Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so that countries can sustain progress. As the United Nations’ development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In Ukraine, UNDP operates in five programmatic areas of support: government capacities for crisis response and management; sustaining provision of public services; emergency works facilitating return and reconstruction; incomes, livelihoods and the private sector response; and civil society and maintenance of the social fabric.

The war in Ukraine has resulted in significant loss of life, widespread displacement, and devastating destruction of infrastructure, placing recent socio-economic achievements at risk. In this context, UNDP’s core engagement in Ukraine prioritizes safeguarding development gains, supporting the restoration of critical functions, and facilitating the country’s pathway back toward achieving the SDGs as quickly as possible.

The ongoing war has inflicted profound damage on Ukraine’s economy, infrastructure, and social fabric, creating unprecedented humanitarian and environmental challenges. According to the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4), released in February 2025, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery amounts to USD 524 billion over the next decade. For 2025, recovery and reconstruction priorities total USD 17.32 billion across public investment projects and non-investment programmes, identified through the Public Investment Management (PIM) system introduced by the Government of Ukraine in 2024. These priorities feed into a nationally coordinated pipeline of recovery interventions, relevant to the European Investment Bank (EIB)-funded Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP), Ukraine Recovery Programme (URP), and Ukraine Recovery Programme III (URP-III).

The EIB-funded recovery programmes supported by UNDP Technical Assistance (TA) focus on five recovery priority areas: education facilities, healthcare infrastructure, housing, water and sewage systems, and public/administrative buildings. Since early 2017, UNDP in partnership with the EU and EIB has been providing TA to both UERP and URP with the implementation of 438 sub-projects in more than 170 communities, contributing to the successful completion of 117 sub-projects in 12 oblasts and benefiting around 4 million Ukrainians, including more than 460,000 internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

Building on the successful implementation of previous EIB-financed recovery programmes – the UERP and URP – the new URP III aims at further supporting investments in critical public infrastructure in regions and communities affected by the RF’s military aggression and providing basic public services to affected populations. The UNDP Technical Assistance for the Ukraine Recovery Programme (URP and URP-III) is a 24-month initiative, funded by the EIB. It ensures that EIB-financed recovery investments are delivered efficiently and transparently, in full compliance with the EIB Environmental and Social Standards and the EIB Guide to Procurement, while applying “Build Back Better” principles and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The UNDP TA team will support the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine (MDCT) and local authorities in planning, preparation, procurement, implementation, and monitoring of recovery sub-projects across multiple oblasts in Ukraine, with priority given to war-affected communities, addressing critical capacity gaps and operational bottlenecks. UNDP provides integrated technical assistance throughout the sub-project cycle, including engineering and procurement monitoring, environmental and social risk management, financial management support, integrity and anti-corruption measures, and stakeholder engagement. By combining UNDP’s national presence and technical expertise, the UNDP project is expected to accelerate the implementation of over 300 EIB-funded sub-projects, contributing to the restoration of essential public services, strengthening of infrastructure resilience, and improved living conditions for conflict-affected populations, including IDPs and vulnerable groups.

In this regard, UNDP Ukraine invites applications from highly qualified and experienced Ukrainian professionals for the post of the Engineer. 

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide assistance in technical support on various aspects of engineering and related technical issues to regional and local government clients. The Engineer (Cost Estimator) will be the representative of the UNDP in regions and will be extensively involved in day-to-day monitoring of the operations and actual rehabilitation and repair activities.

The incumbent will promote UNDP’s mandate as a gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behaviour, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Engineer (Cost Estimator) provides technical support to activities and projects related to the construction, reconstruction and/or rehabilitation of infrastructure assets throughout Ukraine. The services consist of providing expertise for planning and cost control through independent review/verification of cost estimates and Bills of Quantities (BoQ) prepared on the basis of the design and cost documentation. The role requires close collaboration with engineers across different disciplines (civil/structural/MEP: building works, water and sanitation, HVAC, electrical, etc.) and, as needed, communication with partners/designers to clarify and verify data.

1.Revision of design documentation, Bill of Quantities (BoQ):

  • Verify compliance of cost estimates/BoQ with the Design and Cost Documentation: drawings, specifications, quantity take-off schedules, technical solutions, and the design report/narrative.
  • Assess any indications of poor/unsatisfactory quality of the BoQ and/or design documentation that could lead to implementation issues or project failure, and promptly inform the responsible Engineer, AC analyst and Project Manager.
  • Review design drawings and specifications to confirm quantities, resource breakdowns, and the logic/structure of BoQ and cost estimate items; identify inconsistencies between construction documentation and the cost estimate/BoQ and initiate clarifications with the relevant engineers.
  • Verify completeness: confirm that all works/materials/equipment included in the design documentation are reflected in the BoQ/cost estimate (no missing items).
  • Verify the correctness of quantities: volumes, formulas, units of measurement, calculation logic, rounding, and proper references/links to drawings and details.
  • Identify duplications, incorrect work breakdown, or misallocation across disciplines/sections (civil/structural/MEP: water and sanitation, electrical, HVAC, etc.).
  • Work closely with engineers to clarify the scope of works, materials, specifications, technical assumptions, and details that affect quantities and resources.
  • Assess budget risks: flag items with high uncertainty and propose an approach to contingency/reserves 
  • Support to Project Changes. In case of project changes (new works, design revisions, changes in materials/quantities), the Engineer (Cost Estimator) provides cost and quantity support to the change management process, including:
  • Rapid assessment of the impact of changes on cost and quantities: preliminary (order-of-magnitude) and refined estimates depending on the maturity of the change.
  • Review of change requests: assess the justification of proposed new items andquantities and their compliance with approved design
  • Verify the correct application of rates, coefficients, and mark-ups (specifically for new/changed works; identify potential overpricing/underpricing.
  • Prepare/review a list of new BoQ items (description, unit, quantity, notes/basis) as recommendations for inclusion in the cost estimate/BoQ 

  • Reconcile with discipline engineers to confirm the technical validity of the change (what exactly is being changed) and ensure quantities and resource composition are consistent across disciplines.

