Construction Engineer, NOB Fixed Term Beirut, Lebanon

For every child, 

Syria’s conflict has generated a crisis not only inside the country but throughout the region. Now in its eight year, this crisis has resulted in the displacement of over one million people into Lebanon alone. This crisis has now become a national Lebanese crisis creating an incredible burden on the Government, UN, humanitarian agencies and host communities. The crisis is becoming increasingly challenging and is having a serious impact on the country and its populations. Today, Lebanon is hosting about 1.5 million persons displaced from Syria, additionally poor Lebanese are also affected by this crisis as well as Palestinian refugees. This means that over 1 million children are affected by this crisis in Lebanon alone. This has resulted in over 650,000 refugee children in the school-age group; with an average of 200,000 refugee children accessing public schools through UNICEF and the Government’s response plan – there has been a heavy impact on the physical conditions of existing schools and the availability of spaces. In this context, a dedicated Construction Engineer is strategically important, to guide the significant funding Lebanon receives towards the rehabilitation and/or construction of public schools.

How can you make a difference?

The incumbent will provide professional technical assistance to education programs /school rehabilitation projects through the application of theoretical and technical skills in design, planning, administration, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis and progress reporting to facilitate program development, design and preparation. Commitment for enhancement of gender-sensitive teamwork and capacity building, in support of achievement of planned objectives of the work plan, aligned with country programme goals and strategy.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to program/ Project development and planning:

•Support preparation of technical reports and provide inputs for the education program /school construction and rehabilitation projects, preparation and documentation through ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information

•Prepare required documentations/materials to facilitate the program review and approval process

2. Program/ Project management, monitoring and delivery of results:

•Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to collect/analyze/share information on implementation issues, suggest solutions on routine program implementation and submit report to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned

•Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program/project reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders

•Prepare draft inputs for programme/donor reporting

3. Technical and operational support to program/Project implementation:

•Undertake field visits and surveys and/or collect/share information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results

•Provide technical and operational support to all concerned parties on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on implementing the Project and related issues to support program implementation, operations and delivery of results

4.Networking and partnership building:

•Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate program/ project implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programs

•Supports coordination with members of the development community, including NGOs, UN and bilateral agencies in the exchange of information relating to Education sector

5.Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

•Provide support in identifying, capturing, synthesizing and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders

•Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable program results

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the construction Engineer to program preparation and planning and implementation of programs/projects, contribute to achievement of sustainable results to improve learning outcomes and equitable, inclusive and universal access to education. Success in education programs and projects in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide program services for children that promotes greater social equality in the country

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a university degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture or Quality Surveying. A strong working knowledge of both Lebanese construction practice and international best practice methodology

A minimum of 5 years experience in building construction in Lebanon. Experience in (public) school construction an asset. Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset. Background in Emergency programme an asset.

Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

Fluency in English and Arabic are required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are:

Core Values

Commitment

Diversity and inclusion

Integrity

Core competencies

Communication [ II] 

Working with People [ I ]

Drive for Results [ I ]    

Functional Competencies: 

Formulating Strategies and Concepts [ I ]

Analyzing   [ II] 

Applying Technical Expertise [ II ]

Learning and Researching [ II] 

Planning and Organizing  [ II ]

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

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