- Job categories: Engineering, Water Management, Environment
- Vacancy code: VA/2024/B5333/28928
- Department/office: AFR, ETMCO, Ethiopia MCO
- Duty station: Mekele, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
- Contract type: Local ICA Specialist
- Contract level: LICA Specialist-9
- Duration: Ongoing Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’
- Application period: 24-Sep-2024 to 07-Oct-2024
 Background Information – Job-specific
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.
Project Background
Political conflict in Ethiopia continues to affect parts of Tigray, Afar, and Amhara (the Northern Ethiopian Crisis), Central and Western Oromia, as well as Benishangul-Gumuz with involvement of non-state armed groups and Federal authorities. Inter-communal violence has been witnessed in parts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNP), Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, and, recently, in Afar and Western Tigray. These localized conflicts have largely been over access to resources and related grievances, including questions on land and land use rights. To help address these issues, in Ethiopia, the World Bank funded programme, to be managed by UNOPS EMCO, aims as a response – recovery – resilience for conflict – affected communities in Ethiopia (3R-4-CACE). The Key objectives of the project is to (i) rebuild access to basic services and climate-resilient community infrastructure and (ii) improve access to multi-sectoral response services for GBV survivors; in targeted conflict-affected communities in Ethiopia.
The selected candidate will work closely with the Project team, international consultants and the Bureau of Water Resources in Tigray to support the implementation of activities relating to rebuilding access to basic services and climate-resilient community infrastructure.
 Functional Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager or their Deputy, the Water Engineer will perform the following tasks.
1. Liaison and relationship building with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene stakeholders
- Represent UNOPS in relevant WASH meetings and events, including UN coordination mechanisms;
- Liaise with WASH government and donor counterparts;
- Advise the Project Co-ordinator and the project team on strategic direction and government priorities in the WASH sector.
2. Prepare, conduct, analyze and report on assessments required for the project (infrastructure, capacity building and behavioral change).
- Prepare needs assessments:
- Conduct secondary research.
- Conduct stakeholders mapping and analysis.
- Coordinate with all stakeholders to collect available data.
- Review and report on the data available (type, reliability, representativity, etc).
- Propose assessments’ goals, target, scope, methodology and tools.
- Prepare the assessments procedures and data collection protocols.
- Prepare the assessment tools (forms, interviews, questionnaires, etc.).
- Set up the assessment tools (data collection software).
- Support the procurement of data collection services (draft of TOR, evaluation of bids, etc.).
- Conduct needs assessments:
- Train Data Collectors.
- Liaise with authorities and all relevant stakeholders to facilitate data collection.
- Supervise work of Data Collectors in the field.
- Conduct personally complex technical assessments of existing water and sanitation infrastructures.
- Identify and troubleshoot issues in the data collection.
- Perform quality control to ensure high accuracy during data collection.
- Analyze data collected:
- Clean raw data collected.
- Organize, cluster, merge or separate data as necessary.
- Perform data analysis by applying analytical and statistical techniques.
- Develop dashboards, tables, graphs and charts for data representation.
- Perform quality control to ensure high accuracy during data analysis.
- Report on findings:
- Draft structured, concise and comprehensive reports on assessments findings.
- Suggest possible courses of action for WASH interventions.
3. Guide the conception and planning of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene interventions for all three components of the project (infrastructure, capacity building and behavioral change).
- Conceptualize and plan interventions:
- Prepare log frames of WASH interventions (inputs, outputs, outcomes, impact).
- Plan the interventions (including draft of proposals, design briefs, etc.).
- Prepare realistic and detailed interventions’ schedules.
- Advise on necessary resources and contribute to budget preparation.
- Provide guidance on the applicable regulatory framework:
- Research and summarize the national legal and regulatory framework applicable to the planned interventions (on water and sanitation, environment, construction, etc.).
- Record, organize and disseminate this information to all concerned stakeholders (Engineers, International Consultants, Design Firms, etc.).
4. Development of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene infrastructure interventions – Advise the engineering team in the design of the infrastructure interventions:
- Develop conceptual design and prepare design briefs related to water and sanitation works centered on the end-user’s needs and which meet stakeholders requirements, UNOPS quality standards, project’s objectives and budget constraints.
- Take into account the specific needs of users based on gender, age, disabilities, socio-cultural norms, etc. Maintain a strong focus on economies of resources and sustainability.
