Infrastructure Manager at Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and nonchurch partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS has worked in Nigeria for more than 25 years.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Infrastructure Manager

Job Code: 200000DS
Location: Adamawa
Job: Program Management
Schedule: Regular
Employee Status: Manager
Job Type: Full-time
Job Level: Day Job
Travel: Yes, 50 % of the Time

Job Summary

• Working closely with the STaR Program Manager, the Infrastructure PM will be responsible for overall community planning for infrastructure and ensuring quality design and construction of all infrastructure projects planned under the STaR project.
• The post holder will similarly be responsible for managing the vendors / construction company selection process; developing the technical inputs for procurement processes; putting in places monitoring processes for works through CRS staff or third parties; the cash-for-work (CFW) program; adherence to KFW, Government of Nigeria and CRS construction policies and legislation; and, the safety of construction teams and users of constructed infrastructure.
• The post holder will ensure compliance with International Environmental, Social, Health and Safety (ESHS) standards and assessing environmental impact putting in place mitigation strategies against environment degradation in the communities being served.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Project Implementation and Technical Support
• Ensure adherence of technical designs and drawings, structural plans and bills of quantities to the KFW and CRS policies, guidelines and regulations Obtain and archive donor approvals appropriately in Gateway.
• Work closely with community and government MDAs to ensure allocation of land for infrastructure projects and lead requisite due diligence processes to ensure allocated land is free from encumbrance and security of tenure is achieved.
• Approvals from government MDAs and communities must be obtained in writing and should be archived appropriately in Gateway.
• Facilitate a community-led engagement to prioritize infrastructure requirements of communities within budgetary constraints of the program. Liaise closely with other STaR project staff (especially the DRR community planning team), community and government leaders.
• Produce technical designs and drawings, structural plans and bills of quantities for infrastructure projects proposed in STaR project or hire relevant technical specialists to ensure quality. Prepare indicative budgets for all infrastructure works designed.
• Obtain requisite inputs and approvals of technical designs from relevant Nigeria Government Ministries and Departments Agencies (MDAs).
• Work closely with other relevant project staff to design the Cash-for-Work protocol following community and LGA-level assessments. Work closely with community leaders to identify both skilled and unskilled CFW beneficiaries. Oversee the training of CFW beneficiaries.
• Oversee and manage environmental assessments in accordance with Government of Nigeria MDAs’ guidelines and KFW / Government of Germany policies, guidelines and regulations.
• Manage the day-to-day tasks of the infrastructure project sub-component including overseeing of CRS staff and contractors. Individual tasks might include:
• Allocating staff / third-party supervisors to ensure day-to-day supervision and reporting on construction progress
• Ensuring requisite safety precautions are taken during construction in accordance with KFW and CRS policies and guidelines.
• Ensuring periodic sign-off of construction progress and inspection by appropriate government and community representatives.
• Ensuring good documentation and reporting on the works at the daily site diaries from the contractors, weekly site reporting from the monitoring team and periodic reporting back to donor.
• Work closely with Procurement and Logistics teams to ensure requisite goods and services are availed at the construction site in a timely manner.
• Work closely with Procurement and Logistics teams and community leadership to ensure proper and secure storage of construction materials.
• Lead the development of technical components and documentation for tendering process to hire contractors for contractor-led construction. Proactively contribute to procurement processes and understand contractual relationships with contractors.
• Ensure proper handover of completed projects to communities and government MDAs in a manner that supports continued use and sustainability of the project such as maintenance and operational procedures and financing. This entails:
• Formulating sustainability plans, obtaining buy-in from communities and government MDAs and ensuring communities’ / government MDAs invest in request resources to enable sustainability of the projects;
• Working with government and community MDAs to handover plans; and,
• Properly documenting and archiving handover documentation.
• Coordination and representation
• Under the direction of the DERR and Program Manager, represent STaR and support coordination efforts where required.
• Work closely with other STaR and CRS staff to liaise with community members, including displaced communities to draft community development plans and link these plans to the government budgeting process and / or to other development initiatives including DFID funded PERL and Government of Germany funded / GIZ managed projects
• MEAL and reporting
• In coordination with the MEAL Officer, ensure timely and quality capturing of MEAL data on the infrastructure project component.
• Ensure timely completion of project performance tools including detailed implementation plans (DIPs) and indicator tracking tables (ITT).
• Provide regular (using standardized formats) and ad hoc reporting on implementation to the STaR leadership, CRS Nigeria leadership and the donor as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented

Required Languages:

• English and Hausa

Travel:

• Must be willing and able to travel up to 60%.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Procurement Manager Northeast, Program Manager II – STaR, MEAL Manager, Director of Early Recovery and Resilience
• External: Government ministries departments and agencies, local and international NGOs, coordination platforms and working groups, community leaders

Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• Critical: Experience in legislation and policies that govern procurement, construction and infrastructure development in Nigeria;
• Critical: Through understanding of Nigeria Government MDAs that regulate construction and infrastructure.
• Critical: A minimum of 5 years design and/or construction supervision experience, including a minimum of 2 years contract management. A preferred minimum of 2 years’ experience in developing and implementing infrastructure or community infrastructure projects on behalf of development organizations.
• Essential: Ability to work in partnership with local communities and NGOs as appropriate.
• Essential: An awareness of local construction technologies and materials.
• Essential: Ability to write reports, and procedure manuals and effectively present information and respond to questions from CRS senior management.
• Added advantage: Knowledge of Hausa and / or Kanuri.
• Added advantage: Experience in the not-for-profit sector / government
• Added advantage: Hands on experience in development construction designs / drawings, structural designs and, bills of quantities
• Essential: Bachelor’s degree in construction management, architecture, civil engineering or relevant field.
• Essential: Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills in English.
• Essential: A proven track record in managing a team of professional technical personnel.
• Essential: An interest in and ability to build capacity in implementing teams, local partners and community bodies, with a focus on community participation.
• Added advantage: Proficiency in construction software, use of Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Personal Skills:

• Ability to work to meet deadlines in multiple tasking environments
• Excellent organization, planning and analytical skills; detail oriented
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated strength in relationship management
• Self-reliance and an ability to work in a challenging and demanding environment, under supervision.
• Awareness, sensitivity and understanding of cross-cultural issues particularly in representing a US-based, Catholic agency.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results:

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship
• Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Deadline: 10th July, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
• CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
• CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer