Since 2007 the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) has been carrying out several activities for stimulating a more sustainable urbanisation process in Darfur, by introducing seamless construction technologies through direct community involvement, carrying out land studies and delivering institutional capacity development on urban planning and management. In particular, the use of stabilized soil blocks (SSB) for construction was identified and successfully tested as an affordable and environmental-friendly technology for the most vulnerable groups. UN-Habitat participated effectively in the Darfur Joint Assessment (DJA) in August 2012 and in the development of Darfur Development Strategy which was endorsed during the Doha Donors’ conference in April 2013 and identified a number of joint programme with other UN agencies and individual projects focusing on Improving Urban Environment, enhancing the basic services and infrastructure.

Under overall supervision of the Head of Office and direct supervision of the National Programme Coordinator, the Construction Engineer shall perform the following duties:

1. Ensure proper and efficient implementation of activities according to the Project work plan
2. Ensure effective communication and coordination between the Project office and the UN-Habitat Country office in Khartoum and sub-office in El fasher
3. Provide direction and leadership in advocating project objectives and in ensuring that all interested parties are well informed about the project activities and goals
4. Provide technical leadership in planning and implementation of the construction of basic service facilities, community facilities in collaboration with operational partners including state and local authorities, private sector and civil society initiatives, community leaders, CBOs,.
5. Establish effective coordination mechanism to ease collaboration and sharing of information among UN-Habitat team in Khartoum and with UN-Habitat partners in North and West Darfur
6. Prepare and update annual and quarterly work plans, and submits these to the UN-Habitat Office in Khartoum for clearance and approval
7. Ensure that the co-implementing partners and implementing agencies/ sub-contractors mobilize and deliver the outputs in accordance with the agreement or contracts, and provide regularly prepare progress reports
8. Provide advice on community involvement in the process of self-help construction of community facilities and self-help housing construction;
9. Liaise with the state Ministry of Planning and Physical Development, locality concerned departments, State government line ministries, communities to promote sustainability
10. Ensures that the “Stabilized Soil Block” building techniques are adequately understood and applied by all implementation partners
11. In collaboration with the Trainers on Stabilized Soil Block (SSB), participate in the training of trainers and of community construction groups during the piloting and mainstreaming of the “SSB” building technologies
12. Provide technical advice -  in the area of design, costing, drawings, Quantity surveying, Quality control, tender processing and contracting- to the project and partners
13. Establish contacts in view of strengthening partnership with Partners
14. Ensure safety and security of the field staff in close coordination with the UN security focal persons
15. Carry out any other tasks related to Programme planning, implementation and monitoring.

1. M. Sc. in Construction Engineering or Architecture. Additional years of relevant work experience may substitute for the requirement for master degree.
2. At least 3 years of experience in low-cost construction and familiarity with alternative building materials and technologies, in particular the SSB
3. Experience in interacting with a range of partners including national, international and CBOs groups.
4. Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic. 

COMPETENCY:

• Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with client and partners by gaining trust and respect.

• Should be familiar with community based development initiatives, has a good personality and reputation, dynamic, committed and dedicated to his/her work
• Experience with a development project and knowledge of the project cycle
• Must have very good communication and leadership capacity;
• Must have good analysis and drafting capacity;
• Highly self-directed, motivated and must have team spirit;
• Flexibility and good organization skills;