- Consider all stages of an infrastructure life cycle (design and planning, raw material acquisition, materials processing, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, decommissioning, recycling) and optimize the value for money of the infrastructure proposed.
5. Development of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene capacity building interventions.
- Prepare detailed tailored capacity building plans based on the gaps identified in the needs assessment.
- Analyze partners policies and processes and propose modifications in view of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the WASH services delivered.
- Conduct participatory workshops with partners to refine the understanding of the service gaps’ causes, their capacity building needs and their expectations.
- Develop/review capacity building methods and material (courses, seminars, workshops, etc.).
- Identify potential trainers and relevant service providers. Prepare TORs for training providers.
6. Development of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene community engagement interventions
- Prepare detailed tailored community engagement plans based on the gaps identified in the needs assessment.
- Analyze the community practices and dynamics and propose interventions in view of improving the management/maintenance of water supply/water sanitation facilities (e.g. improve access, ownership, operation & maintenance, revenue generation and funding of maintenance, etc.), hygiene practices and resilience of the communities in terms of access to safe water and sanitation.
- Conduct participatory workshops with communities to refine the understanding of the issues they face, better understand their needs and their expectations.
- Advise on community engagement methods and material (activities, mobilization or creation of community groups, mass media campaigns, etc).
- Prepare a call for proposals for NGOs.
7.Participation in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene procurement processes
- Participate in the preparation of WASH services/works tender documents, advising the Project Co-ordinator and other team members on the best selection criteria, and drafting documents in UNOPS e-sourcing procurement system.
- Participate in tender processes, including but not limited to conducting pre-bid meetings, providing clarifications to bidders, leading site visits, participating in bids opening, etc. (acting in full compliance with the provision of the Procurement Manual).
- Participate in the evaluation of bids, conducting detailed and substantiated technical evaluations and verification/assessment of the references submitted by the bidders (acting in full compliance with the provision of the Procurement Manual).
8 Monitoring, quality assurance and reporting on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
interventions
- Contribute to set up and manage remote supervision systems, including but not limited to the setup of remote monitoring systems based on the “UNOPS Collect” application, the design of implementation dashboards (in collaboration with Data Analysts and ICT Specialists), and the review and acceptance/rejection of completed WASH interventions).
- Conduct regular field visits of WASH interventions under all three components of the project, assess the quality of the interventions and coordinate with other UNOPS and partners personnel (Lead Engineers, Site Engineers, Community Mobilizers, Trainers, Government Officials, Community Leaders, etc.) to address any potential issue.
- Perform quality assurance and quality control for all WASH interventions.
- Report timely and qualitatively on the progress of the WASH interventions, with a focus on impact, quality, risks and issues and lessons learned.
9. Business development
- Keep track of government and donor WASH priorities.
- Assist the Partnership team in developing new WASH project proposals.
IV. Impact of Results
The Water Engineer ensures that the project prioritizes the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions that are the most needed by the communities, that those interventions are conducted with the highest quality, in the most efficient way (maximizing their value for money), and with careful consideration for their inclusiveness (gender, age, disabilities, social status, etc.) and sustainability (long term maintenance, resilience, etc.), thereby making a decisive contribution to the quality of the project’s outputs. The Water Engineer also assists with raising the profile of UNOPS in the WASH sector and securing further funding for increased programmes, projects and interventions.
 Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education:
- Advanced Degree/Master Degree in Water Engineering; Water, Waste & Environmental Engineering; Water, Sanitation & Waste Engineering; Hydrology & Water Management or equivalent field is required.
- A First University Degree/ Bachelor’s Degree in Water Engineering; Water, Waste & Environmental Engineering; Water, Sanitation & Waste Engineering; Hydrology & Water Management or equivalent with additional four (4) years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a master’s degree.
Experience:
- A minimum of two (2 ) years of professional experience in the field of Water Engineering or Water Management is required.
- Demonstrated experience in all three components of the project (WASH infrastructure, capacity building and behavioral change) is an asset.
- Experience with NGOs or governmental agencies active in the WASH sector is an asset
Skills:
- Skills in Health – Sanitation and hygiene behavior change (2 years) is required
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English (Reading, Speaking & Writing) is required.
 Contract type, level and duration
- Contract type: Local Individual Contract Agreement (LICA)
- Contract level: LICA-9
- Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’
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. 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.