2. Market research and cost estimation analysis

  • Verify the justification of unit costs and the realism of price levels by benchmarking against market sources (price lists, commercial quotations, catalogues, typical procurement data, internal databases, etc., depending on project rules).
  • Identify key cost drivers and items with a risk of overpricing/underpricing (critical materials, equipment, plant/machinery, large quantities).
  • Verification of additional expenses  - risks, business trips, miscellaneous, administrative 
  • Ensure consistency of the pricing approach across disciplines/sections (to avoid different rules being applied in different packages).
  • Verification of coefficients / mark-ups in specialized cost composition software:
    • Check the correct application of coefficients, indices and mark-ups in cost estimates prepared in specialized cost composition software, in line with the project’s agreed methodology and/or applicable regulatory framework.
    • Verify that coefficients are applied to the correct items and base values (works/resources/plant/materials), and that there is no double-application or incorrect multiplication.
    • Assess whether there is a valid basis for applying coefficients and cost-estimation considering the execution conditions (where such basis is stated in the design documentation, design notes or project rules).
  • Identify cases of overpricing/underpricing driven by coefficients and provide a written conclusion/findings.

3. Reporting and Bill of Quantity adaptation:

  • Prepare structured review reports for each package/section, including comments, severity/criticality, recommendations, and references to the Design and Cost Documentation 
  • Maintain a comment log with statuses (open / in progress / resolved)
  • Provide corrections and recommendations to cost estimates in a table format or using track changes (what to change, why, and the supporting reference), without preparing full estimates from scratch.
  • Be able to review and transform data from in specialized cost composition software output forms into a practical Commercial Offer / Pricing Schedule format (Excel/Word), including, as applicable, information from:
    • Local Estimate (Bill of Quantities / Local Cost Estimate)
    • Resource Statement / Statement of Resources
    • Summary Resource Statement (if available)

    • Object Estimate and/or Summary Cost Estimate (if available)

4. Coordination,Communication and Knowledge Management

  • Work in close collaboration with UNDP and desing discipline engineers (civil/structural/MEP) to clarify quantities, resources, specifications, technical assumptions, and to resolve inconsistencies.
  • Communicate with representatives of FBs and designers (with the involvement of the Project Manager and/or responsible Engineer) in order to:
    • verify data in cost estimates/BoQs,
    • clarify underlying assumptions,
    • confirm resource breakdowns and pricing sources (as needed),
    • agree on the required document format/structure.
  • Participate in technical coordination on project changes with engineers and, where necessary, with partners/designers to verify quantities and pricing assumptions.
  • Contribute to the preparation of inputs for implementation progress reports (cost/quantity-related sections, as applicable).
  • Ensure provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

    Institutional Arrangement

Under the direct supervision of the Risk Mitigation and Compliance Analyst, in close collaboration with Engineers and the overall guidance from Project Manager, the incumbent will provide assistance in technical support on various aspects of engineering and related technical issues.

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 
Thematic Area Name Definition
Business Direction & Strategy Strategic Thinking
  •  Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight
Business Direction & Strategy Effective Decision Making
  • Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications
Business Direction & Strategy Negotiation and Influence
  •  Reach a common understanding/agreement, persuade others, resolve points of difference through a dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions and create ‘win-win’ situations.
Partnership management Strategic engagement
  • Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives
Finance Budget management
  • Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
Procurement Supplier/relationship management
  • Knowledge of supplier management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
Security Services Safety management (including Air, Road, Fire)
  • Knowledge of air, road, and fire safety programmes/systems and ability to assess risks and identify mitigation measures

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements
  • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Construction Economics or related field is required. or

  • A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.
Min. years of relevant work experience 
  • Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. 
  • Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience  in cost estimating / BoQ review and verification for construction, reconstruction and/or rehabilitation projects.
Desirable Criteria
  • Proven experience in preparation and verifying cost estimates/BoQs against design documentation (drawings, specifications, quantity take-offs) and identifying discrepancies (quantities, units, item logic/structure).
  • Hands-on experience with estimates prepared in specialized cost composition software, including review of local estimates and resource statements, and verification of correct application of coefficients/indices/mark-ups.
  • Experience in market benchmarking and reasonableness checks of rates/prices using market sources (price lists, quotations, catalogues, databases—subject to project rules). 
  • Experience working within a multidisciplinary team (civil/structural/Electrical, Plumbing) and coordinating with designers/partners to clarify and validate data.
  • Experience in government tender procedures.
  • Experience of working with relevant stakeholders from the governmental and non-governmental institutions involved into recovery and IDPs as well as economic and social development issues at the national and sub-national levels.
  • Experience in the field of procurement of civil works and services.
  •  
Required Language(s) 

Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.
Professional Certificates n/a

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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