks of the implemented activities at the field level.

4. Develop and maintain strong relationship with government counterparts, user groups and community based organizations:

Establish and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders, government officials, (provincial and local), non-government organizations, academia and private sectors;
Maintain close coordination with provincial and local level government, other line agencies, stakeholders in engineering and other associated planning, implementation, monitoring (joint) and sharing (reports).

5. Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Sensitivity:

Ensure alignment of programmatic policy, processes and procedures as per the GON, UNDP’s strategy;
Prioritize selection of consultant process with as per the UNDP strategy;
Provide active support to GESI focal to deliver the results of the project; and
Respect the local community’s culture, diversity, norms and values.

Impact of Results

Effective delivery of field-based engineering and other related activities in accordance with the agreed work plan; supervise activities; maintain effective coordination and good working relationship with governments counterparts and all relevant stakeholders; organize capacity needs of community and partner agencies to ensure compliance with UNDP norms; proper documentation and dissemination of success stories and lesson learned for replication of project activities.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the Government of Nepal and UN’s values and ethical standards;
Serves and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Good inter-personal skills;
Clear and upfront communication skills;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
Display cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
Collaborates effectively in a team environment;
Organized and good with following-up on pending issues; meets deadlines;
Promote learning and knowledge management/sharing;
Focuses on delivering results by taking calculated-risks and problem-solving approach;
Fair and transparent decision making; regularly shares information with team members;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development.

Functional Competencies:

Skills, knowledge and understanding on forest policy, environment policy, climate change policy water resource policies, and other sect oral federal, provincial, local policies and harmonized them in line with integrated planning and implementation,
Demonstrate knowledge and experience in working on policy advocacy, and strong ability to work with local governments, communities, groups, indigenous people,
Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued learning and development on personal level as well as for supervisees;
Good practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects;
Strong inter-personal skills, communication, networking, and team building skills; competent in leading teams and creating team spirit, management of inter-group dynamics and conflicting interests of various actors, stimulating team members to produce quality outputs in a timely and transparent manner;
Strong knowledge / experience in results¬based management and results¬oriented approach to project delivery;
Demonstrates strong problem solving, numerical and analytical skills;
Excellent oral communication skills and excellent written communication skills;
Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of government and stakeholders;
Results driven, ability to work under pressure and to meet strict deadlines; remains calm and in control under pressure;
Has experience working with Monitoring and Evaluation tools;
Experience in developing business plans, Experience in coordination, technical assistance;
Experienced in delivering training and other needed capacity/ institutional building support to a wide range of stakeholders;
Demonstrates excellent organizational and administrative skills;
Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate;
Analyse and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation; and
Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Integrated Water Resource Engineering, Agriculture Engineering or related area.

Experience:

Demonstrated understanding on soil and water conservation structural design, implementation, with at least 5 years of practical working experience;
Proven experience in integrated watershed management activities planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation will be an advantage;
Previous experience with similar UN projects will be an asset;
Demonstrated understanding of the links between sustainable development, community development;
Experience in multi hazard management, disaster risk reduction, hydro climatic data handling and applications;
Experience with project development and results-based management methodologies is highly desired/required;
Excellent analytical, writing, advocacy, presentation, and communications skills;
Excellent language skills in English (writing, speaking and reading) and in local languages;
Experience in programme design, monitoring and evaluation is an asset; and
Experience working for the government of Nepal and UN is an asset.

Language Requirements: