Associate Civil Engineer

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  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.  With over 8,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it.  By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

Background Information - Zimbabwe

Following the devastation caused to life, livelihoods and property by tropical storm Idai in March 2019, the World Bank has allocated up to US$ 72 million to finance a recovery project for Zimbabwe and the African Development Bank has allocated US$ 25 million to finance the Post Cyclone Idai Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (PCIREP) in Zimbabwe. The project addresses both early and mid-term recovery needs in multiple sectors (livelihoods, health, education, agriculture and infrastructure). UNOPS has been requested to establish multiple projects in Zimbabwe to assist with the recovery of the selected areas in Zimbabwe that were most affected by the storm. There are multiple projects and sections that require Associate Civil Engineers including the World Bank funded Zimbabwe Hurricane Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP) and the AFDB funded PCIREP (Zimbabwe) Project. Three (3) Engineers will be required for the above mentioned projects. The project is looking for Associate Civil Engineers with experience across the various civil engineering spectrum from roads, bridges, water supply, electrification, irrigation, as well as structures. 

The Associate Civil Engineer is responsible for the direct implementation of project objectives. S/he must be able to apply with direction, the duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria, given below. The incumbents will be based in one of the field offices, with regular travel to other districts of Manicaland Province and will work in close collaboration with their respective Project Managers, Lead Engineers, and the KEMC Technical Services Unit. The Associate Civil Engineers will work under the guidance and supervision of and report to their respective Lead Engineers to monitor the construction work implemented by contractors and by direct implementation.

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

• Responsible for day to day coordination with the contractors and suppliers and/or community labour according to the needs and requirements on site. 

• Inspects and reports on Contractor’s works in progress ensuring that the Contractor meets the high quality standards expected by UNOPS. 

• Checks Contractor’s set out and works, including compliance with Contract Specifications and ensures that contractors comply with their work plans to complete work with specified time frame. 

• Provides support and guidance to the contractor and assists in resolving site problems, as necessary. 

• Attends daily the project site(s) in order to monitor progress of works, identifies the existing problems and provides appropriate solutions through application of sound engineering standards in consultation with the Lead Engineer/ Project Manager. 

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

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

• 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. 

• Assesses the work activities of contractor/s, measures completed work and makes recommendations to designated UNOPS project managers for progress payments to contractors. 

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

• Coordinates between Contractor/s and UNOPS. 

• Evaluates and assesses works schedules and programmes, including the comparison with the schedule baselines and reports to the Lead Engineer and Project Manager accordingly. 

• Checks all laboratory reports, operation and maintenance manuals, and keeps records and reports to the Lead Engineer /Project Manager accordingly. 

• Checks, verifies and approves the interim payments submitted by the Contractor/s and submits detailed reports to the Lead Engineer/ Project manager. 

• Assesses and reports on the project closing plans, archiving of cost and progress reports and hands over all related reports to the Lead Engineer /Project Manager. 

• Manages all Health and Safety on sites.

• Performs other related duties as required from the Lead Engineer /Project Manager.

Core Values and Principles:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

                                 i. Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management.

                               ii. Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place.

                              iii. Champion and communicate project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity.

                                 i. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and  mainstream them into the project plans.

                               ii. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff.

                              iii. Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts.

• Partnerships and Coordination

                                 i. Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system.

                               ii. Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations or other relevant partners.

• Accountability for results and the use of resources

                                 i. The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue to a supervisor.

• Excellence

                                 i. Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

• A Higher Diploma in Civil & Structural Engineering from an accredited institution is required.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Civil & Structural Engineering from an accredited university will be an added advantage and will be accepted in lieu of the respective years of experience.

• Four years of relevant working experience in Civil & Structural Engineering Design is required.
• At least (one) 1 year field experience is required.
• Experience working on construction sites in remote rural areas is an advantage.
• Experience supervising construction teams is desired.
• Experience using Autocad, Autocad Civil 3D, CADS RCs is desired. 
• Good team player and positive attitude is desired.

• Fluency in written and oral English language is required.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

• This is a local post and it is only open to Zimbabwe Nationals or persons with valid residence permits
• Both Chipinge and Chimanimani are family duty stations

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: LICA 6/ ICS 6
Contract duration:  ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance'

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.