Senior Associate Civil Engineer

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is a United Nations body responsible for infrastructure, procurement and project management (General Assembly Resolution 65/176 of 2010). Our mission is to help people improve their lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. UNOPS' three priority areas are:

i) Sustainable Infrastructure: Designing, building, repairing, and maintaining infrastructure in challenging environments, focusing on transportation, education, and health infrastructure.

ii) Public Procurement: Serving as a central procurement resource for the UN system and governments, emphasizing efficient, transparent, and sustainable delivery of goods and services.

iii) Project Management: Managing over a thousand humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding projects annually for various partners, ensuring quality, effectiveness, and results that meet the highest standards.

UNOPS' work seeks environmental, social, and economic sustainability, which contributes to the progress of equity and the common good of the countries in which it operates, thus promoting the improvement of the living conditions of the most needy people. UNOPS has a presence in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The services, product,s and technical assistance comply with the principles of public administration of transparency, equity, integrity, free competition, impartiality, morality, effectiveness, efficiency, and respect for national institutions.

Project Information:

In November 2022, the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Barbados (MoHW) engaged UNOPS for technical assistance in implementing a capital expenditure loan facilitated by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support improvements at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). Following preliminary assessments, field missions, and stakeholder consultations, a project proposal was initiated to address the hospital’s urgent infrastructure and operational needs.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is Barbados’ main acute care facility and a regional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus). Operational since 1964, QEH currently maintains 519 beds and plays a central role in delivering universal health coverage to the population of Barbados. Ongoing plans for its strategic development align with the national Health Sector 10-Year Plan and the QEH Care Excellence Programme (CEP).

After this technical assistance, the following infrastructure priorities will need to be implemented :

• Design and Construction of a new medical waste management workshop

• Refurbishment of hospital maintenance workshops

• Upgrade of the morgue extraction system 

These components are essential to ensure quality healthcare delivery and environmental safety on the hospital premises.

About Our Culture:

Our work contributes to building the foundations for countries and communities to achieve peace and sustainable development, guided by our values: Inclusion, Integrity, Humility and Humanity.

The Senior Associate Civil Engineer will support the Lead Engineer in the day-to-day operations of the project in the aspects of planning and document tracking, construction contract management and works supervision, on-site technical follow-up and preparation of project management documents in the field of contract management. The Senior Associate Civil Engineer is expected to contribute to achieving and exceeding the organization's performance and service objectives.

The Senior Associate Civil Engineer will perform his/her duties under the direct supervision of the Lead Engineer. Among his/her main responsibilities are:

• Design and drawings

• Procurement support

• Technical supervision

• Contract and construction management

• Quality assurance & control

• First university degree (Bachelor´s degree or Master´s degree) preferably in one of the following disciplines: Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, and/or related areas is desirable and may substitute some year of experienced required.

b. Work Experience 

• Minimum 7 years of experience (or 3 in combination with Master’s degree) in supporting construction and/or supervision in infrastructure projects works, is required.

• Work experience (should include) responsibilities in technical supervision, contract management, construction planning, and on-site monitoring of civil infrastructure projects, is required.

• Experience in the preparation and review of technical drawings, BoQs, and specifications is desirable.

• Experience in project reporting, including drafting technical progress reports is desirable.

• Experience in FIDIC contract management is desirable.

c. Language Requirements 

• Fluency in English is required

• Knowledge of other UN languages (especially French or Spanish) is an asset.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement 

Contract level: ICS7 equivalent to LICA 7

Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance. This contract is established in the Regular Monthly Contract modality; continuous service provision is required during the contract period;  the payments associated with the contract will be processed at the end of each calendar month

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.

UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 11.59pm CST

• 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.