Advisory Stream Lead

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.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  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.  

Background Information – Kenya Multi Country Office (KEMCO)

Located in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kenya Multi Country Office manages a growing portfolio of engagements. The KEMC sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Nairobi/Kenya which manages a portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in East and South Africa. This includes transactional projects in partnership with the Nairobi based UN Agencies, UN-Habitat and UNEP, and multiple ‘operational’ projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi.

Background Information - The Technical Services Unit (TSU)

The Technical Services Unit (TSU) engages in multidisciplinary design and design review, assessments and advisory work for infrastructure related UNOPS projects.  The team currently comprises 19 permanent and 60+ retainer (consultant) personnel including architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, quantity surveyors, GIS and specialist infrastructure practitioners (for dams, ICT, safeguards, biomedical works inter alia) and CAD technicians in addition to support personnel.  

Current / recent projects are based in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Madagascar.  These projects comprise a range of types of horizontal and vertical infrastructure

The Unit is based in Nairobi, but works extensively in other locations, via travel and by using the network of retainer (consultant) personnel based elsewhere in Africa and beyond. The team has been increasingly tasked with peer reviewing the designs for infrastructure for implementation by UNOPS

The TSU is a business unit for the Multi-Country office and comes under the direction of the Director for East and Southern Africa office (KEMCO).

The Advisory Stream Lead will work as part of the Technical Services Unit, responsible for a small team of infrastructure practitioners comprising Geospatial, safeguards, and carbon accounting personnel.  S/he will also have a network of specialist retainer (consultant) personnel at their disposal.  S/he will be familiar with UNOPS’s infrastructure portfolio and the role of mapping, safeguards and carbon accounting to influence and optimize future project implementation.

• Respond to requests for consulting support originating from various sources.
• Agreeing the scope, timeline and budget based on resource availability.
• Liaising with HQ and regional personnel when required to harmonize analysis and messaging approaches
• Actively seek opportunities to support projects in Africa and other geographies.

• Manage and coach the advisory stream personnel
• Conduct formal performance reviews twice annually
• Agree on the effort required from consultant personnel and sign off on their claims
• Participate in recruitment of additional personnel where required.

• Work in a collaborative manner with project managers, scoping guidance at appropriate stages during the project process
• Consult with the advisory stream personnel, as well as the wider TSU to distribute workload effectively,
• Regularly share lessons learned
•  Actively and regularly participate in TSU and Africa region informal and formal meetings.

•  Determine the strategy for scoping and delivering each project,
• Actively contribute engineering expertise to certain projects, using professional judgement
•  Assign work to individuals and agree delivery parameters
• Support the advisory stream in delivering to schedule and quality
• Seek feedback from partnerships team, designers, project managers and others
• Any other duties assigned by the TSU senior manager

• Advanced Degree preferably in Civil Engineering, and/or a related field is required.
• A Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
  
  

• Full member status registration with a recognized professional built environment body is an asset.

• A minimum of five (5) years of demonstrable relevant experience in consulting in the built environment is required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in designing buildings and or horizontal infrastructure, together with a working understanding of social and environmental safeguards, and exposure to data, mapping and carbon accounting for infrastructure is required.
• Experience  working in geographical exposure - Africa is desirable
• Experience in the use of Google Suite is desirable.

• Full working knowledge of English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS 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. 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.