Job Openings at RTI International

RTI International is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a worldwide staff of more than 5,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and multidisciplinary services.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Development of Standard Asset Register and Asset Management Policy

Locations: Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba
LOE: 30 days

Background
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) program seeks to improve urban water and sanitation service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of five state water boards (SWBs) in Nigeria. E-WASH will work toward achieving the following mutually reinforcing objectives:

• Creating professionally managed and commercially oriented SWBs.
• Improving the financial and operational viability of SWBs.
• Strengthening policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services (including establishing accountability mechanisms).
• Building national and state WASH advocacy, coordination, and communications for reform.

The activity is part of USAID’s wider efforts to build closer coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GoN), including the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), select SWBs, and allied stakeholders, to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience through improved WASH services in urban areas. Interventions will be targeted in 5 states selected based on criteria but where there is commitment from the state government leadership and show a willingness to embrace enduring reforms to improve water service delivery. The five states are Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba.

Objectives of the Assignment:

• This assignment seeks to develop standard asset Register and Asset Management Policy for each of the 5 SWBs in Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba States.
• Information like the cost, location, age, description, condition of the assets etc. will be captured in an electronic form.
• Existing Asset record will be migrated to Electronic register. The SWB personnel will be trained on asset management to enhance their capacity to manage the infrastructure at their disposal.

Scope of the Assignment:

• The Asset of the of the E-WASH SWBs are spread over entire state land scape. Most of these assets are in dilapidated condition with little or no information about their condition.
• The aim of this assignment is to develop an asset management policy and Asset Register for the Utilities.
• All the fixed assets of the SWB and their present condition and worth will be captured in an electronic register to aid inventory management and logistics.
• SWB staffs will be trained on asset management to improve their capacity to manage the infrastructures at their disposal.

Type of Assets:

• Main Water Works
• Mini Water Works
• Transmission Network
• Electrical Installations
• Distribution Installation
• Land
• Industrial
• Commercial and administrative buildings
• Laboratories
• Workshops
• Computer Software and Hardware
• Vehicles
• Communication Equipment etc.

Specific Tasks
The STTA will among other things do the following:

• Develop Asset Management Policy for the SWB.
• Develop Electronic Asset Register adopting user friendly application package
• Capture the fixed asset of the Utility in the Asset Register
• Migrate records on the existing Assets of the utility to the new register
• Train at least 15 SWB staff on Asset Management and Updating Asset Register.
• Develop task specific asset management training to be undertaken by the utilities

Deliverables:

• Inception report
• 1st Interim report detailing -Training material on Utility Asset Management, Template for capturing records on Asset
• 2nd Interim report detailing -Training report (at least 15 SWBs staff) trained on asset management
• Asset Management Policy
• Draft final Report
• Final Report

Working Arrangements:

• The STTA will undertake part of the assignment from his/her office and the USAID E-WASH Offices located in Abuja and in designated states where the E-WASH Program is being implemented.
• He/she will work closely with the Utility Technical Advisor (UTA), Utility Technical Specialist and the General Manager of the 5 SWBs i.e. Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba States.
• USAID E-WASH and the SWBs will provide all available data for the STTA including supporting staff who have institutional memories and knowledge of the SWBs fixed assets. However, in case of data gaps, the Consultant is expected to fill such gaps in close collaboration with the SWBs.

Level o Effort:

• We reckon that this assignment will be for 30 days. The first week will be applied for arrangement and development of Work plan for the assignment, outline description of the way the service is intended to be undertaken, time schedule for the execution of specific assignment and outline of all reports.
• The following week will be applied for classroom/workshop mode of training on Inventory and Asset Management. 4 weeks will be used for collating information on existing asset and populating the asset register.

Qualifications

• A minimum of master’s degree holder in Management Accountancy, Certified Public Accountancy, Business Administration, Financial Management or any other directly relevant qualification.
• Not less than 10 years cognate experience as an accountant or financial controller, with qualification  Knowledge of international accounting standards is essential.

