Lead Construction Management Engineer

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.  

The UNOPS Strategic Plan 2022-2025 focuses on achieving implementation with tangible impact. It provides guidance to help Member States and the Secretary-General realise sustainable development and create more peaceful, just and equitable societies.

UNOPS is a United Nations resource for services and solutions in the areas of humanitarian assistance, development and peacebuilding and security. Our mission is to help people improve their lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

While UNOPS can scale up to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals, our activities focus on the demands of our partners and the needs of people and countries, which is why our operations seek to achieve the greatest possible impact.

UNOPS values are grounded in the Charter of the United Nations and the legislative mandates of the General Assembly. In its decision 2016/19, the Executive Board welcomed the values and raison d'être of UNOPS as reflected in its purpose, vision and mission.

In the Latin America and Caribbean region, implementation, technical assistance and infrastructure management projects have been executed in several countries, including Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia and Uruguay, among others, mainly with the objective of strengthening national capacities and supporting the implementation of public sector projects.

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.

• Facilitate the planning and implementation of infrastructure activities

• Assist the project manager with site investigations including following up topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, site assessments, reviewing the reports of the site investigation  well as all work conducted by project contractors and consultants

• Provide technical assistant to the Senior Project Manager to monitor UNOPS implementation plan including quality, Health, Safety, Social and Environment

• Supervise contractors and consultants to manage plan and coordinate daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly activities including monitoring site safety and construction quality

• Understand the scope of work and specification of each contractor

• Support the Senior Project Manager in the implementation of quality plans for the project to ensure specified quality of work is achieved

• Administer the contracts and supervise project activities to ensure all works conform with the approved design documents, specifications, and implementation schedules.

• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of  site progress, work conditions, challenges encountered, and corrective actions taken, in coordination with relevant site personnel and contractors.

• Prepare and submit to the Senior Project Manager reports of contractor activities, quality control issues, resourcing and scheduling issues, and any other pertinent information as required

• Participate in project evaluation process, highlighting challenges associated with the project and feedback into a continuous improvement cycle

• Provide training and knowledge transfer to national &/ or contractor personnel including advice on good construction practices, environmental management practices and appropriate health and safety standards and contribute to documentation of lessons learned.

• A Master’s degree preferable in civil engineering, construction management, project management, or related field 
• A Bachelor’s degree preferable in civil engineering, construction management, or related field in combination with relevant years of experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master's degree.
• Project management certification (e.g. PRINCE2, PMI) would be an asset

• Minimum five (5) years of experience (or more based on academic merits) in construction management or engineering of complex infrastructure projects is required. 
• Experience with infrastructure design and project management is required.
• Experience with infrastructure bidding processes is required.
• Experience with healthcare facilities and/or prison projects is an asset.
• Experience in developing countries or post-conflict environments is an asset.
• Experience in small island developing states (SIDS) is an asset.
• Experience working on infrastructure projects within the Caribbean region is an asset.
• Knowledge of FIDIC contracts is an asset.
• Autocad or other technical proficiency is an asset.
  
  
  

• Full knowledge of the English language is required.
• Fluency in Spanish is an asset.
• Fluency in French is an asset.
  
  
  

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement 

Contract level: ICS 10 equivalent to IICA

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. 11:59 pm 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.