Lead Electrical Engineer (Retainer)

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS Nepal context: 

During 2015 – 2022 UNOPS Nepal has engaged closely with the Government of Nepal and several development partners in the reconstruction efforts of the government of Nepal including assessment of damaged buildings and enrolment of beneficiaries into housing grant schemes. UNOPS supported homeowners engaged in the reconstruction process, modernization and improvement of policing services, retrofitting damaged houses and reconstruction of disability-friendly schools, and delivering some essential equipment to support COVID-19 response efforts. The functional objective of UNOPS Nepal is to deliver its projects efficiently and effectively in alignment with government priorities following UNOPS rules and regulations, to achieve the outcomes sought by the Government and funding partners, and to contribute to the achievement of SDGs.

While ensuring gender, diversity, and inclusion are mainstreamed in all its projects, UNOPS Nepal is currently working on several new engagements to support the government of Nepal under Health, Rule of Law, Climate Change, DRR, Urban development, procurement support among others and create new opportunities and jobs for the people of Nepal.

In alignment with government priorities, the UNOPS Nepal country office looks forward to providing long-term strategic and advisory support to the country by enhancing the capacity of national and sub-national governments and partners within all three tiers of government. By prioritizing evidence-based planning, capacity building, and developing model projects for creating sustainable and inclusive cities, UNOPS Nepal country office also aims to build strong relationships with urban municipalities at the local level. Aiming to create a sustainable city by promoting a green and resilient, climate adaptive, and socially inclusive development approach the assignment will focus on prioritizing the municipalities for its future interventions.

Project Information:

FCDO’s Security and Justice Programme (SJP) is a five-year programme (2023-27) with an anticipated budget of up to GBP 35 million. The programme will continue the now-completed Integrated Programme for Strengthening Security and Justice (IPSSJ)’s dual focus on tackling criminal violence, in particular gender-based violence (GBV), and supporting respective Government entities, including Nepal Police, to strengthen their services.

Building on the ongoing Launch of the  SJP (Inception Phase), the larger SJP will support more representative, accountable, and responsive policing and also help tackle gender-based violence in Nepal. The programme will contribute to the following result areas:

1.     Security and justice providers have improved their capacity to serve the public and managing relationships with communities, leading to increased public safety with increased trust from people in the state. 

2.     Security and justice institutions at the Provincial and Palika levels have effective, accountable, inclusive, and sustainable systems in line with the federal constitutional mandates to improve their skills and better manage their resources to meet people’s security and justice needs. 

3.     Decreased prevalence of GBV led by increased access to services for those who seek them.

The 2015 constitution of Nepal, envisages the devolution of policing in Nepal into 7 provincial Police Services and a Federal Police Organization (Nepal Police) in the federal sphere. How they combine to provide policing services in Nepal remains a work in progress. It will be highly complex in terms of changes in legislation, policy, administration, and organizational culture, even while standards of coordination and delivery must be maintained across the whole country. The changes will require new ways of working under SJP and create new needs to which UNOPS will seek maximum impact in its project period in at least three target provinces.

In relation to this, UNOPS, as a potential implementing partner for the FCDO, is planning to recruit Security and Justice Officers for the policing component of the SJP programme.

Position Information:

The Lead Electrical Engineer (LEE) will be responsible for providing advice, quality, and control for all electrical and related works. Following the schedule of works, the incumbent will lead and supervise all Electrical and related works and provide updates to the Project Manager as their Primary supervisor.

The Lead Electrical Engineer will be responsible for the following duties:

Summary of functions:

1. Monitoring and reporting

2. Quality assurance

3. Knowledge management and innovation

1. Monitoring and reporting 

• Advice in the design of electrical, solar and renewable energy system Lead in producing Terms of References for designs, Electrical Drawings, Technical Specifications, Scope of Works, Bills of Quantities, Cost Estimations, Design Calculations, related reports for Works and Supply of Goods Contracts

• In coordination with the other local construction supervisors, identify existing electricity related problems (if any per sites) and take appropriate solutions in consultation with the Project Manager.

• Prepare progress reports on construction activities and submission of such on a weekly basis to the supervisor

• Monitor and record appropriate field data to validate contractors’ compliance to cross- cutting issues (gender, environment, sustainability, health and safety on site, etc.)

• Provide feedback to Supervisors (Project Manager/ Technical team Lead) regarding the progress issues and delivery timelines, cost- effectiveness and quality of work completed.

• Act proactively to escalate to supervisor’s key areas of concerns that relate to quality, health, safety, social and environmental issues at site and where necessary take the necessary resolution supported by relevant available tools and templates.

• Supervise the preparation of a database for the available materials and suppliers of the construction industry in the local market

• Contribute implementation of Environmental and Health & Safety measures in the project sites

2.  Quality assurance

• Ensure site quality management procedures are in place and aligned with UNOPS policies

• Perform the tasks in accordance with the applicable Quality Assurance (QA)/Quality Control (QC) protocols and regulations and requirements.

• Inspection of installed electronic and electric components, and distribution board batteries including the storage, connection of all data cables and the monitoring system in the power house, and grid distribution networks in all project sites.

• Lead testing, commissioning, training and handover of electrical and related systems deliverables to clients and beneficiaries

• Support the Infrastructure Team and review the document information on the contractor’s work force, weather, progress of work and any other related information that links directly with the electricity network works

• Ensure quality oversight of the implementation of works for Electricity and electricity related works according to contract schedules, specifications and project plans

3. Knowledge management and innovation

• Provide technical advice and support to projects as required; 

• Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing including appropriate archiving of documents and documenting of lessons learned.

• Ensure routine and effective formal and informal capacity building activities among supervising Electrical Engineers are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity.

Impact of results

The role of the Lead Electrical Engineer impacts the overall achievement of the project objective /outputs by directly supporting the Project Manager and the Technical team to successfully deliver individual work packages on time, budget and with quality. 

The contractor should be prepared to travel to any site within the country.

Education

• Advanced university degree (master or equivalent) degree in Electrical Engineering or other relevant discipline is required.

• A first level university degree (bachelor or equivalent) with two (2) additional years of professional experience will be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Work Experience 

• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience working in Electrical Engineering, facilities management, building management or related areas is required.

• Experience in Engineering for design and construction of infrastructure projects and general professional experience in Power Generation (Conventional Technologies); or Low Voltage and Medium Voltage Networks is desirable.

• Knowledge of Nepal Electricity Authority and Local Authorities in Nepal is desirable.

• Experience in monitoring and evaluation, reporting and coordination in either UN, International NGOs, Public or Private sector organizations is desirable.

• Previous experience in mentoring and training counterparts is desired

• Excellent computer skills and knowledge of MS Office and google suiteis desirable.

• Flexible and responsive to emergency situations. 

Languages

• Fluency in English and Nepali is required.

• 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.