Construction Officer (Cold Chain), (NO-1), Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Under the supervision and guidance of the Immunization Officer, the Construction Officer supports the Child Health and Wellbeing section (Immunization) in the preparation of technical specifications and tender documents for improvement of regional cold chain facilities, participation in the selection process of the construction company/ies and close monitoring/supervision the construction work in the regions.

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Organizational Context and Purpose for the job:

In January 2014, Uzbekistan entered into the accelerated transition phase from GAVI support due to the growth in per capita GNI, thus upcoming years will bring the significant increase in self-funded vaccine procurement value. The GAVI co-financing obligations are projected to increase from $4.7m in 2016 to $ 20m in 2021.

During a Joint Appraisal mission held in 2015, it became apparent that the country does not have the needed storage, particularly at the central level to manage all new vaccines. The Health System Strengthening (HSS) grant received by the country in early 2014 includes substantial cold chain improvement investment (about four million USD) to renovate, reconstruct and construct new cold chain facilities as the condition of cold chain facilities does not correspond to the norms and requirements. In overall, 21 cold chain facilities are constructed/renovated nationwide including very large and complex construction at the national level.

Preparation and implementation of construction and reconstruction are very complicated process requiring constant follow up, quality check and contacts with different suppliers and government authorities working in construction area. According to the national legislation any construction of reconstruction work is linked with multiple procedures before building is handed over to the Ministry of Health. UNICEF, from its side, has clear guidelines and rules on how construction should be processed at country level.

Taking the above mentioned into account, UNICEF is hiring a construction officer to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health, regional and district authorities to improve the cold chain facilities as mentioned in the Gavi funded project.

Purpose for the job:

Under the supervision and guidance of the Immunization Officer, the Construction Officer supports the Child Health and Wellbeing section (Immunization) in the preparation of technical specifications and tender documents for improvement of regional cold chain facilities, participation in the selection process of the construction company/ies and close monitoring/supervision the construction work in the regions.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:  

• Facilitating the development of relevant documents for the construction/reconstruction
• Ensuring all terms and conditions of the agreement with counterparts are being met.
• Facilitating the process of construction projects endorsement by relevant government authorities (ex. State Construction Committee);
• Facilitating development of the project design and the list of construction materials according to the local building codes, international norms and standards, requirements of WHO and UNICEF;
• Facilitating development of tender documents and contribution to the technical assessment;
• Verifying quality of the materials used for reconstruction and quality of entire work; 
• Verifying invoices and other financial documents submitted by the construction company/ies against initial proposal and actual work
• Coordinating and monitoring the process of technical assessment and construction;
• Undertaking field monitoring visits to construction sites, assess local conditions and resources, monitor UNICEF inputs and propose an implementation plan for quality assurance and control. Identify bottlenecks and propose remedial action
• Ensuring timely delivery of construction project and quality control from relevant authorities
• Collecting information on best practices in construction and design as part of ongoing monitoring activities
• Performing other official tasks as may be assigned by supervisor

Impact of Results

S/He is accountable for the full spectrum of required support and actions related to construction process. The key results have an impact on the overall implementation and performance of Gavi funded HSS project. Accurate construction monitoring and recommendations, data entry and presentation of information ensure proper programme decision-making.

Skills

• In-depth knowledge of construction process and procedures;
• Good knowledge of the administration which underpins UNICEF country office programme/project operations, including monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Strong organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.
• High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong office management skills.
• Good communication skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively manage the section's material resources and monitor its budget.
• Good analytical skills. 

Recruitment Qualifications

• University degree in civil engineering (construction)
• Proven experience in the preparation of bidding documents for simple construction/reconstructions;
• At least 3 years' experience in building construction (architecture), monitoring, assessments and evaluations of construction work, preferably with knowledge of former Soviet Union construction systems;
• Experience in the supervision of construction/reconstruction works;
• Knowledge of international and local standards for construction of buildings;
• Proven experience in management/implementation of construction projects, including Cold Chain facilities;
• Experience of work with health institutions and different stakeholders;
• Ability to work with multi -disciplinary and multi-stakeholder teams;
• Experience working with international organization would be an advantage;
• Fluency in Uzbek and Russian is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

Core Values  

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies 

• Communication (I)
• Working with people (I)
• Drive for results (I)

Functional Competencies:

• Analyzing (I)
• Applying technical expertise (I)
• Planning and organizing (II)
• Coping with set-back and pressure (I)
• Following Instructions and Procedures (I)

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.