Irrigation Engineer

Job Description

Position Summary:

USAID’s Strengthening Watershed and Irrigation management (SWIM) aims to support sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth by increasing the sustainable and productive use of water livelihoods and strengthening water resource management. The project focuses on three components:

1. Increase productive and sustainable use of water in agriculture;
2. Strengthen the water regulatory framework; and
3. Strengthen capacity of local entities to manage water resources.

Activities will include support for farmers and farm communities to better manage their water and on-farm resources; support to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) in strengthening water resource management; and support of USAID’s Regional Agriculture Development Programs (RADPs) to increase agricultural water productivity.

The Irrigation Engineer will be based in Kabul for a period of at least one year and is responsible for managing a team of technical experts in the design, construction, and/or rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure and related agricultural water management systems. The Irrigation Engineer will develop, implement and supervise procedures and controls to effectively monitor project progress and achievements, meet contractual deadlines for the delivery of new and improved irrigation infrastructure, and adhere to relevant reporting requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for leading irrigation infrastructure design and construction aspects of the SWIM project, including the management of technical engineering staff, developing specific work plans and delivering project results.
• Provide technical guidance on engineering best practices for irrigation infrastructure design, construction, and management as relevant for SWIM components 1-3.
• Integrate sustainable water management and conservation approaches in irrigation infrastructure and engineering activities.
• Supervise SWIM engineers in the planning and design of irrigation infrastructure, which includes the following activities: (a) the preparation of basin management plans; (b) sub-project feasibility planning related to irrigation; (c) preliminary design of pilot sub-projects; and (d) the preparation of proposals to revise the design standards.
• Ensure that watershed and irrigation infrastructure surveys, supporting studies, due diligence assessments, and other activities/outputs satisfy the environmental and contractual requirements of SWIM and the environmental and regulatory requirements of the Government of Afghanistan.
• Ensure that program proposals and activities are aligned with the country-specific context and strategy.
• Reviewand revise as necessary the project administration manual and feasibility studies on (i) irrigated agriculture, and (ii) water supply, which were developed during the preparation of specific grant projects.
• Discuss the concept notes for the different project with MAIL and other government agencies involved in water resource management, as well as prepare an Inception Report comprising the final concept, approach, work plan, and outline of the Feasibility Study Report.
• Supervise the Feasibility Study in Northern Afghanistan consultants and the quality of findings and report outputs.
• In collaboration with DAIL, MAIL, and other ministries, conduct fieldwork to develop the engineering designs for new construction and rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure and related works and prepare preliminary engineering drawings.
• Closely supervise and support the SWIM Component team leaders in overall project management, coordination, programming, and in obtaining approvals;
• Perform quality assurance oversight and take corrective actions during engineering design and construction and follow up on monitoring and compliance reports as necessary;
• Effectively link quality performance and contract delivery to the payment process for construction subcontracts;
• Support the SWIM Environmental Specialist in overseeing and reporting on proper implementation of environmental mitigation measures as specified in the SWIM Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP);
• Review and assess overall field-testing processes, results, and issue resolution;
• Design, develop, and review of Bills of Quantity (BOQ) for planned construction and rehabilitation works.

Qualifications:

• The Irrigation Engineer should have at least 20 years of experience, with 15 years of experience directly related to irrigation infrastructure planning, design, and construction. The candidate should have a graduate degree, and preferably postgraduate degree, related to agricultural engineering, irrigation engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, or other relevant fields.
• At least ten years of international development experience as Project Director, COP, DCOP, or comparable other management role in large, complex donor funded technical assistance projects in transitional or post-conflict countries;
• Experience applying environmentally sustainable water management practices to irrigation infrastructure design and management;
• Ability to effectively negotiate and collaborate with host government officials, other USAID activities, local organizations, and partners;
• Experience in South Asian countries, especially in Afghanistan, is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel periodically to high risk or high security areas of Norther Region of Afghanistan for short periods of time.
• Fluency in English (speaking, reading, and writing).

We thank all applicants for their interest. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

DT Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. DT Global prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.

About the Organization

DT Global, built on more than 50 years of experience from AECOM International Development, Development Transformations, and the Global Peace and Development (GPD) Charitable Trust, applies ingenuity, evidence, and passion to everything we do. Grounded in decades of technical expertise and leadership around the world, we incorporate rigorous learning and assessment in our program design process to ensure that we stay on the cutting edge of thought leadership. Our technical experts work in partnership with communities and institutions to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions that create sustainable change and improve people's lives. For more information please see www.dt-global.com.