Water Engineering Specialist - Borena, Ethiopia

About Ayuda en Acción:

Ayuda en Acción Foundation is a secular, non-partisan international non-governmental organisation (NGO) established in 1981 with a global commitment to fight against poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Its headquarters is in Madrid, Spain. The organisation operates in 20 countries within Africa, South and Central America and Europe (Spain, Portugal). In Ethiopia, Ayuda en Acción has supported a range of humanitarian and development interventions through local and international partners between 2002 and 2017; an independent country programme was established in 2018. Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia aspires to tackle poverty, inequalities and exclusion that perpetuate poverty. The organisation perceives women, men, girls, and boys as the center of its efforts in the country, giving it an impetus to strengthen people’s and institutions’ capacities to meaningfully contribute to development and dignified life of all in Ethiopia. To achieve its mission, Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia has worked in the region of Afar, Oromia and south Ethiopia in close cooperation with local and international partners, international research institutes, public agencies, and private sector actors. 

Objective and reporting line:

Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia is seeking experienced candidates for the position of a Water Engineering based in Yabelo to manage AICS funded humanitarian project in Borena.  The humanitarian project responds to drought affected communities in Borena through livestock and crop production, risk financing, access to water and cash transfer, asset building and DRM.

The Water Engineer will vertically report to Borena program Area Manager Borena office with functional line to the project coordinator and Borena program area Admin and finance coordinator. The water engineer is responsible for directly coordinating, managing, implementing, and providing technical support, monitoring and evaluation, documentation and reporting of the water scheme rehabilitation (ellas/traditional water wells and community pond) interventions for the AICS funded humanitarian project in Borena; the project is being implemented in consortium with CESVI. The position ensures quality implementation and adherence to technical standards in line with donor policy, procedure and Ayuda en Acción’s regulations and policies.  

Responsibilities:

Programme management and programme development:

• Contribute to the implementation of Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia’s country strategy and priorities in line with country and donor priorities.
• Responsible for the water scheme rehabilitation (ellas/traditional water wells and community pond) interventions, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards as per the approved project plan.
• Provide technical guidance and support in the design, construction, and maintenance of water infrastructure, including ponds and ellas (water well)
• Stay updated on emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in water engineering and incorporate them into project designs and methodologies
• Involve in the development of project concept notes and proposals and identify innovative approaches to addressing priority needs and interests of target populations.
• Facilitate and participate in pond and water wells feasibility study in collaboration with zonal government relevant offices to design rehabilitation works.
• Oversee implementation of the pond and water wells rehabilitation, technically support the water committee, jointly develop the BOQ with government water offices, take part in the procurement of construction materials and selections of contractors/local masons, taking measurement, approve the payment, and regular reporting.
• Constantly monitor the operational environment and assess risks that can affect project implementation.
• Conduct training sessions and workshops for staff and community members on water management techniques, conservation practices, and infrastructure maintenance.
• Build the capacity of local stakeholders to actively participate in water-related initiatives and decision-making processes.
• Identify potential risks and challenges associated with water engineering project and propose mitigation strategies to address them.
• Produce quality report as per Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia, government, donor, and other stakeholders’ requirements.
• Document and submit lessons learned, good practices and methodologies to the respective supervisor and project coordinator.
• Ensure that interventions under responsibility demonstrate equitable impact to women, men, girls and boys.

1. Project monitoring, evaluation and coordination

• Participate in coordination, monitoring and follow-up on periodic plans as established by the project and area offices planning.
• Work with the area teams, and support coordination between emergency, durable solutions, resilience building and development programming, promoting the nexus approach to programming.
• Regularly monitor the scheme rehabilitation activities, budget expenditure and the implementation of projects’ procurement plans, and propose corrective actions in case of deviation to the Area Managers.
• Contribute gender, age, and disability disaggregated data collection with regards to the rehabilitation of water schemes for the project reviews, evaluations, and reporting.
• Take part in joint project reviews with implementing partners, government and community representatives, and other stakeholders.
• Work with area teams to ensure that accountability mechanisms are put in place, are functional and accessible for diverse groups and individuals.

Perform additional tasks requested by the immediate supervisor.