Mechanical Operations Technical Advisor (TA) – Ukraine At HALO Trust

Role: Mechanical Operations Technical Advisor (TA) – Ukraine

Location: Initially based in Mykolaiv, with frequent travel across the programme required

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Accommodation: Shared accommodation provided at nil cost

About The HALO Trust:

Established in Afghanistan in 1988, The HALO Trust is the world’s largest mine action organisation. Our mission is to save lives and restore communities threatened by landmines and other explosive hazards, including unexploded or abandoned cluster bombs, projectiles, rockets and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). With a staff of 12,500 we are operational in 30 countries around the world.

Since our beginning, The HALO Trust has been at the forefront of innovative technological and procedural developments in Mine Action, and we use a wide range of equipment and techniques to find and remove explosive hazards.

About the role:

The Mechanical Operations Technical Advisor works as a member of HALO Ukraine’s Mechanical Operations team, providing technical support to the department on heavy plant machinery, overseeing mechanical operator training, supporting the Mechanical Manager in the development of SOPs and ensuring the effective management of HALO’s humanitarian mechanical clearance operations in Ukraine.

Under the direction of the Mechanical Manager and the regional Unit Commanders, the Mechanical Operations TA will routinely travel to operational units (Brovary, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv) to conduct Quality Assurance visits to clearance tasks, providing technical advice on the capabilities of mechanical clearance and heavy equipment, including attachments; advice on best practices for equipment use and maintenance; best practices for maintaining operator competency; and ensuring that field staff adhere and comply with HALO policies and programme SOP’s.

The Mechanical Operations TA shall work closely with the programme’s trials team understanding trials progress and feeding in technical challenges and priorities from the Mechanical Clearance capacity.

The Mechanical Operations TA is a senior member of staff and is expected to lead by example, setting high standards for conduct. As a member of HALO’s management team, they will work closely with other departments, facilitating day-to-day activities and keeping organisational processes running effectively.

Responsibilities:

Training

Accountable for the overall training of operators to utilise mechanical equipment, attachments, and methods by ensuring:

• The training syllabus is applicable for the operational environments the Ukraine Programme is working in.
• Training management plans are relevant for all mechanical equipment, attachments and methods.
• Mechanical equipment instructors are suitably qualified and experienced to deliver training on their equipment type(s).
• Mechanical instructors have the required equipment, and facilities to deliver training.
• The mechanical training area and facilities are fit for purpose and maintained to a high standard.

Responsible for:

• Conducting Train-the-Trainer courses to teach instructors how to deliver training on different machine types and innovative concepts.
• Delivering machine operator courses on new equipment (if no qualified instructors are available to instruct on that equipment).
• Conducting QA of the machine operator training pipeline, providing feedback to the relevant mechanical equipment instructors.
• Identifying gaps in training based on QA of machine operators and visits of ongoing mechanical tasks.
• Training QA/QC Department staff on what and how to inspect mechanical equipment and clearance methods during QA/QC task visits.

Operations

• Assisting the Regional Unit/ Sub-Unit Commanders and Mechanical Manager in the day-to-day management of mech and mech support operations. Conducting mentoring and capability building of the UCs, DUCs and SUCs on the mechanical team’s deployment.
• Developing mechanical SOP with the consultation of senior operational team for mechanical assets in accordance with Global SOPs, Ukraine Mine Action Standards and International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).
• Conducting QA of mechanical equipment use and machine operators during task visits working closely with Sub-Unit Commanders and Supervisors. Report breaches of SOPs to the Unit Commanders, Mechanical Manager, QA Manager and Operations department and provide recommendations on actions to be taken, as well as disciplinary measures as deemed appropriate.
• Assist the Mechanical Manager in the deployment plans of heavy machinery teams and mechanical support teams according to programme expansion plan, including planning, organisation, deployment and training safely and effectively.
• Assist the Mechanical Manager and Unit Commanders in development of mech specific clearance planning. Ensure the most appropriate clearance method has been applied according to threat type identified by survey and pre-clearance assessments.
• Ensure pre-deployment and daily checks for assets are being conducted correctly, working with the programme fleet/ workshop departments to track mechanical issues. Submit a technical report to Mechanical Managers and the Head of Operations regularly.
• Analyse mechanical clearance efficacy and effectiveness by utilising HALO PowerBi and GOIMS systems.

Minefield Visits

• Visit mechanical tasks every cycle with the Sub-Unit Commander and Supervisors, discussing any issues and offering recommendations and solutions.
• Continually assess the deployment of the team and the method being used, and whether this is the most efficient way to deploy on that minefield.
• QC task book, asset logbook, relevant Survey 123 reporting is being carried out effectively.
• Fully detail the visit notes in the task book, giving clear points for supervisor to action.
• Debrief with supervisors and team, pass on any information to deminers and listen to feedback.

Additional Tasks

• Deputise for the Mechanical Manager as necessary.
• Conduct additional programme checks as necessary.
• Assist with facilitating and hosting visits to HALO Ukraine from both internal and external visitors.
• Any other duties asked by the senior management.

Requirements:

• 5+ years’ experience with mechanical clearance across multiple contexts.
• Experience working with mech assets across multiple projects in the NGO space or military environment, with coverage of multiple assets and clearance methodologies.
• Experience of managing teams in difficult and arduous conditions.
• Experience of writing standard operating procedures
• Experience in conducting mechanical asset trials
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Desirable

• Personal experience of operating in volatile, uncertain and challenging security environment
• Fluency in English (Ukrainian desirable but not required)
• Good understanding and practical use of IT.

Benefits:

• 49 calendar days paid leave increasing to 56 after two years’ service.
• Local overseas allowance of $350 per month.
• Shared accommodation in a HALO rented apartment.
• Three economy return flights to official home address (or an alternative location up to equivalent cost)
• Private health insurance
• Life insurance and personal accident/medical expenses insurance.

The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

The HALO Trust is committed to a culture that is both diverse and inclusive and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

The HALO Trust is committed to ensuring that it provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards and promotes the welfare and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with, or is part of, the Charity, with a zero-tolerance approach to behaviours which challenge this.