WASH Engineer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

UNOPS Myanmar is one of UNOPS’ leading offices in Asia, acting as the fund manager for some of the largest development programmes in the country. In addition, UNOPS is the Principal Recipient for the Global Fund in Myanmar and for the Global Fund’s regional artemisinin-resistance initiative towards the elimination of Malaria, which works to accelerate progress toward malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong sub-region. UNOPS provides procurement, infrastructure, and project management services to a wide range of organizations in the country, including international development partners, other UN agencies and INGOs. UNOPS plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

The UNOPS Myanmar 3PI (Partnership, Project Management, Procurement and Infrastructure) Team is dedicated to building essential infrastructure, including WASH facilities, shelters, education and health facilities in remote and hard-to-reach areas. These interventions also encompass renewable energy and sustainable solutions and  aim to address gender and protection issues for marginalized populations across Myanmar. The 3PI Team also supports rapid onset emergencies, such as cyclones and earthquakes and has procured and distributed medical supplies, essential non-food items (NFIs), hygiene kits, to remote, hard-to-reach regions following these emergencies. The 3PI Team is also implementing  projects to support communities to recover following the April 2025 Mandalay earthquake. These projects support community based reconstruction of key infrastructure assets such as roads, water supply systems, informal schools and rural health clinics.

Under the supervision of Senior Programme Manager, the WASH Engineer will operate under the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Manager or his/her assignees, providing technical expertise to support the design, implementation, supervision, and documentation of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects.

Responsibilities include ensuring high-quality design documentation, transparency, integrity, and compliance with technical requirements, specifications, timelines, and budget constraints. The retainer will utilise specialised engineering software and applications specific to WASH systems.

1. Design and Documentation Support:

• Participate in preparing needs assessments for WASH infrastructure, including water pumping stations, storage facilities, transmission and distribution networks, and produce detailed reports.

• Participate in preparing/reviewing designs for water supply systems, wastewater management, drainage networks, sanitation facilities, and water metering systems (including district water metering).

• Support in developing/reviewing Terms of Reference, drawings, technical specifications, scopes of work, bills of quantities, cost estimations, and design calculations for WASH projects.

• Assist in preparing tender documents for consultancy, supply, and construction works and contribute to proposal evaluations.

2. Works Execution Coordination Support:

• Collaborate with assigned project team members to support project planning, scheduling, and integrated design development for WASH interventions, including water pumping and transmission networks.

• Conduct site inspection visits and support in preparing detailed site visit reports, noting progress, issues, and photographic documentation (before, during, and after), along with lessons learned.

• Support in overseeing contract deliverables, ensuring they align with contract terms, high international standards, and organisational requirements.

• Participate in coordinating system testing, commissioning, training, and final handover to beneficiaries, with a focus on water pumping, storage, and metering systems.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls:

• Support in ensuring contractors’ compliance with Quality Management Plan and Health, Safety, Social, and Environmental (HSSE) plans specific to WASH projects.

• Participate in coordinating and documenting meetings with contractors, technical supervisors, and other stakeholders, contributing to meeting minutes for WASH-related discussions, including issues related to water transmission, distribution, and metering systems.

4. Technical Review and Quality Assurance:

• Support in preparing/reviewing comprehensive design documentation, including design briefs, reports, calculations, drawings, specifications, and schedules in accordance with beneficiary requirements and international standards.

• Assist in reviewing the technical accuracy and suitability of designs for water pumping stations, storage tanks, transmission and distribution networks, and metering systems, offering practical solutions where applicable.

• Support in ensuring all tasks meet applicable Quality Management Plan (QMP) and Quality Control (QC) standards.

• Produce/review high-quality AutoCAD drawings and maintain accurate site records for all memos, instructions, and materials related to WASH projects.

5. Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on project management.

• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned.

• Conduct research on WASH and project management-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Civil/Mechanical/Water Resources Engineering or related fields with 2 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 0 years of relevant experience is required. 

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognised professional certificate in Project Management is an asset.

• A globally or nationally recognised professional certificate in Engineering is an asset.

• Certification in Water Distribution or Pumping Systems Design (e.g., from ASCE, AWWA, or other recognised institutions) is highly desirable.

• Certification in hydraulic modelling software such as EPANET or WaterCAD is highly desirable.

Required

• Relevant experience is in the design or works execution supervision of WASH-related projects is required. 

• Experience in wastewater and drainage systems is required.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organisations in Myanmar is highly desirable

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.