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Construction Coordinator
Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Ilana Raskind
| Deadline: | 02 Jun 2008 |
| Organisation: | International Rescue Committee (IRC) |
| Location: | Congo (DR) |
| Type: | permanent |
| Salary: | TBA (000's USD) |
| Description: | Headquartered in Kinshasa, with provincial bases in Bukavu, Goma, Lubumbashi, Kisangani and Kananga, the IRC is one of the largest NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The IRC aims to save lives, strengthen Congolese institutions and reinforce social cohesion through carefully designed and professionally implemented programs. The IRC has been working in the DRC since 1996, initially providing a range of life-saving support to displaced and war-impacted communities. The IRC currently operates in seven provinces throughout DRC, implementing programs in six core programming areas: primary health care, community-driven reconstruction, prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, civil society development, education support and livelihoods, and emergency preparedness and response.
SCOPE OF WORK
The Construction Coordinator oversees IRC's construction and rehabilitation activities in the province. These activities are primarily related to primary health care programs (health centers, hospitals, administrative buildings, community treatment centers) and, potentially, to a range of community-led micro-projects involving water and sanitation systems (e.g. gravity-feed systems), education (schools), transport (small roads, bridges) and business (markets). The activities and projects that the Construction Coordinator oversees involve both direct implementation and implementation through consulting engineers and contractors. The post therefore involves ensuring that design, construction and field supervision are conducted to a high professional standard by IRC employees and the private contractors. Due to the community-led nature of many of the projects, the Construction Coordinator will be expected to develop and maintain strong relations with community groups throughout IRC programs. RESPONSIBILITIES Strategy Ensure that overall project implementation and monitoring systems support IRC's strategic objectives in the DRC and are aligned with and embody the core principles of the IRC's Program Framework: Protection and Promotion of Rights, Participation, Capacity Building, Partnership, and Holistic Programming. Ensure that IRC projects adequately meet beneficiary needs and related targets. Work towards greater community involvement and ownership of their social and capital structures, during design phase, award of contracts, construction and utilization. In collaboration with relevant sectors, notably Health, develop and use appropriate criteria for the selection of specific projects (rehabilitation/construction) in line with project objectives and taking into account operational resources and constraints. Implementation For all infrastructure: Oversee the design (directly or contracted) of infrastructures that are adapted to population needs and context and match international and national norms and standards. Establish and oversee implementation of systems for: o Controlling the quality of supplied construction materials, o Closely monitoring market prices, o Tracking works progress against work plans, o Controlling the quality of the final construction outputs. Ensure proper provisional and final handover of infrastructure from IRC or the contractors to both the communities and the local authorities. For infrastructure implemented in-house: Ensure that IRC teams' works are effectively supervised, periodically conducting spot checks in the field across the various provinces. For contracted-out infrastructure In collaboration with procurement staff, write and issue tenders (legal and technical components), obtain non-objection approvals from donors, analyze bids and organize awarding committees. Write and negotiate major contracts. Ensure that field supervision of construction works is adequate and that contracts are enforced. Project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Contribute to proposal development. In collaboration with relevant sectors being served by construction projects (notably Health), establish a system for rapid assessment of potential interventions and scoring/ranking against suitable selection criteria: o Create simple database (and map) of potential and accepted project locations and intervention details, costs, etc., as the basis for ongoing monitoring; o Ensure weekly and monthly updates with the relevant sectors, including planning meetings with the sector heads and updates on progress and budgets. Oversee the appropriate collection and analysis of project data based on standards and on project's indicators in conjunction with IRC HQ Technical Advisors. Produce recommendations on ways to improve project methodology, impact, beneficiary participation, coverage, etc. and share lessons learned within IRC. Ensure that accurate and organized records are kept in field offices by Construction Coordinators/Managers. Human Resources Management Manage the construction team; provide leadership and supervision. Actively promote staff development and conduct mainly on-the-job trainings so that high performing national staff may be promoted to managerial positions. Create, in liaison with the HR Department, a staff development plan that establishes activities and benchmarks for developing the capacity of all construction staff. Write job descriptions, establish hiring criteria for project staff, interview and select staff as needed. Provide regular oral and written feedback to staff; conduct written evaluations. Promote professional working relationships and resolve staff conflicts and concerns in a timely manner. Analyse and monitor IRC programs with a view to identifying and preventing any exploitation or abuse of beneficiaries by IRC or partner staff and institutions. Grants & Budget Management Manage, in a strategic manner, construction/rehabilitation budgets and/or budget components to ensure an appropriate and efficient use of resources in the area of operation. Particular attention should be given to prevent, limit, identify, document and dismiss staff involved in fraud and corruption. Review and consolidate monthly internal reports. Contribute to the production of required reports for donors, in collaboration with the Program Department in Kinshasa. Security Achieve competency in use of all communications equipment. Be fully capable of implementing emergency response procedures without assistance. Develop and follow the achievement of the same skills and behaviour by construction staff. Representation and Networking Ensure close and meaningful relationships with local authorities and mainstream the principle of partnership in project implementation. Organize and facilitate, upon request and with supervisor, meetings and field visits for stakeholders interested in our construction activities. Liaise with other NGOs and agencies to ensure consistency of approaches and strategies within the communities. Work closely and collaborate with IRC program and operations staff to ensure an integrated approach to project implementation and management. REQUIREMENTS o Degree or equivalent experience in construction or engineering. o 3+ years of construction site management and/or engineering experience, preferably in an international setting and/or in Africa. o Water and sanitation engineering/construction experience. o Ability to work independently while being a strong team player. o Ability to work well under unstable security, administrative, and programmatic pressures. o Advanced knowledge of usual desktop software such as Word, Excel, and Outlook o Culturally sensitive with the ability and interest to work with a multi-ethnic team o Must demonstrate flexibility to adapt to changing requirements o Must be willing to live in shared housing o Must be willing to follow security guidelines and restrictions o Must be willing to endure basic living and/or group living conditions To apply for this position please go online to http://www.theIRC.org, click "Jobs" and search under "DRC". |
