Senior Geotechnical Engineer

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.  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.  

Located in Dakar, the UNOPS office in Senegal has developed a strong working relation with the Governments of West Africa and international partners over the years. It provides technical support in strategic development areas including elections; procurement and related capacity building; environmental protection, as well as infrastructure rehabilitation and development.



Purpose and Scope of the Project

In this assignment, UNOPS is providing support to the Government of Nigeria to see that the NEWMAP-EIB project is implemented in line with EIB requirements and standards. UNOPS will provide the Promoter, notably the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) and Project Implementation Units (PIUs) at the State level, with project advice on project and subproject preparation and implementation support, to ensure that the components financed by the EIB are implemented in line with the EIB standards. UNOPS support is structured around the following four areas of assistance:

1. Review of project documents (that are submitted by the Promoter for the purpose of either requesting clearance or required under its Financing Agreement with the EIB) to support compliance with EIB procurement and Environmental and Social Standards and Infrastructure lifecycle management alignment with international good practices.

2. Monitoring of Project Sites/ Schemes/ Subprojects funded through the EIB loan to monitor the progress of the implementation, verify works on the ground against approved plans, identify areas of concern (if any), and report accordingly (approximately  60 site visits)

3. Undertake half-yearly Implementation Support Missions (ISM), jointly with EIB as necessary (approximately 12 site visits). 

4. Provide Capacity Strengthening  to the Promoter where necessary and feasible, including in areas like finance and project management

The existing FPMU and SPIU Infrastructure/Engineering structure is set up to provide quality control and assurance throughout the infrastructure life cycle. SPIUs develop the project designs supported by suitably procured Design Consultants. This design is then subject to Quality Assurance (QA) at the FPMU level supported by Federal Quality Control Design Engineering consultants. This QA service extends to the Construction stage as well throughthe  Construction Supervision Consultant who provides updates through monthly progress reports. FPMU then deploys a number of tools including templates and checklists to monitor the effectiveness of this process. UNOPS therefore in an advisory capacity will provide guidance on international good practice in Infrastructure lifecycle management (as per bullet points below), while the overall responsibility for quality management remains with FPMU.   

• UNOPS in its advisory capacity will provide guidance on international good practices for ToRs for the procurement of Engineering services; and tools including templates for monitoring the Infrastructure lifecycle from Design to Construction and handover  for FPMUs consideration 

• UNOPS will monitor progress through scheduled quarterly, interim support missions and adhoc site visits as required.  

• Provide capacity strengthening  based on the outcome of the needs assessment 

The Position

The Senior Geotechnical Engineer is considered a valuable asset to the UNOPS team in Nigeria with regard to the Nigeria Erosion & Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) which aims at addressing the menace of gully erosion and other forms of land degradation in targeted watersheds in Nigeria. The objective is to reduce vulnerability to soil erosion in targeted sub-watersheds. The World Bank has been funding NEWMAP since September 2013 and worked on putting in place the necessary structure to ensure implementation and sustainability. Funding from the World Bank has ended and the project has been closed since 30th June 2022. The EIB loan, under the project name “Nigeria Climate Adaptation – Erosion & Watershed project” represents a scale-up phase. 

The Senior Geotechnical Engineer will give his/her technical expertise to advise on Geotechnical Investigations, analysis, reporting and application approaches which align with international good practice. He or she will also participate in site monitoring and implementation support missions to provide opinions and suggestions for consideration of the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) and EIB. Adopting a delivery approach which is evidence based, embeds sustainability,  and mainstreams gender, to ensure people are connected and are able to access basic services. The Senior Geotechnical Engineer will also be required to respond to other related tasks that will be assigned in response to the Project needs

The Senior Geotechnical Engineer is part of the Infrastructure/ Engineering Team, reporting to the Senior Project Manager in Nigeria. The Senior Geotechnical Engineer engages in the day-to-day operations of the project and holds relevant functional technical engagements.  The Senior Geotechnical Engineer is required to have extensive and varied design and construction experience. He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organization's performance and delivery goals.

She/He will be requested to work from their duty station and be prepared to travel to any site in or around Nigeria as required and as the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) permits.

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree) in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering or a related field is required.

• A First-Level University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering or a related field in combination with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience will be accepted in lieu of the Master’s Degree requirement.                              

B. Work Experience 

• A minimum of seven (7) years previous experience in Infrastructure development with focus on Geotechnical investigations, analysis and recommendations, soil erosion control and soil stabilization of similar projects  (including the suitability of the site for safe and economical structures) is required

• The minimum required years of experience must include at least two (2) years past experience in Capacity strengthening.

• Past experience working with Government institutions and/or donor funded projects is desirable

• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage

• Experience in Design development and  Management, Construction implementation, Construction Supervision,  and Contract Administration is desirable.

• Experience in Quality Management, Health and Safety Management, and Environmental and Social Management is desirable.

• Multi-disciplinary planning experience is desirable.

• Work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa is a great asset.

C.   Certifications

• Professional certification with a Recognized Engineering Professional  Body with a valid license to practice is desirable.

D.    Language requirements

• Full working knowledge of English is required.
• Working knowledge of French is desirable.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA 3)/ICS11
Contract duration: Open-ended (subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements and project duration).

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx 

• 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.