UNDP Jobs - 24509- International Coastal Engineer

International Coastal Engineer

Location :

Monrovia, LIBERIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2011

Application Deadline :

27-Jul-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Eight weeks

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Eight weeks

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

With finance provided through the Climate Change Adaptation Least Developed Countries’ Fund window (LDCF), the GEF has approved a project for Liberia titled “Enhancing resilience to climate change impacts in coastal Liberia”.

At three representative sites, LDCF funds will demonstrate how low-cost, low-tech, sustainable measures to adapt to climate change can be successfully implemented in coastal areas in the Liberian context. As a result, three sites will be sustainably protected against sea levels storms and surges, and the concerned communities will be sustainably managing coastal ecosystems.

Gabion groynes and revetments will be complemented by improved planning, participatory monitoring, improved resources management and community maintenance schemes. These three sites will have served as a school of learning for national and county level experts, agencies and decision-makers. An international coastal engineer is needed to provide expert guidance on this aspect of the project.

The project seeks to increase resilience and enhance adaptive capacity to address the additional risks posed by climate change in the coastal regions in Liberia, which will be achieved through three components:

Duties and Responsibilities

Working under the direct supervision of the project manager, the international coastal engineer will undertake frequent field visits to project demonstration sites in three counties in Liberia.
More specifically, the international coastal engineer will be entrusted with the following tasks:

Oversees, in close collaboration with local coastal engineer, feasibility study and design of gabions and revertments at the three pilot sites and formally submits updates to National Project Coordinator and reports on work plan progress to the NPC as requested.

Provide training for five persons in relevant national agencies and five persons from each county on how to: measure beach movement; measure wave dynamics; monitor the impact of gabions/revetments rock crushing and gabion basket construction

Provide guidance/advice on construction of gabion groins and revetments and related civil works, and assist in developing monitoring plan for gabions, revetments and related civil works at each site.

Prepare an easy to use manual based on the training provided.

Submit a mission report which will include, amongst other things recommendations for policy-makers and other stakeholders to address these issues in a holistic manner

Application Procedure:

All interested candidates are required to submit their applicatins to this job site as usual.
Go to http://www.lr.undp.org/procure.htm to read the procurement notice
and then submit their proposal (letter indicating interest and suitability for the position) along with financial proposal as requested in the procurement notice to consultants.lr@undpaffiliates.org.
Submissions to the above email address must carry the procurement notice number in the subject area of the email.

Competencies

The international coastal engineer will have internationally renowned expertise in at least one of the following fields: Civil engineering; Coastal zone management or related discipline. Knowledge, skills sought will include:

Extensive knowledge of coastal erosion/management and climate change adaptation issues
Ability to work on or around water especially along the coast
Knowledge of coastal defense mitigation methods
Knowledge of use of hard structures for erosion mitigation
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in order to communicate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences.
Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently
Experience with coastal management initiatives (assessments, monitoring, etc.)is a major plus

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidates must hold a M.SC. or an advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g. coastal management, coastal engineering, civil engineering).
Professional specialization in civil engineering and climate change adaptation issues from a developmental point of view will be a distinct advantage

Experience:

Minimum 7 years experience with at least 5 years of proven experience in the mentioned field.
Demonstrated track record of climate change adaptation project management

Language:

Mastery of written English is a requirement.