Infrastructure Quality Assurance Advisor - Nigeria
Description
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
The Department
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and its influence spreads across the continent. Yet, inequality and insecurity have consistently undermined Nigeria's development. Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond to these challenges. The Nigeria team is headquartered in Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with offices throughout Nigeria. With a strong and growing team, Mercy Corps is currently reaching more than 2 million Nigerians with interventions. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian needs, and market systems development. Working with a diverse funding base, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. We stand with Nigeria to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country.
The Position
The Infrastructure Quality Assurance Advisor is responsible for ensuring best practice in the design, implementation, and follow up of all infrastructure components of the Mercy Corps portfolio. This includes supporting a culture of accountability to infrastructure minimum standards and best practice. The focus will be on cross-cutting infrastructure systems, ensuring consistency in our approach, supervision, and documentation of all infrastructure. Beyond building systems to support infrastructure quality assurance, the Advisor will play a hands on role at critical moments of program planning, providing surge support to program specific engineers as needed and contributing to design, start-up, and close out functions as they relate to infrastructure elements. Common focus areas of infrastructure for Mercy Corps include water distribution systems (both urban and rural) and public buildings (markets, schools, hospitals, etc). Additional technical support in their area of expertise (e.g. WASH infrastructure) will be leveraged to inform innovations in sustainability and maintenance of infrastructure systems.
Essential Responsibilities
INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
- Establish tracking systems to oversee the status of all infrastructure in the portfolio
- Analyze performance data for infrastructure to identify trends in opportunities and gaps, using lessons learned to inform program pivots and encourage a culture of continuous learning
- Collaborate with the Operations team to track infrastructure contracts, analyze performance trends and identify ways to streamline the process.
- Provide technical contributions to tender processes for infrastructure
- Ensure that project schedule, implementation and procurement plans, budget, and risk register are prepared. Assist infrastructure teams to prepare such documents, as needed
- Onboard both contracted and full time employed engineers to Mercy Corps Infrastructure expectations and act as a mentor and guide for career growth
- Create a community of practice among engineers on staff, encouraging a culture of cross-team learning
- Any other duties as required
INFRASTRUCTURE QUALITY ASSURANCE
- Review and provide feedback and follow up for drawings and specifications prepared by design firms and in-house engineers
- Develop a system for spot checks on portfolio infrastructure, both during and after construction
- Develop the resources (tools, trainings, etc) needed for teams to implement and exceed on the infrastructure minimum standards and conduct program audits, supporting corrective actions where needed
- Collaborate with Mercy Corps’ Senior Infrastructure Delivery Manager (ST WASH) and Global Infrastructure team to ensure application of all minimum standards, technical consultation where relevant, and information flow to/from global.
- Where necessary, provide surge support to program infrastructure components. This can include but is not limited to:
- Provide workflow management to implementing teams and contractors
- Support to contractor management, design review, etc.
- Site reviews
- Develop and implement program specific, site specific QA plans and ensure implementation
PORTFOLIO SUPPORT
- During design processes for new awards, contribute with technical inputs to best practice, MEL indicators, and budget related to construction processes.
- Collaborate with the TSU, Program Leads and PAQ Unit to develop thought leadership in infrastructure best practice
WASH GUIDANCE
- Support growth in innovative WASH infrastructure governance models, testing and scaling evidence-based strategies, including public-private models for operations and maintenance, capital funding, and more
- Support water security conversations, with technical contributions to use of water infrastructure to improve access to productive water
- Support tailored models for implementation in both rural and urban settings
Supervisory Responsibility
The Infrastructure Advisor will not directly manage any individuals but will have dotted line support to the program specific engineers.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: PAQ Director
Works Directly With: Program Directors, Engineers, Director of Programs, Operations Director, Global Infrastructure Team
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
- BSc, or master’s degree, in civil engineering (or related field)
- At least 12 years of experience in design and construction of various infrastructure projects, with work on water treatment projects and work in urban environments a plus
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- Ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel and to be a neutral party with people of different perspectives and backgrounds
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Experience in managing contracts with engineering design consultants, and construction firms
- Experience in reviewing tenders and developing recommendation for award
- Strong construction management experience including ability to review contractor work plans, budgets and work progress
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action to not delay program activities
- Strong ability and demonstrated experience in mentoring and building high performing engineering teams
- Strong digital literacy, with proven experience using cloud based file management systems, and apps for project management.
- Knowledge and experience of USAID funded projects is a plus
- Prior experience working for/with INGOs is a plus
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have high attention to detail and strong people skills. The candidate will have a strong sense of initiative and approach challenges with a problem solving mentality. The candidate will have a passion for building team capacity and an eye for innovation. The candidate will be willing to travel and work in difficult and remote locations as needed.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Yola, Adamawa State with the possibility of relocation to Maiduguri, Borno it requires up to 60% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in guest house accommodations with access to basic medical services.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.