Civil Engineer (Irrigation)

Background Information – Amman

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, in partnership with bilateral donors, national governments, and other UN agencies.  With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development, and technical management, and provides financial, human resources, and infrastructure-related services. The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, in order to support the response to the current needs and national priorities in the region.

UNOPS has been active in Iraq since 2004, delivering close to 50 projects worth over USD 260 million. UNOPS has a very strong relationship with the key counterparts at both central and regional government levels in Iraq. UNOPS operates from its Operational Hub in Amman and supports its country office in Baghdad.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a fully diverse workforce.

Project Information:

The project will be implemented in the four southern governorates of Muthanna, Qadisiya, Missan and Thi Qar in Iraq. The overall Smallholder Agriculture Revitalization Project (SARP) aims at assisting rural people overcome poverty and achieve food security through remunerative, sustainable and resilient livelihoods. It consists of two main components namely; (1) Climate Resilient Investments; and (2) Agriculture & Livelihood Diversification. The first component includes two sub components; (1.1) modernization/rehabilitation of Irrigation Infrastructure schemes and (1.2) Knowledge Management and Institutional strengthening. The first sub-component (1.1.) aims at addressing the growing scarcity of irrigation water. 

The Project’s overall objective is to contribute to the revitalization of agriculture while building resilience to climate change in the Southern Governorates in Iraq.

The Project has the three following specific objectives:

Water Management - Increase water availability and irrigation efficiency to sustain water supply for agricultural production in the selected governorates

Climate Change - Mitigate the impact of climate change namely the reduction in precipitation and increasing water scarcity by supporting irrigated agricultural production

Agriculture - Enhance the profitability of the supported small farms/agri-businesses in order to contribute to the improvement of the income of the rural vulnerable farmers

UNOPS will be responsible for the design and rehabilitation works of the irrigation infrastructure schemes such as the lining of dried up water canals, supply and lay out of closed irrigation systems and rehabilitation of pumping stations.

The project team is planned to be around 5 personnel and the budget is planned to be around $12 million dollars. 

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Programme and the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Lead Civil Engineer is required to perform the following specific duties and responsibilities ensuring their effectiveness, transparency and integrity:

Coordination, Delivery, and Performance:

• Review project designs in terms of accuracy, suitability to overall design requirements, including identifying improvements in the designs and being able to propose practical solutions and alternatives.

• Undertake a thorough on-site technical assessment of the targeted locations to confirm the selection and to define the detailed scope of works;

• Support the Project Manager in reviewing and advising on feasibility, costings, timelines and requirements;

• Responsible for day-to-day coordination with the contractors and suppliers according to the needs and requirements on site;

• Inspects and report on contractor’s works in progress ensuring that the contractor meets UNOPS quality standards;

• Provide support and guidance to the contractor and assists in resolving site problems, as necessary;

• Responsible for supervision of technical staff and consultants assigned to the project, and the assignment and monitoring of duties during the progress of works;

• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, as well as Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental (HSSE) aspects into the project during the design and construction/rehabilitation phases;

• Ensure PSEA measures are implemented throughout the project implementation, as per the country PSEA action plan;

Governance, Monitoring and Reporting: 

• Monitor contractors’ and suppliers set out and works, including compliance with contracts specifications and ensures that contractors and suppliers comply with their work plans to complete work with specified scope of work, time frame, and budget;

• Attend daily the project site(s) in order to monitor and supervise the progress of works in the targeted facilities, identify any existing problems,  provide technical assistance and appropriate solutions through application of sound engineering standards in consultation with the Project Manager;

• Responsible for preparation of progress reports on rehabilitation and infrastructure activities, according to the agreed timeframe of works and submission of such on a weekly basis to the Project Manager;

• Implement quality controls (QC) procedures, to ensure all infrastructure -activitiesare correctly initiated, managed, monitored, reported and closed in accordance with UNOPS policies and procedures;

• Assess and report on the project closing plans, archiving of cost and progress report and hand over all related reports to the Project Manager;

• Evaluate and assess works schedules and programmes, including the comparison with the schedule baselines and reports to the Project Manager accordingly;

• Check all laboratory reports, operation and maintenance manuals, and keep records and report to the Project Manager accordingly;

• Assess the work activities of contractor/s, measure completed work and make recommendations to the Project Manager for progress payments to contractors.

Documents Control and Management: 

• Maintain records, compile periodic reports and any specific reports required by UNOPS standard procedures;

• Responsible for the preparation and verification of a database for the available materials shipped to the project, schedules of labor force, and monitoring of quality of such during the progress of works;

• Check, verify and approve the interim payments submitted by the Contractor/s and submit detailed reports to the Project Manager.

Knowledge Management and Sharing:

• Ensure that lessons learned and challenges are documented throughout the project implementation and shared with the project team;

• Participate in the relevant UNOPS Currents.

• Advanced University Degree preferably in Civil Engineering particularly water engineering  or other relevant discipline is required.

• Bachelors’ degree in the above-mentioned areas or a related discipline with additional 2 years of relevant  work experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.

• Postgraduate qualifications in Civil/Water Engineering or a related area will be an advantage.

• PRINCE 2 Foundation Certification is desired.

• PMP Certification is an advantage

• A membership of a related professional association is an advantage.

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in development and coordination in the agricultural sector/projects, particularly in irrigation and/or water activities is required.

• Experience in site supervision, monitoring and evaluation is required. 

• Candidates with experience working on International /local projects in conflict areas will be preferred.

• Experience in the contracting and/or consulting environment is an advantage. 

• Experience in implementing and delivering projects for international organizations is an added advantage.

• Procurement experience with exposure to public procurement processes is a distinct advantage.

• Experience in writing reports, performing data analyses, and drafting documents is desired.

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: LICA-9
Contract duration: 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.

• This position is located in Baghdad, Iraq which is a non-family duty station.

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.