Lead Architect at UNOPS

Exciting Job Opportunity with UNOPS Somalia Country Office (SOCO)

Job Specific:

In October and November 2019, moderate to heavy rains caused substantial flooding in low-lying areas along the Shabelle and Juba rivers, resulting in several deaths and significant damage to infrastructure, crops, property, and livestock. Subsequently, the World Bank and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) conducted a joint exercise to assess the losses and damage caused by the floods and to develop a strategy for immediate recovery and longer-term resilience building. As a result, the Somalia Crisis Recovery Project (SCRP) was formulated, a project financed by the World Bank and implemented by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the Federal Ministry of Finance (MOF).The project aimed at supporting the recovery of livelihoods and infrastructure in flood and drought affected areas and strengthen the capacity for disaster preparedness nationwide. UNOPS is engaged in providing technical assistance for the project implementation by the Federal Ministry of Finance (MoF). The UNOPS engagement includes the development of architectural designs, specifications, and the Bill of Quantities for various Government buildings. In addition to this specific project, there are a number of upcoming building programmes in Somalia where architectural inputs will be required.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Reporting to the Senior Project Manager, the Lead Architect will be responsible for undertaking investigations and the development of architectural designs for building rehabilitation programs. S/he in collaboration with the team members will perform the following tasks:

• Assist the Senior Project Manager with the architectural input for projects planning, scheduling of tasks, and resources allocation;
• Government partners and project stakeholders consultation to collect the relevant input to the architectural concept development and planning;
• Review stakeholder inputs, consider the country/sector adopted standards, functional requirements, and develop the project brief, concept designs, and site plans for the client review and endorsement;
• Subject to the client approval of the concept designs, develop detailed architectural drawings in collaboration with the team members and in compliance with UNOPS design standards;
• Coordinate the project team members (Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, etc.) and external stakeholders (Government and the facilities operators) input to finalize the architectural design and documentation to the standard required for tendering purpose;
• Coordinate the UNOPS design review to secure certification for the design compliance to UNOPS standards;
• Manage the production of the final document package including design drawings, specifications, bill of quantities, costs estimates, etc for the client hand-over for tendering purpose;
• Available to advise the client on technical inquiries during tendering / construction stages;
• Periodic site supervision and monitoring to ensure that the work is done according to the drawings and technical specifications etc, as well as to the required quality standards and in adherence to Health, Safety, Social and Environmental requirements;
• Contribute to the production of ‘as-built’ drawings;
• Perform other architectural tasks as directed by the Project Manager

Impact of results

The effective and successful performance of the Lead Architect in the delivery of satisfactory architectural services will contribute to the success of the project and will promote the image and credibility of the UNOPS as an effective service provider to the Federal Government of Somalia.

Qualifications and Experience

1. Education

• A Master’s Degree in Architecture is required
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture in combination with an additional two (2) years is acceptable in lieu of the advance degree.

2. Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in building architectural design is required.
• Minimum of two (2) in use of architectural drafting software such as AutoCAD/ArchiCAD or REVIT is required.
• Familiarity with building legislations and designs used in East Africa is desirable
• Experience/knowledge of Google Suite products, especially google forms, sheets, docs, and slides are desirable.

3. Professional Certifications

• Membership with a recognized institution or the registration as an Architect is desirable.
  4. Language Requirements:
• Fluency in written and spoken English Language is required.

5. Additional Considerations

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• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work-Life Harmonization – UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types.
• Nairobi is a Family Duty Station.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.