Civil Engineer (Team Lead Health Facilities)

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need. 

In November 2023, ADB approved the Verification of Claims and Expenditures Project to conduct a verification of outstanding claims from contractors, consultants, suppliers and project management offices for the works and services completed in Afghanistan under ADB-financed and administered projects prior to 15 August 2021. UNOPS is the executing agency for VCEP. 

The main objective of VCEP is to verify claims from contractors, consultants and suppliers for works and services completed prior to 15 August 2021 under different types of contracts including civil works, supply of goods and consulting services in Afghanistan. VCEP also includes a verification of advances provided to contractors, consultants and suppliers and eligible expenditures incurred by the project management offices prior to 15 August 2021 under ADB-financed and administered projects.

Job-Specific Information

Under the supervision of the Lead Civil Engineer (Building Construction), the Team Lead (Health) will lead and coordinate both technically and from a management point of view, a team of national engineers composed of Field Monitoring Officers (FMOs). The objective is to perform evaluations, surveys, measurements and other similar activities including desk review of documents and satellite images analysis necessary for the verification of the Claims for payments described in the above Project information. The Team Lead will both coordinate and handle the most complex cases directly, or co-work with the FMOs.

Summary of Key Functions  

The Team Lead (Health) will be responsible for the following:

• lead the FMOs both technically and in terms of team management

• coordinate and distribute tasks within the team of FMOs, according to the Lead Civil Engineer’s requirements, including:

• obtaining tasks from the Lead Civil Engineer and organizing the FMOs activities accordingly

• monitor progress and quality of the FMOs activities

• Ensure that FMOs are equipped with appropriate tools and PPEs and provide them knowledge on how to use them in case of need

• Ensure HSSE while team is performing work in the field

• Handle immediate/simple technical issues and escalate to higher knowledge sources (Lead Civil Engineer) in case of need

• Directly handle the most sensitive cases in terms of measurements, verifications in the field and other urgent/complex situations that can not be handled by the Field Monitoring Officers

• Coach and train the FMOs before execution of tasks both to ensure they will be prepared for the tasks, and when quality monitoring reveals issues. (Note: that FMOs team will be composed of various levels of experienced engineers)

• Support the Lead Civil Engineer in coordination, planning and evaluations, as required

• Report to the Lead Civil Engineer about overall progress, quality and issues and risks management

• Contribute to internal and external reporting activities 

• Support the Lead Civil Engineer in activities such as: delivering training and learning initiatives for personnel on technical related topics, guide team's collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Please note that the nature of this role requires flexibility in adapting to the needs of the team since the objective of alignment of Contracts details, local situation and habits, local law and other factors might generate unexpected needs

a.  Education

• Advanced University Degree (Master Degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering (preferably Building Construction), or other relevant discipline with 2 years of relevant experience, OR

• First level University degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering (preferably Building Construction), or other relevant discipline in combination with 4 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree

b. Work Experience 

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in health facilities’ design and construction projects (i.e. hospitals, clinics, health centers, etc.).

• Minimum 1 year experience in managing at least 3 supervisee

• Experience in Quality Control / Assurance of health facilities structures

• Experience in contractors supervision as well as interim payment certificates (IPCs) and claims management is an asset

• Experience with satellite images usage is desired

• Knowledge of AutoCAD and/or MicroStation is an asset

• Previous working experience within an international development context is desired.

c.  Languages

• Fluent in Dari, Pashto and English (read, write, speak) is required

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.