Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Associate

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. 

Project Information

The UNFPA country office in Afghanistan owns office premises and guesthouse accommodation located within the UNOCA Compound in Kabul. As a result of significant growth in the country programme and the staff population, both the office premises and guesthouse accommodation have become inadequate.

UNFPA plans to redevelop both Office and Accommodation through construction of a new 2 storey office annex, with basement, along with remodeling and refurbishment of the existing single storey office building and construction of two new 2 storey accommodation blocks, with basement(s), along with remodeling and refurbishment of the existing 2-storey guesthouse block.  

Job-Specific Information

The Health Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) Associate will work under the supervision of the Project Manager and report also to the HSSE specialist in AFCO/ The HSSE Associate will verify and monitor that Project/Site HSSE plans and procedures are properly implemented throughout the projects’ life cycle. The incumbent needs to liaise continuously with the Project Manager/ Quality engineer and the Project Team, and to provide support on HSSE issues in coordination with the HSSE Specialist in AFCO.

Key responsibilities:

1. Technical Support Services

2. Office Administration

3. Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

Technical Support Services

• Administrative support the Project Team on various health and safety and environmental related matters in the ongoing projects.

• Help the Project Manager and quality Engineers in developing the HSSE plan.

• Assist in monitoring and reporting on site-specific ESMPs for activities conducted by the UNOPS field Offices.

• Support field level review of health, safety, social and environmental management plans on a regular basis and ensure these are up to date at all times.

• Administrative coordination of the implementation, monitoring and reporting of Environmental and Social Management Tools including Labor Management Procedures (LMP), Gender Based Violence Action Plan, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Prevention Action Plan and Child Protection Action Plan.

• With the guidance of the Project Manager, perform field inspections and monitoring visits to the project’s sites to highlight possible areas/issues of non-conformity (e.g. unsafe work at heights and in excavations), draft project’s health and safety related reports on occurrences, and provide statistical information.

• Ensure that relevant safety risk assessments are compiled and support the enforcement of preventative measures on HSSE for all project activities.

• Support in the development and review of HSSE guidelines and operating procedures.

Office Administration

• Carry out a series of spot checks to ensure mitigation measures are properly implemented in line with the guideline.

• Provides general administrative services for the work area, managing the information flow, following up on the timeliness of responses for initiatives, correspondence, and queries, with internal and external stakeholders.

• Provides recommendations on administrative measures and actions required for ensuring the compliance with HSSE requirements.

• Participate in regular site meetings to report on relevant HSSE matters and to provide necessary advice.

• Record relevant project HSSE reports in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Liaise with the Project Team to ensure their respective contractors meet their statutory obligations in all areas pertaining to health, safety and welfare at work, including statutory training, reporting, permit to work system, equipment utilized on site etc.

• In coordination with the HSSE guideline, implement the procedures for reporting all health and safety and environmental incidents.

• Carry out training and capacity building on HSSE and learning initiatives for UNOPS personnel, contractors and partners.

Impact and Results: 

The effective and successful achievement of results by the HSSE Associate directly impacts on the development and performance of the project. 

Monitoring and progress controls will be in accordance with work plans that the Supervisor and incumbent will prepare at the beginning of the assignment.

1. Education

• High School Diploma is required;

• A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Health and Safety Management, Environmental Management, Civil Engineering, Natural Resource Management or any other relevant discipline will be considered as an asset and may substitute some of the required years of experience.

1. Work Experience

Required:

• With high school diploma, a minimum of 6 years of work experience in Occupational Health and Safety; 

• Experience in H&S risk assessments OR on site inspections OR permit to work system OR incident investigation OR H&S reporting is required

Desired:

• A proven track record experience managing health and safety in construction, manufacturing, mining or similar production environments is an asset.

• Training facilitation in HSSE matters;

• Experience with third party certification audits for Health & Safety and Environment Management; Experience of working at UN agencies or other international Humanitarian/ Development organizations is highly desired;

• Experience in working with the G-Suite platform including, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is an asset.

1. Languages

• Fluency in English and Dari/Pashto are required.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: ICS-6 / LICA-6
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.