Heating and Energy Efficiency Engineer

Overview

Support energy efficiency implementation in Armenia's forest resilience project.

You have:

• Advanced university degree in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Minimum 1 year of professional experience in heating, heat assessments, energy efficiency, household heating demand, heating appliances (design and selection), or a related technical field.
• Working knowledge of English and Armenian.
• National of Armenia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

Organizational Setting

The Green Climate Fund project “Forest Resilience in Armenia: Enhancing Adaptation and Rural Growth through Mitigation” was approved and became operational in December 2021. The total project funding, including co-financing, amounts to USD 18.7 million. The FAO Representation in Armenia and the Environmental Project Implementation Unit under the Ministry of Environment of Armenia serve as the Executing Entities of the project. FAO is responsible for the overall implementation of the project and for supervising the work carried out by the Environmental Project Implementation Unit. The project is co-financed by the Government of Armenia, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, WWF Armenia, FAO and Swiss Development Center (SDC). The project aims to support Armenia’s transition from a Business-as-Usual scenario to a low-emission and sustainable development pathway through targeted and strategic interventions. In particular, the project supports the reduction of forest degradation drivers, including firewood demand, through tailored rural energy-efficiency investments at household level, such as improved appliances and practices designed to reduce energy needs. The project also contributes to increasing forest cover through capacity development of relevant stakeholders, as well as reforestation, afforestation, and agroforestry investments on public forest lands. In parallel, it supports central and local institutions in adopting climate-adaptive and sustainable forest management policies and practices, with the aim of improving forest governance and strengthening community participation in forest control, protection, management, and incentive processes. Through its activities, the project will provide 9,000 tailor-made improved wood stove appliances to vulnerable households in Syunik and Lori marzes.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Armenia, technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (Forestry Division, FAO REU) and of the HQ Technical Officer (OCB, FAO HQ), the incumbent will work closely with the GCF Project Coordinator, national project staff and local producers.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will provide support to ensure the smooth technical implementation of the energy efficiency component of the “Forest Resilience of Armenia, Enhancing Adaptation and Rural Green Growth via Mitigation” project (FREAM / GCP/ARM/008/GCF) in the target areas of Lori and Syunik Marzes. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the private sector producers, local authorities, and project beneficiaries. Provide technical support in comparative woodstove technology analysis adaptation and testing, ensuring alignment of locally produced models with the identified design and international energy-efficiency and safety standards.

Tasks and responsibilities:

National EE Engineer, together with the international staff and consultants, will carry out the following tasks:

• Identify and clearly record the wood stove requirements for the household target groups, while ensuring the approach is line with the ProDoc requirements; • Review and finalize the vocational school mapping undertaken by the team to identify potential training gaps; • Review all national policy documents, including energy strategies and sector requirements, to clearly identify the institutional setting of the project component within national rural energy access activities; • Carry out a review of national data and documentation to include relevant sections of the documentation and data within the comparative analysis; • Conduct a comparative analysis of existing woodstoves, integrating the Bolzano laboratory results, and including an assessment of their performance, affordability, functionality, and scalability, and provide a recommendation on the preferred stove option. • Record the outcomes of the reviews and analysis in a series of PPTs to be shared and reviewed by the project team for validation and confirmation of assumptions being made and technical elements of the material; • Record the outcome of the analytical steps in short project documents and briefs to showcase the steps of the process and the results of the sub-components of the work and project activities being carried out; • Provide support for the validation and acceptance of laboratory testing results for the woodstoves, if required. • Prepare tender documentation for woodstoves and participate in the evaluation process. • Facilitate the approval process and oversee the delivery and receipt of the woodstoves. • Develop guidance materials on safety measures for the production, testing, and use of woodstoves, under the direct supervision of the Technical Officer (TO). • Organize and deliver training activities for producers, as needed. • Support the identification and selection of the recipients and beneficiaries for the woodstoves. • Support the project in the installation of the woodstoves and perform other related tasks as required. At the same time, incumbent will: • Assist International Experts, both during their visits to Armenia and via electronic communication. • In case necessary, assist in designing required training materials.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a closely related field. • Minimum 1 year of professional experience in heating, heat assessments, energy efficiency, household heating demand, heating appliances (design and selection), or a related technical field. • Working knowledge of English and Armenian. • National of Armenia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong organizational and coordination skills; ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines. • Good interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with government institutions, private sector, civil society, and international partners. • Willingness to undertake regular field visits to Lori and Syunik Marzes.

Selection criteria

• Demonstrated experience in procurement processes, including drafting of technical specifications, tender documentation, and technical evaluation of bids. • Experience in wood stove selection, certification requirements, and procurement process at significant scale. • Experience with biomass heating technologies, wood-burning appliances, or rural energy programs is highly desirable. • Experience working on projects implemented by international organizations (FAO, UNDP, EU, GCF-funded projects, or similar) is a strong asset. • Familiarity with Armenia’s energy sector, rural energy context, or relevant regulatory frameworks is an asset.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 days ago - Updated 8 hours ago - Source: fao.org