Construction Engineering Technician Assistant

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself. 

UNOPS in the Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In the Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government strengthening capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU. In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law,  and governance sectors.

Background Information – Job Specific

Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) is a 5-year program funded by the European Union, and co-financed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), through an Agreement with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. SUBATRA contributes to a smooth and timely undertaking of the transition through capacity building of the three branches of the Bangsamoro Government (executive, legislative and judicial) and civil society organizations. This will promote an enabling good governance environment and support the efficient implementation of policies set up by the transition plan, with a focus on capacities that are critical for the sound functioning of interim institutions. These include 

• Output 1: the capacity of the BTA’s executive branch superstructure to drive and coordinate key transitional policies; 
• Output 2: the capacity of the Parliament to exercise its law-making and oversight functions; 
• Output 3: the capacity of the Justice System to adjudicate litigations and improve access to justice, and 
• Output 4: the capacity of the civil society to contribute to a peaceful transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The expected outcomes of the project are:

• Overall Objective: To contribute to a peaceful, cohesive, secure, and inclusively developed Mindanao.
• Specific Objective: The establishment of an enabling democratic governance environment for a smooth implementation of the transition in the Bangsamoro Region.

UNOPS is responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which include the organization of training, workshops, seminars, and study tours as well as foreseen procurement of equipment under all 4 expected results including communication and visibility activities. In addition, UNOPS is in charge of the assessment and implementation of the infrastructure component of the Action linked to Outputs 1,2,3, and 4. UNOPS will coordinate and receive policy directions from the EU and abide by decisions and directions provided by the Programme  Steering Committee (PSC) of SUBATRA, in accordance with the matrix of responsibilities, UNOPS rules and procedures and within the budget limit of this Agreement.

Under the overall supervision of the Construction Management Engineer (CME), the Construction Engineering Technician (CET) Assistant is expected to support the implementation of the project activities through supporting the  application of best practices in the project implementation. The (CET) Assistant will assist the Construction Management Engineer during the implementation of various design services and construction contracts. 

Specifically, the Construction Engineering Technician - Assistant  will be responsible for supporting  the CME  and site engineers for the supervision of contractors, design-related activities and other tasks on several construction sites and shall perform the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Administrative and technical support

• Provide data and information about project work for reporting purposes.

• Provide summaries of received weekly and monthly reports from site engineers to the Senior Associate Civil Engineer detailing all project matters including quality, health and safety, environmental and financial, as well as any issues relating to possible delays, cost overruns, variations and any other matter as agreed with the Head of Office.

• Provide regular support of the project work progress and quality for on-time delivery.

• Assist the Construction Management Engineer in the preparation of project/contract-related documentation such as periodic progress reports, site monitoring reports, stakeholder meeting minutes, engineer’s instructions and variation orders, contractor’s bills review reports, certifications, client hand-over documents and contracts close-out reports.

• Assist in the preparation of the pre-solicitation documents for tendering of the infrastructure projects such as the scope of works, technical specifications, bill of quantities and drawings 

2. Knowledge sharing and management

• Contribute to the project evaluation process; highlight challenges associated with the project and feedback into a continuous improvement cycle.

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for development planning and knowledge building.

3. Reporting

• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of progress and conditions on site through daily site records prepared and submitted by the engineering team.

• Produce any appropriate engineering documentation identified by the Construction Management Engineer  n a professional and accurate manner

Education:

• Completion of Secondary education or equivalent is required.

• A University Degree (Bachelor/Master  or equivalent), preferably in Architecture, Civil Engineering, or other relevant discipline, is an advantage and can substitute for some of the required years of experience.

• License/Board Certification in Engineering is desirable.

• Prince2, PMP or similar project management certification is an asset. 

Experience:

• Minimum four (4) years of relevant experience in construction supervision support and/or as an office engineer is required with secondary/high school education; one (1) year of relevant experience is required in combination with a Bachelor's/Master’s degree.

• MS Project Scheduling or Primavera Project Planner is desirable.

• Familiarity with EU and other International Organizations funded projects (and their management and reporting requirements) is highly desirable.

• High proficiency with computers, and other software/ platforms related to the position's field of expertise is desirable

• Experience in working with the G-Suite platform including, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is desired.

Language:

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.

• Contract type: Local ICA Support
• Contract level: ICS-4/LICA-4
• Contract duration:  Open-ended and subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance. (The project is guaranteed for the next fourteen (14) months) 
• Duty Station: Cotabato City, Philippines. (Cotabato is a non-family duty station)

• 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.