Project Infrastructure Engineer

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, the organization’s mission is the enduring purpose: to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster, including the climate crisis, to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

The IRC has been working in Somalia since 2006, providing essential services to conflict and disaster-affected communities. The IRC has been operational in Banadir (Mogadishu), Puntland, Galmudug, and Southwest State implementing interventions in the areas of livelihoods, WASH, governance, peacebuilding, women’s protection and empowerment, nutrition, education, and health reaching hundreds of thousands of conflict and drought affected people.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The infrastructure engineer will be responsible for overseeing and managing the planning, design, and implementation of infrastructure-related projects in the areas of WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), health, economic recovery, development (ERD), and protection. The engineer will work closely with the project coordinators and other team members to ensure that the projects are successfully executed within the set timelines, budget, and quality standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct a technical and feasibility assessment of all planned construction and rehabilitation works in project operational areas.
• Identify key infrastructure construction risks and communicate with the Nexus senior coordinator, project coordinator, and key stakeholders, as well as develop appropriate mitigation measures for all construction-associated risks.
• Develop technical designs, detailed bills of quantities (BOQ) with estimated costs, drawings and structural calculations, and scope of work for the construction and rehabilitation works required in line with the BMZ/GFFO regulations as well as the existing local, national, and international standards.
• Ensure all construction adheres to environmental and social safeguards standards.
• Develop a detailed construction implementation (DIP) work plan right from the initial stage until the post-work completion handover stage in line with the IRC`s construction guidelines.
• Ensure the quality control of the work, compliance with quality standards and specifications, and safe construction practices.
• Verify that incoming materials are of the highest quality and from an acceptable country of origin (as required).
• Participate in the procurement of construction-related works and materials, from tender preparation to evaluation, and ensure adequate technical considerations are in place before the award of construction contracts.
• Review existing implementation plans for accuracy and quality, and where possible, suggest technical changes to avoid any deviation from the delivery timeframe and quality programming.
• Write and submit weekly activity reports and file visit reports at critical points of the construction or rehabilitation work.
• As appropriate, ensure that the contractor maintains proper inventory control systems for commodities and goods transactions.
• As required, support emergency planning processes and responses.
• Certify the achievement of contractual milestones and provide a report to the nexus BMZ/GFFO Project Coordinator so payment to contractors can be processed in a timely.
• Manage relations with contractors from inception to closure, ensuring that all parties adhere to the provisions of the contract.
• Contribute to the performance review of contractors as part of the procurement committee.
• Document any breaches by contractors and escalate to management accordingly.
• Supervise and follow up on construction to ensure timely, cost-effective, and quality delivery of the works.

REQUIREMENTS:

BSc in Civil Engineering or hydrogeology or equivalent

• 5 years experience in managing water supply and sanitation, irrigation canals, and rural infrastructure facilities.
• Experience in supervision of contractors and contract administration.
• Experience working with BMZ/GFFO or similar bilateral donor or multilateral development banks, on commercial contract management.
• A thorough understanding of the institutional and political context in Somalia and power dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability for rapid analysis of complex issues, strong decision-making, and translation of programmatic priorities into operational strategies.
• Ability to oversee the measurement and communication of robust results and impact and hold their team and implementing partners accountable for good and timely performance.
• Strong understanding of operational management, fiduciary risk, attention to Value for Money, and the importance of learning and continual improvement.
• Fluency in English and Somali desired.
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and preferably design and drawing software.
• Have skills in computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating and modifying technical drawings for infrastructure systems, such as water supply systems, sanitation facilities, and health facilities. Examples of popular CAD software include AutoCAD and SolidWorks, Geographic Information System (GIS) software, hydraulic modeling software, building information modeling, and database management software.
• Ability to manage a large and varied workload, work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Somali nationals are particularly encouraged to apply.