Site Planner Construction Coordinator , Iraq

Department: Programme
Position: Site Planner Construction Coordinator Contract duration: 6 months Location: Erbil, Iraq
Starting Date: ASAP

I. Background on ACTED

ACTED is an independent international, private, non-partisan and non-profit organization that operates according to principles of strict neutrality, political and religious impartiality, and non discrimination.

ACTED was created in 1993 to support populations affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. Based in Paris, France, ACTED now operates in 30 countries worldwide, with over 200 international and 3000 national staff. ACTED has a 100 million € budget for over 350 projects spanning 8 sectors of intervention; including emergency relief, food security, health promotion, economic development, education & training, microfinance, local governance & institutional support, and cultural promotion. For more information, please visit our website at www.acted.org

II. Country Profile

Capital Office : Bagdad National Staff : 125 (July 2012) International Staff : 6 (July 2012) Areas : 2 (Erbil, Kut) On-going programmes: 2 Bugdet : about 3 M€ (2011)

ACTED began work in Iraq in 2003. ACTED has one base in southern Iraq in Kut and in 2007 opened a base in Erbil to better respond to IDP needs in the Kurdistan region. ACTED originally focused on improving the health, water and sanitation conditions of vulnerable populations in southern Iraq, but the deteriorating security situation and drastic increase in the number of displaced people have resulted in a new focus on meeting IDP and host community needs, based on the experience in IDP camps in Lebanon. The ACTED Iraq national team includes around 100 people who implement multi-sector emergency relief projects including WATSAN activities, gender based violence awareness, health promotion, economic rehabilitation, food security, and distribution of basic relief commodities.

Supporting long-term impacts through sustainable livelihoods and support to local civil society - For ACTED Iraq, 2011 was a year of transition from emergency relief and rehabilitation to development. To support the slow march towards peace and stability, ACTED implemented a dynamic range of programming from the distribution of basic necessities to internally displaced families to apprenticeship programs, gender-based violence awareness and capacity building of local authorities and Iraqi civil society.

In 2011, ACTED partnered with an Iraqi NGO for the first time in order to jointly implement a project providing assistance to Iraq’s displaced populations. Moving forward, ACTED will prioritise partnership with local Iraqi NGOs to better deliver assistance through their detailed knowledge of and experience with target communities, build the capacity of Iraq’s civil society and move toward increasingly sustainable and longer-term interventions.

III. Position Profile

(Camp) Site Planner / Construction Coordinator, Erbil IRAQ

The Site Planner / Construction Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Country Director and Area Coordinator, in coordination with other colleagues working in the field, in particular those involved in camp planning, set-up and construction. The Site Planner / Construction Coordinator will work in close coordination with other functional units in the region, including the GIS Officer in Erbil and the Regional Planning and GIS Manager based in Amman.

Duties:

• Conduct technical feasibility studies for identification of adequate refugee sites in close coordination with UN agencies, local authorities and implementing partners.
• Ensure that basic technical criteria of land availability/property, accessibility, security, topography, water resources, absorption capacity, and adequate terrain for proper sanitation facilities are taken into consideration while selecting potential refugee sites. Other factors such as national reserves, migration corridor, and flooding, possible conflict with local population have also to be taken into consideration during the site planning.
• Develop, in close coordination with implementing partners and other concerned parties, site plans and their implementation modalities, including construction of communal infrastructure, taking into account overall needs of target groups, their cultural preferences and the concerns of the local communities keeping in mind policy priorities of donors.
• Coordinate with ACTED Site Construction Managers to ensure that camp development and construction is in line with camp master plan.
• Ensure that sites designs take into consideration protection oriented issues related to gender based violence and women and children needs. The security/privacy of women and children, the adequate location of latrines, of communal services, and of distribution areas have also to be addressed.
• Coordinate with refugee committees, local authorities and other partners the identification of potential needs related to shelter and NFIs and ensure that NFI need identification/distribution is coordinated among all the actors.
• Analyze the technical integrity of interventions in the camps and in the refugee-affected areas.
• Act as a focal point in the areas of physical planning, shelter and construction.
• Provide regular technical reports to the supervisor, and to other colleagues as appropriate.
• Advise on the matters related to procurement of sector-related materials or equipment.

IV. Qualifications:

Essential Job-Related Knowledge: - pecialized functions to be dealt by the incumbent in this post includes physical planning, shelter and engineering infrastructures, which imply that the person should have a strong academic qualification in civil engineering construction, shelter design and structural analysis, and physical planning issues. - Competent and previous professional experience in the areas of rural development, natural resources and environmental management. - Familiarity with and considerable field exposure to program planning and implementation in humanitarian operations. - Skills on project formulation, planning, supervision and management. - Team player, adaptive and flexible to various situations, including emergency operations under varied socio-cultural and physical environment. - Strong analytical, drafting and diplomatic skills, and proficient in basic computer software, including engineering and site planning design tools.

Minimum Qualifications: - University degree in civil engineering / architecture / urban planning with coursework in physical planning, construction management, infrastructure development or any other related subjects (Master’s Degree preferred). - Minimum 3-5 years of progressively relevant professional working experience in the related field in developing countries - Fluency in English is essential.

V. Conditions:

• • Salary defined by the ACTED salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
• • Additional monthly living allowance
• • Free food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment)
• • Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance
• • Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package

How to apply:

Please send, in English, your cover letter, CV, and three references to jobs@acted.org Ref : SP/IRA/SA