Housing Reconstruction Manager (Civil Engineer)

Job Title

Housing Reconstruction Manager (Civil Engineer)

Division

International Development Services

Reporting to

Deputy Team Leader

Duration

Fixed Term 1 year (with possibility of extension)

Location

MM head Office in Lalitpur, with 75% of time expected to be in the field away from the office in Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa and Nuwakot district

Job Profile

Mott MacDonald is an employee-owned management, development and engineering consultancy serving the public and private sector around the world, with more than 16,000 staff worldwide. 

Our International Development Services Unit, IDS, operates portfolios within the international development sectors of Environment, Climate, Water, Roads, Rural & Urban Development, Education, Health, Social and Economic Development in over 40 countries. Together we implement and manage projects in developing countries and emerging economies around the world, supporting national governments and municipalities in policy, planning, project design and delivery. We are committed to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to provide our expertise to improve the lives of people in need.

Project Description

PURNIMA is a five-year programme funded by UK Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by Mott MacDonald which will run until September 2022. The objective is long-term positive change in the lives of people in earthquake-affected regions of Nepal.

The programme is working in four of the worst-affected districts (Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, and Rasuwa) and includes five Output Areas:

1. Support and capacity building to Government agencies at federal, provincial and local level in reconstruction planning and implementation.
2. Reconstruction of rural infrastructure, including water supply, foot trails, bridges, and schools
3. Interventions to address constraints to the private sector in relation to construction, including access to finance, innovation and skills.
4. A Challenge Fund to ‘leave no-one behind’ in the reconstruction effort, and to restore and improve livelihoods, food security and access to services (including housing grants and related support services) for the most vulnerable.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.

Housing Reconstruction sub-component under Challenge Fund (CF)

Four years on from the 2015 earthquake and approaching the final period of Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority’s (NRA) housing reconstruction phase, there are still some vulnerable households who have not been able to complete their housing reconstruction and are still living without safe shelter. Under the guidance of NRA and DFID, Purnima is planning to provide additional required tailored support to those vulnerable people who are yet to complete their house reconstruction. This support is to enable these households, in line with NRA guidelines and in full collaboration with respective Palika authorities, to complete their house reconstruction within the year of 2022, so that no-one is left behind in this fundamental pillar of Nepal’s earthquake recovery. Purnima’s CF Implementing Partner Organisations have already carried out a housing profile assessment and identified about 338 houses to be supported through this initiative over the period of next one year in 12 Palikas of 4 project districts.  This position is thus to provide overall technical and compliance guidance, supervision and monitoring of all partners’ (POs) implementing the housing reconstruction activities.

Job Description

Effectively coordinate and manage the Housing Reconstruction sub-component of Challenge Fund to ‘leave no one behind’ in the reconstruction effort, to achieve set objectives effectively and efficiently, including the following duties and responsibilities:

Planning, operation and documentation

• - Provide support to POs to develop and implement the timeline programme, implementation plan and operational procedures and guidelines of housing reconstruction sub-component adhering to National Reconstruction Authority’s (NRA) policy and plan.
• - Review regular project reports submitted by the partner and synthesize in accordance with DFID/NRA requirements; communicate directly with the Output Lead-4 under Purnima regarding significant issues and recommended actions, and in response to requests for information
• - Ensure that Implementing POs follow Purnima’s compliance requirements for technical quality assurance, health and safety, COVID SOP, operational guidelines transparency, quality and anti-corruption, and any other procedures required as part of the implementation of the housing reconstruction activities.
• - Work with POs and Housing Technical Assistance (TA) providing organisation to ensure consistency in the adopted strategy and approach of housing reconstruction across all POs and Palikas.

Construction and Procurement Quality Assurance

• - Support and guide POs to prepare procurement procedure guidelines that details the requirements and procedures to be followed by the procurement committees for the different types of procurement. It should also detail the documentation requirements for each stage. The procedure procurement guidelines should adhere to the requirements of Purnima and National Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
• - Monitor and follow up closely the implementation of the procurement procedure guidelines, and the collection of all the relevant documentation from all procurement committees during the procurement stage.
• - Make spot checks of the quality of the construction materials to be procured (before the finalisation of the procurement) to ensure it satisfies the identified quality and technical standards and specification identified by Purnima and the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
• - Support and guide POs to prepare construction Monitoring plan and questionnaire (quality assurance plan) to monitor the completion of the various milestones using an agreed monitoring tools to adhere to Purnima’s and NRA’s quality standards and requirements.
• - Make regular site visit spot checks, with additional checks ahead of the completion of the contractual milestones, of the quality of the construction to ensure it satisfies the identified quality and technical standards and specification identified by Purnima and the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA). The spot checks should ensure that houses are reconstructed in compliance with designs, drawings, specifications, regulatory requirements of Purnima and National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), and cash control and cash recording requirements
• - Supervise the POs at all stages of the implementation of the activities for any technical test required for quality control of construction at project site when necessary.

