International Consultant – Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, expert in Renewable Energy UNICEF South Sudan

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, We care

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

In South Sudan the COVID-19 vaccines are deployed through 735 fixed health facilities, 251 mobile teams, 470 outreach teams, and COVID-19 intensification activities separately supported by WHO, UNICEF, Health Pool Fund (HPF), and other partners. The vaccinations are also reaching 26 IDP sites and 22 refugee sites. In pursuing the objective of the vaccination programme, the functionality of the health facilities at national and sub-national level are critical to ensure uninterrupted supplies of quality vaccines to the vaccination sites. In South Sudan, only 7.2 % of the population are accessible to electricity (World Bank 2020) and apparat from in Juba city, there is no national electric grid to power. Service delivery sectors like health facilities are highly dependent on electric power for the provision of services. In countries like South Sudan, where access to electricity is very low, energy production is reliant on diesel generators. Frequent breakdown of diesel generators on top of logistics and financial pressures, health facilities usually suffer from a lack of reliable power, hampering their life-saving effort. In some health facilities with maternity, health workers use their mobile phone torches or candles to provide lighting for maternal health. Such poor lighting can affect the quality of work, specifically when precision is required. This is counterproductive to the health sector's agenda to provide quality healthcare for all; with vaccines required to maintain a cold chain temperature of +2°C to +8°C, the current energy situation in health facilities poses a great danger to vaccine damage and loss of potency. Therefore, UNICEF is already solarizing hospitals, vaccine cold stores, PHCCs and PHCUs by equipping solar power for operations of the health facilities and cold chain stores. Through financial support of several donors, UNICEF South Sudan, in addition to completing the ongoing solar electrification projects, will expand the projects to provide sustainable solar power supply to various health delivery infrastructures in the country. To expand this project, UNICEF Health team is seeking a qualified Electrical and Mechanical Engineer with specialization in Renewable Energy (M&E/RE Engineer) to be able to support the cold stores and health facility solar electrification project and ensure quality throughout all the phases of the projects. However, This position requires a technical knowledge of renewable energy especially solar system engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering. UNICEF South Sudan Country Office is currently hiring an international consultant to provide technical assistance on the planned solar electrification projects. The consultancy service is required from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023, for total duration of 6 months.

Scope of Work: Working under the direct supervision of the Cold Chain specialist in Juba, the consultant will provide technical support in leading the implementation of solarization projects, timely completion of activities and payment clearance, and coordination amongst UNICEF's relevant in-house sections and external partners from site selection to handover.

Main Duties and Responsibilities: • In collaboration with partners, facilitate health facility selection. Conduct energy demand assessment at the selected health facilities to determine the size of the solar system to be installed. • Work with the UNICEF South Sudan Supply and Logistics section to develop essential documents required to procure the services. • Work with UNICEF RO and SD to provide full documentation/responses to queries emanating in the technical screening process and provide prompt feedback. • Monitor procurement progress and engage stakeholders for implementation of in-country logistics and installation and commissioning activities. • Work with UNICEF South Sudan Supply and Logistics section to develop technical specification documents required for procurement of the services. • Verify and approve payment requests submitted by Solar suppliers. • Providing End-user training • Support all solarization efforts of UNICEF • Actively support climate and energy initiatives of ESARO • Evaluate technical proposals of contractors. • Provide monthly report of solarization progress report • Follow up and provide monthly fund utilization report based on the payment processed. • Monitor and supervise installation and commissioning activities. • Support on any solarization and energy activity of UNICEF South Sudan. • Monitor functionality of solar systems of the previously installed systems.

Deliverables/Outputs: Timeline Deadline Estimated budget Coordinate with MoH, donors and partners to implement solarization of health facilities final contract report • Site commissioning checklist developed and shared. • Commissioning report for already installed 8 sites visited 6 weeks after kickoff 23 Aug 2023 • Operation and Maintenance modality established and documented. • Commissioning report for already installed 4 sites visited 4 weeks 20 Sept • Commissioning report for already installed 6 sites visited . • Solar systems functionality and progress report report. 5 weeks 25 Oct 2023 • Progress report on Yambio, Juba, Juba and Torit State Cold Chain Stores and site readiness for installation • Solar systems sites monitoring and functionality and commissioning report (10 sites). 8 weeks 20 Dec 2023 • Final contract report 1 week 31 Dec 2023.

1 Bachelors Enter Disciplines - BSc in Electrical, Energy and Mechanical Engineering Minimum 8 years’ working experience in the renewable energy sector. Language Requirements: English. - Extensive experience on energy demand assessment and solar PV system design. Experience with site data collection, monitoring and database management. - Managing solarization of health facilities projects in complex situations - Solid experience in leading donor-funded projects with demonstratable results. - Prior experience in solar PV installation and supervision. - Experience with Solar Energy systems other than Solar PV. - Knowledge of energy efficiency and energy conservation concepts. - Experience with energy modeling software as well as general engineering software like AutoCAD. Extensive AutoCAD experience drafting 1 and 3-line diagrams. - Experience with Solar Energy systems other than Solar PV. - Knowledge of energy efficiency and energy conservation concepts. - Work experience in managing a project emergency context - Previous working experience with UNICEF, other UN agencies or international humanitarian organizations is an asset

All applications MUST be accampied with detailed technical and financial proposal.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.