Construction Engineering Technician - Senior Assistant

Contract

This is a LICA-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Local Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally only for nationals. It's an external contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about LICA-5 contracts.

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.

Working with us We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.

Diversity With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.

Work life harmonization UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Background Information - Sri Lanka

The UNOPS Sri Lanka Multi Country Office (SAMCO) implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including procurement, project development and technical management, and provides financial, human resources and infrastructure- related services. The functional objective of UNOPS SAMCO is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, so as to achieve the outcomes sought by clients.

The current Project for "Modernization of Plant Quarantine service in Sri Lanka" is the latest initiative in the long list of projects KOICA has funded. This project is planned to be implemented from 2019 to 2021. The Korean Government plans to provide USD 6 million for this project under the grant aid agreement to be signed between the Government of Korea and the Government of Sri Lanka. This project will be implanted through the Ministry of Agriculture.

In light of the long-standing partnership, KOICA requested UNOPS Sri Lanka to support them in implementing its project for the Modernization of Plant Quarantine Service in Sri Lanka. UNOPS has been requested to provide its specialist services under the sub-components 1.3 and 1.4 of component 1 of this project that are;

1. Construction of new building for quarantine station in sea port in Colombo
2. Provision of laboratory equipment in NPQS headquarters in Katunayake, BIA and sea port station in Colombo

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

Functional Responsibilities

The Construction Engineering Technician - Senior Assistant will report directly to the Project Manager and work in full coordination with the Project Engineer and other Project team members. The incumbent is responsible for assisting with all construction management tasks required to ensure timely, cost effective, safe and quality delivery of the project. S/he may be required to assist in the following tasks:

General construction supervision and management:

• Support the supervision of the Contractor’s construction activities.
• Support for the maintenance of QA/QC reports throughout the implementation, including stage testing and verification of activities completion sign offs and the preparation and collection of data as input for completing of hand over documentation and O&M plan.
• Support the project team in monitoring the performance of quality, quantity and timeliness of construction works.
• Assist the project team in checking the quality of work done and contents of all necessary documentations.
• Provide support and guidance to the contractor in order to assist in resolving minor site problems, as necessary.
• Provide support in ensuring works are carried out in accordance with contracts, specifications, drawings, etc.
• Carrying out other tasks as assigned by the Project Manager.

Reporting and Administrative Support:

• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of progress of works.
• Support in the inspection of the quality of the construction materials, works and documentation.
• Support in ensuring that works documentation is kept according to the stipulated format.
• Promote cooperation with the project team and contractor.
• Participate in site coordination meetings with the contractor, project team and other stakeholders as necessary.
• Check contractors’ and suppliers set out and works, including compliance with contracts specifications and ensure that contractors and suppliers comply with their work plans to complete work with specified scope of work, time frame, and budget.
• Check all laboratory reports, operation and maintenance manuals, and keep records and report to the Project Manager accordingly.
• Support the assessment of work activities of contractor/s, measurements of completed work and make recommendations to the Project Engineer for progress payments to contractors.
• Manage the in&out activities by obtaining necessary approvals coordinating with client and relevant authorities.
• Carrying out other tasks as assigned by the Project Manager.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing:

• Assist with the project's evaluation process; highlight challenges associated with the project and feedback into a continuous improvement cycle.
• Contribute to training and knowledge transfer to national/contractor personnel including sending reminders about UNOPS good construction and engineering practices, environmental management practices, and appropriate health and safety standards during construction.
• 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.
• Setting Operational Health & Safety examples on site through exemplary behavior and identifying deficiencies.
• Carrying out other tasks as assigned by the Project Manager.

Competencies

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education: - High School Diploma is required. - Bachelor's degree in Engineering with specialized in Civil Engineering is desirable and may substitute some years of relevant experience.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in supporting the building construction field is required.
• Ability to draft various types of documentation in English is required.
• Knowledge and use of drafting skills with AutoCAD software is essential.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, and internet.
• Multi-tasking, flexibility, and attention to details while maintaining a high service level is preferable.
• Work Experience with an international Organization and/or UN Agencies is an asset.
• High proficiency with computers, and other software/ platforms related to the position of expertise and good experience in working with the G-Suite platform including, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is desired.

Language Requirement: - Full working knowledge of English is mandatory. - Working knowledge of a local language is highly desirable.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) Contract level: LICA-5 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 Considerations

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, 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 recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.