Critical milestones and reporting in online MIS

• - Assist in setting up an online MIS platform to be used to document progress, achievements and contain some of the evidence requirements.
• - Provide necessary direction and guidance to POs for documenting the achievement of this sub-component in online MIS platforms.
• - Track and analyse the POs’ data through online MIS platform and prepare graphical presentation of ongoing activities and milestone achievements. 
• - Report on a regular basis to the deputy team leader on the progress, achievements, observations and issues faced.

Implementing Partner-organisations supervision and capacity development

• - Supervise the four partner organisations contracted for housing reconstruction sub-component in Purnima Programme districts.
• - Closely monitor and ensure that the PO meets construction and cost milestones set as per the contract and report to line managers if likely deviation is expected.
• - Collaborate with Finance Unit and coordinator/s to ensure financial management and quality control are as per the agreed standards of Purnima for all project sites.
• - Identify the area for the capacity development areas of POs and other technical staffs, including a focus on construction quality control, health and safety management at each construction site and execute accordingly.
• - Review the monthly/quarterly report submitted by the implementing POs and provide feedback to them for achieving the standards of reporting.

Recommendations for payment with evidences of meeting critical milestones

• - Visit the construction site for each critical construction milestones, verify activity and results with set milestone including quality assurance, and against each invoice submitted and make recommendation for payment to the POs

Health, safety and safeguarding monitoring

• - Make sure the POs do the assessment of health and safety risks (including Covid-19) at the construction site and mitigation measures are applied.
• - Make sure the POs do the environmental sustainability assessment at the construction site and mitigation measures are applied.
• - Ensure that all the staffs and labours at all project sites are well trained on health, safety, security, safeguarding and environmental sustainability at construction sites.
• - Ensure that Health and safety equipment’s are adequate, relevant and appropriately used in the construction site and all the labours are trained on this matter.
• - Ensure that POs are properly following at all times the Covid-19 Construction Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by Purnima, NRA and local government where applicable

Coordination

• - Liaise with the NRA, CLPIU, DLPIU, Gaunpalikas, and other stakeholders at central and district level
• - Support POs’ Civil Engineers to work collaboratively with house owner, community and government stakeholders
• - Develop good rapports with other components of Purnima, and work in close coordination and collaboration with OA 2 (infrastructure development) and OA 4 (CF - LNOB). 

Candidate Specification

Required Qualification and Experience:

• - Master’s degree in relevant civil engineering with at least 5 years’ experience in rural public buildings and/or housing construction. Or Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a minimum of 7 years’ experience in rural public buildings and housing reconstruction.
• - Demonstrated ability in planning and managing significant construction projects for buildings preferably housing reconstruction after EQ 2015.
• - Building design experience, including an understanding of seismic-resistant design and construction principles and practices.
• - Knowledge and understanding of NRA’s housing reconstruction procedures and guidelines including technical specifications.
• - Demonstrated experience of leading and managing staff.
• - Strong written and verbal communication skills
• - Strong project monitoring and reporting skills against cost, timeline, quality, safety and other compliance objectives.
• - Competent in the use of computer software including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• - Fluent in written and spoken English and Nepali.
• - Able to spend extended periods in the field (up to 75%) including in remote Palikas. 

• - Experience in supervising and constructing community infrastructure works such as the building of schools, community centres, residential houses etc.
• - Experience in conducting consultations and building consensus with a range of local and central level stakeholders, e.g. community-based organisations, local government authorities, district authorities, NRA, CLPIU, DUDBC.

• - Understanding of gender equity and social inclusion concepts and practices.

Management and reporting arrangement:  

The Housing reconstruction Manager will report to Purnima’s Deputy Team Leader and LNOB Lead

Salary: Salary will commensurate to qualification and experience of the selected candidate.