Job categories: Engineering
Vacancy code: VA/2024/B5101/28154
Level: ICS-11
Department/office: AR, AFCO, Afghanistan
Duty station: Home based
Contract type: International ICA
Contract level: IICA-3
Duration: Short term
Application period: 16-May-2024 to 23-May-2024
Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.
Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
Background Information – 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.
Background Information – Job-specific
Project Information
The Water Emergency Relief Project (WERP) was established in response to the significant, ongoing drought exacerbating water access issues which has created an emergency situation in rural areas across southern and central Afghanistan. WERP will finance the provision of off-grid solar systems to support surface water irrigation in selected districts throughout Afghanistan. The UNOPS-managed WERP project primarily addresses water scarcity challenges faced by farmers in drought-affected districts by providing them with access to solar PV powered water driven pumps. These solar pumping systems will enable water to be drawn from rivers to irrigate agricultural land.
The project will pilot the Energy as a Service model (EaaS) by contracting Private Energy Service Companies (PESCs) to carry out the provision of services. These include the construction, installation, operation and maintenance of the solar PV powered irrigation pumps, pipelines; associated equipment and services. The intention is for the project to provide 80% of the capital costs (solar PV and water supply systems equipment) with the PESCs contributing 20% (Civil works, including pipeline materials). The project will pay for the operation and maintenance costs either fully or partially until the end of the two year project. The estimated completion date is mid 2025.
The project will only consider rivers that are perennial, not seasonal. One of the project focus areas is to adopt appropriate technology for the instructure elements that make up the water supply and solar PV systems. The estimated quantity of water that is to be pumped from the river abstraction sites ranges from 10 to 250 m3/hr with the majority of the pump stations using the smaller pumps. The intention is to not to construct weirs or large pump stations that are appropriate for large irrigation schemes or municipal water supply systems. The proposed intake structures are small in terms of size and of low complexity, suitable for rural irrigation schemes.
Job-Specific Information
The Senior River Engineer shall work under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager and support project team members on the concept design of river engineering elements. The Senior River Engineer will provide technical input to irrigation water supply river abstraction structures, including site selection; flood hydrology; hydraulic design and general advice on river engineering and hydrology matters.
Functional Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities and duties include but are not limited to:
- Advise and guide the technical team on actions, analysis and inputs required for the feasibility assessment of specific project sites.
- Advise the team on hydraulics and hydrology issues, including the concept design of extraction works at specific sites.
- Review the data provided by the technical team and provide the technical assessment recommendations for the project sites with respect to the river capacity and works (hydrology and hydraulics), typically considering technologies such as gabions or similar appropriate structures.
- Review and provide feedback and recommendations on the technical outputs from the technical team.
- Provide advice and recommendations on river hydraulics and hydrology components of the feasibility report.
- Support Development of typical designs with notes on site-specific aspects adaptations
- Support site-specific design development by UNOPS AFCO team.
- Support review of designs.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
a. Education
- Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in civil, environmental or water resource engineering is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
b. Professional Registration
- Professional license or registration from a recognised professional body or institution is required.
c. Work Experience
Essential
- Minimum 7 years of progressively practical and responsible experience in the planning, investigation and design of river water abstraction sites.
- Flood hydrology experience.
- Experience in hydraulic design of river pump stations.
- Experience in design of river off-take works, fluvial processes and sedimentation mitigation measures.
- Exposure to appropriate technology in terms of water supply for small scale irrigation systems.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is a distinct advantage.
- Demonstrated experience working with UN agencies, international development organizations, governments, NGOs or private sector organizations is desirable.
- Experience in design review and advisory capacity.
- Experience working in Afghanistan, Pakistan or a country with similar river systems to Afghanistan.
- Climate change adaptation in terms of river systems.
d. Language Requirements:
- Fluency (oral and written) in English is required.
- Working knowledge of Dari and or Pashto is an asset.
Contract type, level and duration
This is a short-term ICA role open for nation and international applicants.
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
Additional Information
- 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.
