Lead Water Engineer (Hydrogeologist) - Retainer

UNOPS ETMCO is recruiting for this position: Lead Water Engineer (Hydrogeologist) - Retainer based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

UNOPS strategy for Ethiopia Multi Country Office is aimed at providing support to the Government and people of Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti through the delivery of projects and services in line with the governments’ own priorities and under the UN Delivery as One initiative. The UNOPS Ethiopia Multi Country Office (ETMCO) has been established as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been appointed as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS ETMCO  is implementing and negotiating a number of projects in a range of sectors including infrastructure development, Procurement Support to Government Ministries and other UN agencies and HR support to UN agencies. The functional objective of UNOPS ETMCO is to deliver projects in an efficient and effective manner, to achieve the development outcomes sought by the Government of Ethiopia and the donor community, where capacity building is always considered and encouraged.

The Lead Water Engineer (Hydrogeologist)  will travel to any site in or around the countries under ETMCO as required and as UNDSS permits. The incumbent  shall be responsible for conducting groundwater study, geophysical survey, accuracy, interpretation, analysis of all data received, and supervision of bore drilling works, testing, and commissioning including preparation of all relevant and necessary reporting to the Senior Programme Manager. 

1. Groundwater Source Assessment

2. Drilling supervision

3. Knowledge management

4. Monitoring and Progress Control

• Responsible to conduct field survey using hydrological and geophysical investigation methods;

• Analyze hydrological and geophysical data from the field survey;

• Lead the detail ground water potential assessment and evaluations;

• Determine the potential for ground water recharge;

• Provide the required technical advice for the conduct of ground water quality and the suitability of water to the intended purposes;

• Define the preliminary well profile;

• Draw conclusions and recommendations on the suitability of the site for ground water, yield capacity, drilling methodology, casing requirements, etc.  

• Carry out the site handover for drilling and confirm the location of the water points pursuant to the recommendation of the study;

• Supervise and monitor the drilling activities and ensure the required depth reached for collection of water;

• Design the casing and supervise the installation of the casings that include the screening and blinding portions;

• Supervise the testing processes and ensure the required yield of the well is achieved;

• Recommend the appropriate type of submersible pump pursuant to the yield and the required head for water supply;

• Responsible for the entire commissioning of the ground water development.   

• Deliver training on aquifer and groundwater extraction management. 

• Support the other relevant experts with the development of groundwater management strategies for inclusion in the master plans.

• Support the development of, and build capacity for, a groundwater information management system in the local area.

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

• Keep regular meetings with peer site engineers to benefit from each other experiences.

• A short monthly report on progress on monitoring system implementation, field-testing, and modeling.

• A report on field-testing of the aquifer.

• Monthly progress reports.

Education

• Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree) in Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Geology, Water Engineering, Environmental Science, or related areas is required.

• A Bachelor’s Degree  (first level) in Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Geology, Water Engineering, Environmental Science, or related areas  in combination with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
  
  
  

Experience

• A minimum of five  (5) years experience experience in groundwater exploration, resource determination, and management is required. 

• At least two (2) years of experience in aquifer yield determination and groundwater flow modeling, with good experience in water well drilling technology is required.

• Experience in one of the following fields would be a significant asset: Implementation of field program for water network groundwater/aquifer modeling software, and capacity building, and experience in developing and presenting training materials

Language

• Fluency in written, spoken and reading English  is required.

• Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

• 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. 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.