Skills and Abilities:

• Extremely strong organizational and prioritization skill with strong ability to adaptively manage to objectives, resolve issues and escalate as necessary.
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to link event objectives to specific prioritized work-plan
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and establish strong working relationships with key colleagues
• Self-starter, able to think creatively and work independently
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and carry out multiple activities and projects with competing deadlines
• Excellent oral and written English language communication skills
• Willingness to travel domestically in Nigeria if necessary.

Payment Schedule

• We offer a highly competitive remuneration.
• Requests for payment shall be tied to deliverables as indicated above.

Job Title: Hydraulic Modelling of Pipe Networks Consultant

Locations: Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger, Sokoto and Taraba
LOE: 17 days

Background
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) program seeks to improve urban water and sanitation service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of six state water boards (SWBs) in Nigeria. E-WASH will work toward achieving the following mutually reinforcing objectives:

• Creating professionally managed and commercially oriented SWBs.
• Improving the financial and operational viability of SWBs.
• Strengthening policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services (including establishing accountability mechanisms).
• Building national and state WASH advocacy, coordination, and communications for reform.

The activity is part of USAID’s wider efforts to build closer coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GoN), including the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), select SWBs, and allied stakeholders, to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience through improved WASH services in urban areas. Interventions will be targeted in 6 states selected based on criteria but where there is commitment from the state government leadership and show a willingness to embrace enduring reforms to improve water service delivery. The six states are Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger, Sokoto and Taraba.

Objectives of the Assignment
To examine the existing water supply networks in selected towns of E-WASH intervention State Water Boards/Corporations by modelling the behavior of flows in the existing pipe network under different operating conditions that recognize the demand for water supply, existing pipe diameters, materials and their current conditions of functionality, ground topography and minimum policy requirements for the supply to identify low-pressure points and suggest modifications where necessary in the network.

Scope Of The Assignment:

• The aim of this assignment is to develop hydraulic model for every E-WASH SWB and to capture them on a suitable GIS platform.
• All the transmission and distribution networks of the SWB will be modelled for optimal operational performance alongside the appurtenances and fittings such as valves, washouts, Tees, Bends, Chambers, Standpipes meters etc.
• The STTA will provide technical guidance on overall network modelling with a goal of integrating data into a GIS platform.
• This roadmap for implementation will also include capacity development of the state water utility staff to efficiently update and maintain the network systems.

Specific Tasks
The STTA is expected to carry out analysis of the networks using suitable hydraulic modelling software(s) to ascertain the conditions of flow and pressure at key points in the network under different operation regimes that simulate current and future realities of infrastructure upgrade and plant operations.

The specific tasks include, among others, the following:

• Review inventory of the networks and ground features from available records and maps of the towns.
• Determine distances and elevations of key nodal points in the network as well as location and elevation of key system components and to also determine roughness factors and losses associated with each.
• Determine the demand for supply service for each area or sub-areas of the network and compare with what is currently available.
• Identify and propose suitable software(s) for the modelling and analysis of the networks and deployment and installation of same.
• The software to be deployed should meet the requirement/characteristics including but not limited to effectively carry out hydraulic modeling for a minimum of 10,000 pipes and 10,000 nodes, handle all network control elements like check valves, shutoff valves, pressure release valves, pressure sustaining valves, different shapes of storage tanks (circular, rectangular,), elevated and ground reservoirs; elements like fixed and variable speed pumps, ability to calculate energy consumption, color coding of the network based on available pressures and flow velocity.
• The software should be able to carry out water quality modelling for some chemicals like Chlorine residual, Aluminium residual, Sulphate residual, etc. The software should be flexible enough to interface with some GIS/CAD software. As well as deployment of appropriate hardware (one desktop computer).
• The expert will prepare a hydraulic model based on the identified parameters and will simulate the distribution network system performance under different field conditions, including flow and pressure conditions at different points within the system and develop 24-hours extended simulation.
• Study the pressure zones for each metropolis and see the desirability or otherwise of continuing with distribution according to the zones.
• Assess the impact of additional consumers on the system with and without upgrades
• Highlight low- and high-pressure points in the system and any suggestions for changes that might be necessary for optimum system utilization to meet design demands from the inhabitants of the towns.
• The expert shall highlight any vulnerabilities or risks that could further affect the performance of the existing system and how best to manage them.
• Shall also identify key elements of an operating strategy for better management of the infrastructure.
• Develop training needs for SWB staff on hydraulic modelling.
• Provide hands-on training for relevant staff of the SWB such that they can run the model effectively.
• Identify any other training requirement for SWB on NWR reduction, Asset management, etc
• Develop a strategy on how the SWB will use the model for optimum performance.

