Technical Lead- Satellite Ground Stations (Retainer)

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.  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 6,000 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.

UNOPS Bangladesh

UNOPS has been present in Bangladesh since 2003. In 2014 UNOPS established as formal representation as a response to the UNOPS Executive Board in order to provide more substantial support to the Government of Bangladesh and other clients in the different areas focusing to Resilient Infrastructure Approach, Program & Project Management, Fund Management, Procurement, Human Resources, Financial Management  emphasizing on building national capacities, improving resilience of communities with a view of contributing to the implementation of the SDGs.

Project Information:

Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) is the national space and remote sensing organization of the government of Bangladesh.

To enhance SPARRSO's capabilities, the government has planned several initiatives funded from its own sources. Key initiatives include (1) setting up a ground station for polar-orbiting satellites to collect data from Earth observation satellites, (2) developing a roadmap to advance the organization in space and remote sensing technologies, and (3) strengthening the skills of SPARRSO officials through specialized training in relevant overseas institutions. UNOPS will provide support to SPARRSO in these three key endeavors.

In the first initiative, SPARRSO will procure the ground station in accordance with the government's procurement rules. UNOPS will play a role in providing support for the tender process. This involves the engagement of an international technical expert by UNOPS, who will offer guidance at every stage of the procurement process. This includes tasks such as preparing technical specifications, creating tender documents, addressing queries from potential tenderers, assisting in tender evaluation and contract awarding, and ensuring quality assurance.

The Consultant's key functional responsibilities will include, but not limited to, will be the following:

Key responsibilities: 

1. Pre Tender Stage:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to define the requirements and technical specifications for the polar orbiting satellite ground station system.

• Design a system architecture, including antennas, receivers, signal processing equipment, and control systems.

• Perform market research to ascertain availability, pricing, lead time, and post-support, maintenance, and training needs.

• Drafting a project work plan that outlines timeframes and cost estimates.

• Developing pre qualification criteria for potential tenderers.

• Assisting SPARRSO in identifying potential installation sites, developing layout plans, and determining infrastructure-related needs.

• Assist SPAARSO by incorporating technical insights into their tender documents.

2. Tender invitation, evaluation, contract negotiation, and award Stage:

• Assist SPAARSO in addressing inquiries from Tenderers and facilitating pre-tender meeting, if arranged.

• Assist SPAARSO in their tender evaluation process and selecting a suitable tenderer based on agreed criteria, offering expert opinions on highly technical matters.

• Support SPAARSO in conducting contract negotiations with the selected evaluated tenderer and managing the contract award process.

3. Post Award Stage:

• Creating quality assurance guidelines and a comprehensive testing and acceptance plan for the ground station equipment.

• Overseeing the testing process to ensure that the delivered system meets all specified technical requirements.

4. Installation, Commissioning and capacity building

• Assist SPARRSO in supervising the installation and commissioning of the ground station and its accessories as per the agreed design. 

• Assist SPARRSO ensuring the functionality of the contractor's work is certified. 

• Ensure that comprehensive documentation, including technical specifications, manuals, and system documentation, is provided by the vendor.

• Coordinating with vendors to ensure that training programs are provided for the organization's staff on the operation and maintenance of the ground station.

• Facilitate knowledge transfer to the SPARRSO team.
  
  

5. Assignment Completion Report:

• A final report detailing the technical assistance provided to the SPARRSO, including delivered products, lessons learned, and recommendations.

• Advanced degrees (master's and/ or Ph.D.) in satellite communication, remote sensing, or a closely related field is required. 

• A  bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related discipline.  

• Minimum of 10 years of overall experience in space science, GIS, and remote sensing technologies.

• At least 5 years experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining satellite ground stations, preferably with a focus on polar orbiting satellites.

• Must have hands-on experience with satellite communication equipment and ground station hardware.

• Prior involvement in the setup and operation of ground stations for polar orbiting satellite missions. (asset)

• Experience working with space agencies, satellite operators, or organizations involved in satellite data reception and processing.(asset)

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

• 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. 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.