Lead Construction Management Engineer (Prison Infrastructure Specialist) - Retainer

The state of the detention facilities in Sint Maarten has been a source of concern in recent years.  Since 2014, reports from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture or Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and from the Sint Maarten Law Enforcement Council have alerted about conditions of the existing infrastructure and about the limited social reintegration of offenders.  

The existing Point Blanche Prison was built in 1990 and has a limited capacity of 86 inmates, inferior to the actual required capacity.  The structure, now 33 years old, shows signs of deterioration and of damages caused by the passing of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

A new prison infrastructure with expanded capacity is required to ensure compliance with international human rights standards and with the sufficient infrastructure to facilitate the adequate social reintegration of offenders.  This new infrastructure will be located in the same place as the existing Point Blanche Prison.

The main project objectives are the following:

• Design resilient, sustainable, and effective Long-Term Facilities contributing to strengthening national infrastructure capacity in the correctional sector enabling adequate, safe, and humane detention, which facilitates reintegration of offenders back into society.

• Design and planning of the prioritized Soft Components included in the following categories:
  1) Point Blanche Facility Operation and Maintenance,
  2) Correctional Sector Strengthening, and
  3) Justice Sector Strengthening.

The UNOPS Panama Multi-Country Office covering Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dutch and English Caribbean has opened an office on the island of Sint Maarten to ensure close coordination with relevant stakeholders of the justice sector.

Under the direct supervision of the Lead Construction Management Engineer, the Prison Infrastructure Specialist will provide technical services in all prison infrastructure activities.

A. Technical Support

• Facilitate the planning and implementation of prison infrastructure activities.

• Assist the Lead Construction Management Engineer with monitoring, control, and assessment of prison designs produced by consultants.

• Master's degree or equivalent in Project Management, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or related field, is required.
• Bachelor's level degree in Project Management, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or a related field in combination with additional years of experience, is acceptable in the absence of a master's level degree.

b. Work Experience

• Proven experience of 5 years (or more depending on the level of study) in the planning, design, and/or evaluation of prison infrastructure projects. 

• Extensive knowledge of norms, regulations of prison systems such as the International Minimum Rules for deprivation of liberty (Nelson Mandela rules and the Bangkok, Beijing, and Havana Rules) is required.

• Work experience or proven knowledge of addressing the triple planetary crisis in infrastructure projects is an advantage.

Contract type: Local/International Individual Contractor Agreement - Retainer

Contract level: ICS 10 equivalent to IICA 2 International ICA and Local ICA 10. 

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.

UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate with special needs upon request.

• 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.