Consultant to Conduct Technical Site Supervision for Comitas Quick Impact at Mercy Corps Nigeria - 2 Openings

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant to Conduct Technical Site Supervision for Comitas Quick Impact

Locations: Adamawa and Taraba
Employment Type: Contract
Finance Department Code: 97057

Project

• Field Supervisor for COMITAS- II Infrastructures Construction Works.
• To support Activity 3.2.1 - Facilitate natural resource management planning and implementation, under
• Result 3.2 - Concrete Resource Solutions are Identified and Implemented (Quick Impact Projects).

Project/ Location(s) - COMITAS – II states of Taraba /Adamawa States:
Adamawa State:

• Numan LGA (Gamadiyo, Kodomti)
• Guyuk LGA (Banjiram, Dumna)
• Shelleng LGA (Shelleng, Libbo)
• Demsa LGA (Dong)
• Girei LGA (Gereng/Tambo)
• Lamurde (Waduku)
• Mayo Belwa (Gorobi and Gengle)

Taraba State:

• Lau LGA - (Abare – B)
• Lau LGA – (Lau – A)
• Zing LGA – (Monkin – A)
• Zing LGA (Monkin -B)

Background

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, WASH, and conflict mitigation. With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs.
• As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps’ strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long-term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on conflict management, good governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion/ protection, youth empowerment, and expanding access to WASH facilities.
• Considering the protracted conflicts between farmer and herder communities in Adamawa State, Nigeria, and competing claims to land, water, and other natural resources which are at the root of these growing tensions. Indeed, pressure on natural resources has increased due to demographic growth, expanding human settlements, privatization of land, year-round farming practices, environmental degradation, and climate change. In many instances, traditional conflict resolution mechanisms that play significant roles in mitigating these resource-based conflicts locally have become overwhelmed. Besides, low levels of trust in authorities by communities due to widespread inaction, impunity, and perceived biases or reactive responses by the government to shared natural resource conflicts complicate the tensions further. Through funding from the EU, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Search for Common Ground (Search), and Mercy Corps have designed a comprehensive and integrated approach (COMITAS) that builds on the comparative strengths of each organization to contribute to the mitigation of conflicts over natural resources between farmer and herder communities. This program is developed around 4 interconnected objectives: strengthen traditional conflict resolution; improve trust in authorities; enhance collaboration on natural resource management and improve intra and inter-communal perceptions.
• Mercy Corps is leading the implementation of objective 3, which focuses on enhancing collaboration on natural resource management. Mercy Corps aims to build the capacity of local government authorities in natural resource management (NRM) to facilitate their collaboration with communities towards sustaining concrete natural resource initiatives that communities will develop. The collaborations that the program is enabling between communities and authorities will improve communities' trust and confidence in government, promote collaborative natural resource management and governance, enhance livelihoods, and improve social cohesion and conflict management between farmer and herder communities.

Consultancy Objectives

• The consultants are short-term technical experts charged with the responsibility of quality assurance and quality control of the quick impact project in support of objective - 3, the consultant engineers (11) will engage in daily monitoring and implementation of COMITAS Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) as on designs, BoQ and SoW, facilitate adherence to Mercy Corps Infrastructure Standards, safeguarding, safety and security and other policies and procedures, establish conditions for compliance with stated quality, time and cash resources, providing overall site supervision, community people management, verifying calibrations, measurements, conducting material quality tests, ensuring overall quality control in construction works based on approved plans/designs, BoQ’s, technical specification and contract document, delivering completed QIPs to COMITAS with all specifications, in time and within resources, while ensuring the safety of environment and community, and value for money.

