Lead Mechanical Engineer

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Addis Ababa, the Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office (HAMCO) delivers project management, procurement, and infrastructure services across Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan, with a primary focus on health, agriculture, and economic development. Established in 2009, HAMCO partners with governments and development stakeholders to implement impactful, results-driven initiatives that contribute to sustainable development. Since 2024, new projects have been aimed at expanding access to healthcare, education, energy, and livelihoods, particularly in underserved and conflict-affected regions. HAMCO also provides human resource management services, supporting the effective implementation of development initiatives. Key efforts include equipping research facilities, strengthening education and health systems, building vaccine research capacity, and enhancing resilience in communities affected by crisis. Through these interventions, HAMCO contributes to inclusive growth, regional stability, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Horn of Africa.

The Lead Mechanical Engineer will be responsible for delivering high-quality mechanical engineering designs that comply with local codes and international standards. The engineer will ensure mechanical systems are efficient, cost-effective, safe, and sustainable throughout the lifecycle of the project. The assignments include Building HVACs, water supply systems, pumping systems, PVs, sanitation, fire-fighting systems in line with UNOPS guidelines, National Building Code, Standards set by relevant government agencies and international practice for buildings and other infrastructures under the project and ensure quality in their implementation. The position requires frequent travel to project sites in all regional states of Ethiopia and other countries in the Multi-country office.

Reporting to the Senior Project Manager, the Lead Mechanical Engineer will manage projects independently within existing frameworks, guidelines, and rules, providing authoritative advice on the application of established policies and procedures, and adapting existing policies, approaches, and models to meet emerging client or project needs.

1. Site Assessment

• Conduct needs assessments for mechanical systems and infrastructure, including HVAC, medical gas Systems, plumbing, fire fighting, and integrated building services.
• Review and manage requests for new construction or rehabilitation works, WASH projects, evaluating technical feasibility, risk, and resource requirements.
• Participate in feasibility studies and conduct on-site inspections and assessments of existing systems to evaluate performance gaps, operational efficiency, and compliance with applicable standards, preparing detailed reports with clear recommendations for follow-up actions.

2. Design Works

• Apply technical expertise to support the design development of mechanical systems, ensuring alignment with project technical objectives.
• Review and prepare mechanical design drawings, technical specifications, and Bills of Quantities (BoQs).
• Identify design gaps and provide practical guidance for improvements, ensuring efficiency, reliability, and resilience of mechanical systems.
• Outline design requirements for procurement of design services, including concept, preliminary, and final design stages.
• Ensure that all inspections, assessments, designs, specifications, and supervision activities comply with recognized national and international standards and guidelines, including Ethiopian Standards (ES/EN), ASHRAE, NFPA, UNOPS Guidelines, ISO standards, and FIDIC conditions of contract, as well as other relevant local or international codes of practice for mechanical systems, including HVAC, medical, and sanitary installations.
• Provide technical guidance to the procurement team in the preparation of tender documentation, bid evaluation, and compliance verification.

3. Construction Supervision and Quality Control

• Supervise mechanical construction works according to contractual provisions, design specifications, and quality standards.
• Ensure quantity, quality, and timeline consistency in project execution, reporting any deviations promptly.
• Monitor integration of HVAC, medical, sanitary, and electrical systems, ensuring coordinated implementation across disciplines.
• Enforce Health and Safety compliance on-site, reporting irregularities and providing technical solutions to mitigate risks.
• Conduct progress monitoring and quality control, preparing periodic supervision reports to ensure on-time delivery of project milestones.

4. Leadership, Coordination, and Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate with multidisciplinary design and construction teams, including civil, electrical, sanitary, and bio-medical engineers, to ensure integrated system functionality.
• Liaise with government authorities, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders to ensure compliance with standards and project alignment with policies.
• Provide technical leadership to contractors, consultants, and site teams, fostering problem-solving, accountability, and professional excellence.

5. Knowledge Management and Capacity Building

• Develop and maintain technical manuals, guidelines, and standards documentation for mechanical systems, ensuring alignment with standards , and other relevant codes.
• Document lessons learned, project reports, and technical recommendations for future reference and institutional learning.
• Provide training, coaching, and mentorship to local engineers, contractors, and operational teams to strengthen technical capacity and sustainability of mechanical systems.
• Support capacity-building initiatives, mentoring junior engineers and technical staff on best practices in mechanical engineering and integrated systems design.

Required

• Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from an accredited university, professional certification in mechanical engineering, or equivalent with 5 years of relevant experience.

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent with 7 years of relevant experience.

• Practicing Professional Mechanical Engineer Certification.

Desired

• License/Board Certification in Mechanical engineering
• Knowledge of sustainable and resilient approaches to mechanical engineering and green technologies

Required

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in mechanical engineering with strong knowledge of industrial equipment and machinery and heating/cooling systems, particularly in the design and installation of HVAC systems is required.

• 5 years experience in AutoCAD– for 2D/3D mechanical design drawings is required.

Desired

• Knowledge of sustainable and resilient approaches to mechanical engineering and green technologies

• Some experience in the UN system organizations and/or a developing country

• Revit / BIM tools, and skill of related software skills for sanitary work.

• Understanding of and experience in the development infrastructure sector is desired.

  
  

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.