Associate Civil Engineer

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need. 

Project Information

The World Bank (WB) has prepared the Water Emergency Relief Project (WERP), funded through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) to address the water supply and irrigation challenges in selected rural areas of Afghanistan and improve the quality of irrigation schemes. UNOPS is implementing Component 2 of the project:  Emergency solar powered surface water irrigation in selected rural areas implemented by UNOPS

The Associate Civil Engineer is a member of the Water Emergency Relief Project (WERP) team. Under the direct supervision of the Engineering Team Lead and overall leadership of the Project Manager, the Associate Civil Engineer supports the engineering team with design, drafting, preparing bills of quantities and specifications, market research, survey, digital terrain modeling, construction monitoring, engineering analysis  and related engineering activities. 

The Associate Civil Engineer strongly contributes to the achievement of the project outputs, goals and objectives. The Associate Civil Engineer applies practices and  techniques of key technical and construction management work areas, ensures practical solutions appropriate to Afghanistan rural conditions, and supports the engineering team to ensure technical planning, design and construction oversight activities/ supervision of works in compliance with quality assurance and quality control requirements. 

1. Coordination, delivery and performance

2. Monitoring and reporting

3. Knowledge building and sharing

Coordination, delivery and performance

• Assist the line supervisor to manage, plan and coordinate monthly, weekly and daily construction activities

• Under supervision of the lead engineer, support the design team in preparing detailed calculations, drawings, and specification 

• Provide inputs for technical reports.

• Support the supervisor to ensure the overall and timely delivery of the project activities are within the project schedule.

• Assist procurement team with information to prepare tender documents such as; specifications, cost estimates, and BoQs.

• Support with the preparation of project progress reports 

• Compile HSSE information from site engineers for reporting and monitoring purposes

• Support site engineers with preparation of payment certificates, including validation and checking of quantities

Monitoring and  Reporting 

• Assist in quality assurance by checking drawings, specifications, and other construction design documents for completeness and edits against approved checklists.

• Assist in monitoring project activities in alignment with work plans,

• Compile, for monitoring, analysis and reporting purposes, information provided by site engineers on contractors workforce, risk and issues registers, progress, HSSE compliance,  and related construction issues

Knowledge sharing

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

• Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice, actively interact with other Engineers and the Engineering community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the Knowledge System.

• Collaborate with technical team members including but not limited to architects, engineers, project managers and quantity surveyors.

I. Education

• Secondary school (High School or equivalent) with a minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience is required OR

• First level university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in Civil Engineering or other related Engineering field is not required, but may substitute for some years of relevant experience

II. Experience

• A minimum of 6 years’ experience, related to construction or civil work design is required with a Secondary school (High School or equivalent) diploma 

• Knowledge of UNOPS/UN rules and regulations is an advantage.

• Working knowledge of cloud-based office software packages (Google Suite), MS Office programs, MS Project, AutoCAD and telecommunications equipment and systems is highly valued.

III. Language Requirements

• Competency in English – both written and oral is required

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: ICS-6 / LICA-6
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

• 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.