Infrastructure Engineer
Somalia Country Programme
Background
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of
Africa since 1997. Using a protection of human rights framework, DRC has mainly focused on Somalis
who are displaced by conflict. Program includes protection, livelihoods, food and NFI distribution, water
and sanitation, and advocacy amongst others. There are 4 main program offices in Somali region, one in
Yemen, one in Kenya and one regional office in Nairobi. There are also non-operational region wide
initiatives, focusing on advocacy and capacity building, which are supported from the Nairobi regional
office. Currently, there are over 250 DRC staff in the region. In the last two years, there has been
significant growth in the size of the CDRD programme that requires support to maintain quality and
accountability.
The Community-Driven Recovery and Development (CDRD) project is a collaborative effort between
various partners that include, DRC, UNICEF, DANIDA, DFID, EC, SIDA and local
Authorities/governments. The objective of CDRD project is to provide services to communities, to
empower communities and provide capacity development to local councils. Through the CDRD,
communities receive grants to support the implementation of their projects (here referred to as subprojects). A complementary project to CDRD is The Develop Informed and Accountable Local
Governance through User Empowerment (DIALOGUE) project, which addresses the inability of civil
society to translate peace building initiatives into state-building interventions and the lack of strong public
participation in local governance. The DIALOGUE project complements CDRD interventions through
inter-community projects that address the causes of localized conflicts and district-wide projects
implemented jointly by communities and local authorities.
Objective
The infrastructure Engineer is responsible for overseeing the technical engineering direction of DRC
construction projects in Somalia. This will include providing the requisite support to program activities that
require engineering support including livelihoods, WASH, Shelter and CDRD projects. The core
responsibilities will include project implementation, networking and liaison, communication, capacity
building and field staff mentorship, monitoring, reporting & evaluation.
For the CDRD project, the Infrastructure Engineer will review and monitor community sub projects both at
proposal and implementation stages to ensure engineering quality and control including adequate safe
guards against environmental impact. S/he will provide capacity building for DRC local engineers,
community facilitators and local authorities / district engineers, in the use of the various technical
templates used in the design and in progress reporting of the community sub projects. He/she will provide
engineering technical inputs in support of the CDRD Management Information System (MIS).
Key Responsibilities:
 Provide technical engineering support to Somalia program activities related to CDRD
construction project activities.
 Develop/establish and maintain accepted infrastructural standards for the sector and ensure
that project staff, partner agencies and recipient communities understand, accept and adhere to
these standards.
 Design of various technical templates including bill of quantities, bill of materials and reporting
formats, based on a pre-determined list of community sub projects identified in the course of the
implementation of the CDRD project (e.g. primary schools, health posts, irrigation systems,
etc.).
 Provide support to CDRD field engineers in the establishment of a database of market
construction unit prices and material prices, updated at least on quarterly basis.
 Review of the technical specifications, engineering designs and work schedules to ensure
consistency with the most appropriate technology and existing ministry /sector standards.
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Review of the bill of quantities and bill of materials in the CDRD/DIALOGUE-funded community
sub project proposals to ensure the estimated costs are reasonable and comparable to the
market rates.
Review CDRD/DIALOGUE-funded sub projects both at proposal and implementation stages to
ensure engineering quality and control including adequate safe guards against environmental
impact.
Where implementation is out-sourced in CDRD/DIALOGUE-funded sub-projects, review and
advise on the bidding and tender documents and processes to ensure competitive bidding and
conformity with the procurement procedures.
Ensure the projects are implemented with the set designs, BOQs and BOMs, and project
budget lines are expended within approved limit as stipulated by individual donors’ guideline as
far as construction work is concern.
Ensure the construction project activities are well coordinated and implemented in an integral
manner so as to ensure effective and efficient utilization of physical and human resource during
implementation.
Regularly review the physical progress reports to ensure accuracy and consistency in reporting.
Undertake regular field visits to carry –out technical audits during the implementation of the
CDRD/DIALOGUE- funded sub-projects
Representing DRC in Shelter cluster technical issues related to infrastructure with close
consultation with the PD/CD and relevant Area Managers.
Coordinate with Area Managers in requisition, procurement and delivery of project input
materials, supplies and labor as far as construction work is concerned.
Contribute to the creation and compilation of the annual operation plans and project proposals
whenever required.
Document, share and strive to solve difficulties that may be encountered in implementation of
the construction projects.
Regularly conduct training sessions for field engineers and community facilitators (who will in
turn train communities and local authorities) in the use of the various technical templates
including bill of quantities, bill of materials, and technical reporting templates etc.
Train field engineer on collecting materials prices and construction unit prices, including data
entry and analysis
Any other reasonable task as may be assigned by his/her supervisor/senior Management.
Reporting Arrangements
The post holder reports to the Program Director of Somalia and will work in collaboration with Area
Managers and the WASH coordinator
Qualifications
Essential:
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Post-graduate degree in Civil/Architectural Engineering or other relevant post-graduate degree.
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A minimum of 2-4 years of field experience in emergency and displacement situations.
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Knowledge of participatory approaches and tools to community planning, monitoring and evaluation
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Proficiency in written and spoken English is required. Extensive experience in report writing and
editing is required.
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Good command of computer programs and applications with significant capabilities in computerized
database and spreadsheet construction, and their practical application. Practical knowledge of
AutoCAD, ArcGIS or other GIS programmes is required.
Preferable:
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Strong interpersonal and communication skills
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Self-motivated and able to work with a minimum of guidance
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Willingness and physical ability to perform field missions in rural areas under restricted security
conditions
Conditions:
Contract:
Availability:
One year renewable contract.
Salary and other conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms
of Employment for Field Recruited Expatriates recruited by the Horn of Africa Regional
Office.
July 2012
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Duty Station:
Other benefits:
Hargeisa. This is a non-family duty station.
Housing facility in Hargeisa, R&R as per DRC policy, 25 annual leave days per
annual, insurance; and one return flight home
Commitments
DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability committments. All
staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html).
Application and CV
Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated
CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post. Only motivated
applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered.
CV-only applications will not be considered.
Please forward the application and CV, in English and marked “Infrastructure Engineer”, to
drcjobs@drchoa.org no later than 27 May, 2012.
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