Deliverables:

• Orientation
• Inception report from commencement of the assignment on how he intends to implement the assignment in terms of Planning, resources utilization (Key personnel, and facilities). This report is also expected to identify any major/minor inconsistencies in the scope of work, or any other factor which may affect achieving the objective of the assignment
• Interim report 1detailing -Draft hydraulic model of the system including analysis of the network for each locality under different operational regimes Draft final Report
• Interim report 2 detailing -Training report (at least 2 SWBs staff trained)
• Draft final Report- Draft final report to include details of the extent of the assignment accomplished, resources utilized, challenges encountered as well as proposed strategies to ensure sustainability of the results of this assignment.
• A Hydraulic Model of the network system
• Debriefing
• Final Report

Working Arrangements:

• The STTA will undertake part of the assignment from his/her office and the USAID E-WASH Offices located in Abuja and in designated states where the E-WASH Program is being implemented.
• He/she will work closely with the Utility Technical Advisor (UTA), Utility Technical Specialist and the General Manager of the SWBs
• USAID E-WASH and the SWBs will provide all available data for the STTA including supporting staff who have institutional memories and knowledge of the SWBs fixed assets.
• However, in case of data gaps, the Expert is expected to fill such gaps in close collaboration with the SWBs.

Level of Effort:

• We reckon that this assignment will be for 30 days.
• The first week will be applied for arrangement and development of Work plan for the assignment, outline description of the way the service is intended to be undertaken, time schedule for the execution of specific assignment and outline of all reports.
• The following week will be applied for classroom/workshop mode of training on Inventory and Asset Management. 4 weeks will be used for collating information on existing asset and populating the asset register.

Qualifications
Each Urban WASH Utility Expert is required to have the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Water Engineering/ Civil Engineering, Hydraulics (or mechanical, electrical or environmental) or related field.
• At least 10 years of experience working on network performance improvements, and particularly in the areas of utility management, safe water production and operational efficiency.
• Proven experience in performance monitoring of utilities, including the oversight and/or management of performance data collection, data quality/data control, indicator reporting and analysis, metrics, and performance reporting.
• Knowledge of environmental best practices, especially in civil works, water quality, water supply and water resources.
• Knowledge of political economy of Nigeria and the work environment especially as it relates to utility management
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken, and able to produce concise, high-quality technical reports with all necessary documentation, pictures and infographics.
• Understanding of the local language spoken in any of these 5 states is preferred but not compulsory
• Experience in urban sanitation reform is preferred, but not compulsory

Skills and Abilities:

• Extremely strong organizational and prioritization skill with strong ability to adaptively manage to objectives, resolve issues and escalate as necessary.
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to link event objectives to specific prioritized work plan
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and establish strong working relationships with key colleagues
• Self-starter, able to think creatively and work independently;
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and carry out multiple activities and projects with competing deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written English language communication skills;
• Willingness to travel domestically in Nigeria if necessary.

Payment Schedule

• We offer a highly competitive remuneration.
• Requests for payment shall be tied to deliverables as indicated above.

Note: Payment is subject to approval/acceptance of Deliverables

Deadline: 27th March, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and Application Letter as one single word document to: STTA@ewash.rti.org using the “Job Title” as the subject of the email.

Note

• On the subject line of your e-mail, you should only put the e-mail subject line as indicated above (no other text should be on this subject line)
• Consultants are encouraged to apply as soon as they see this advert.
• Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for negotiations.
• Women are strongly encouraged to apply.