Technical Site Supervisor Tasks
The Consultant will:

• Review all weekly work plans and communicate plans to the infrastructure advisor before a new week.
• Supervise the work of the contractors daily and ensure that the contractors adhere to project plans/designs, material quality, BoQ, technical specifications, and contract documents and meet the quality standard.
• Provide support by coordinating and managing data and activities of local unskilled hires.
• Act as site foreman under the supervision of COMITAS Infrastructure advisor and MC technical team
• Liaise with contractors, COMITAS Engineer/Team, and other stakeholders, ensuring that all parties remain coordinated and well informed on the infrastructure site activities, safeguarding, early warnings, and security issues.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with local authorities, communities, and stakeholders in the MC area of intervention.
• Liaison between COMITAS advisor, community, and site engineer to ensure works are ethically implemented according to plans, and specifications and completed within the designated timeframe within the budget.
• He/ She is responsible for maintaining safety and quality standards at the construction sites.
• The site supervisor will be supporting or traveling to assigned /multiple sites as required within any LGA as needed.
• Conduct community sensitization, awareness, and mobilization to encourage participant’s commitment to COMITAS activities.
• Performing equipment, material, and routine site inspections, testing, and ensuring the equipment and manpower provided by the contractors are up to standard to complete the project with good quality in mind.
• Adherence to all MC infrastructure's minimum standard policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in the country of operation.
• Performs any other duties as requested by the COMITAS Engineer/ team.
• Develop daily reports using the Mercy Corps template.
• Develop a final project report capturing all relevant dates, and data worth noting.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in the country of operation.

Field Supervisor Deliverables:
The Field Supervisors will provide:

• Detailed weekly supervision work plan (Also briefly stating the succeeding activities in the prior week)
• Generate daily/weekly/Monthly construction inspection reports completed within time.
• Document challenges, mitigation measures, success stories, and best practices
• Share a minimum of 10 clear Action Pictures and short videos of construction work sections daily.
• Infrastructure work completion report detailing stages of work execution, images, approvals issued, quality and compliance forms, and types of quality control tests/dates/analysis results.

Timeframe / Schedule:

• The field supervisor will provide the above deliverables between (April 2024 – September 2024)
• The Technical Site Supervisors will report to the COMITAS Infrastructure Advisor/MC Infrastructure technical team.
• The Field Supervisor will work closely with the LGA WASH unit, RUWASSA, geologists, technologists, and other skilled relevant partners from state and local MDAs.

Required Experience & Skills

• Possess 4 years and above of experience in managing water infrastructures, and civil and other construction works including supervision.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Building Engineering / Technology, Geology and Mining, Architecture, Construction Project Management, and other relevant related engineering fields, the candidates with a master’s degree will have an advantage.
• Proven experience working as a Site Supervisor, foreman, Site engineer, Construction Project Manager, WASH Engineer, with construction and water scheme construction experiences, etc.
• The ability to interpret blueprints of technical engineering designs/plans, BoQ, and Specifications
• Outstanding leadership and construction or WASH project management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Sound knowledge of building codes, Standard methods of Measurement, and construction safety regulations.
• Working knowledge of construction tools and equipment.

Mercy Corps, Responsibilities:

• Mercy Corps will provide monthly payments to cover all needs, accommodation, and logistics for the consultant (Technical site supervision).
• Consultancy Monthly pay covers only working days or all the days the consultant (Technical site supervision) works, it does not cover off-work days.
• Payment will be made every months covering the cumulative working days, and the Consultant (Technical Site Supervisor) will fill out a timesheet and daily submissions of reports.
• Mercy Corps will provide oversight support and initiatives as required.
• Mercy Corps will provide necessary templates for reports, request for clarification, quality checklist, project designs BoQs etc
• Mercy Corps will support the consultants (Technical Site supervisors) with the necessary safety gear.

Timeframe / Schedule:

• Estimated Commencement Date: April - September 2024.
• Estimated End Date: September, 2024.

Total Level of Effort:

• Two (2) months (45 working days)/supervisor (Days for site introductions, takeover and handovers and days without construction works will not be paid for)

Daily Supervision Price Offer/Location:

• Mercy Corps will pay a daily remuneration of NGN30,000 daily (transport, accommodation, and services all-inclusive).

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status, or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respect local laws, customs, and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Application Closing Date
3rd April, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications with CVs and cover letters, detailing previous experience(s) related to technical site supervision, site development, Borehole construction, and Maintenance with the Government or private sector, INGOs, and other relevant groups, addressed as 'TECHNICAL SITE SUPERVISION FOR COMITAS QUICK IMPACT PROJECT' to: [email protected] using the job title as the subject of the mail