Senior Project Assistant - Road Maintenance G6 (7 Positions)

Introduction

This ILO technical assistance form’s part an integral part of a larger Rural Access and Agriculture Marketing Project (RAAMP), Nigeria delivered by Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with 7 States Projects Implementation Unit. Within this framework, the State Road Maintenance Engineer will be responsible for Roads Maintenance activities within the scope of the ILO technical assistance especially for Routine Maintenance and Spot Improvements and Decent work component in the states. The State Road Maintenance Engineer will be the key resource person responsible for the development and implementation of Routine maintenance and Spot Improvements of selected Road’s infrastructure in the state project area advising SPIU   in policy planning, promoting decent work, roads and bridge maintenance, OSH and Decent Employment promotion. She/he will be acting as main ILO officials in SPIUs working on Maintenance and capacity building of SPIUS and Government field. 
The positions are in 7 RAAMP project duty stations (Ado Ekiti, Abakaliki, Gombe, Katsina, Lokoja, Osogbo, Jos)  stationed at SPIUs and will contribute to the overall establishment and monitoring of sustainable road maintenance systems and Spot Improvement within the states. To perform his/her duties, the Roads Maintenance Engineer will be required to spend almost two thirds of his/her time in the field providing technical backstopping to the Project team and Contractors.

Applicants should indicate duty station being applied for in their cover letter.

Assessed candidates who will be considered as appointable but not selected for the location applied for can also be offered to be assigned to another duty station within the 12 RAAMP states (Ekiti, Ebonyi, Gombe, Katsina, Kogi, Osun, Plateau, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Niger, Sokoto) at the same or at a lower grade provided that said candidates possesses the minimum qualifications.

2. Reporting Line.
The Senior Project Assistant will report directly to the Training and Roads Maintenance Technical Officer and working closely with National Expert. S/He will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor CTA based in ILO FPMU in Abuja; the State Road Maintenance Engineers will take charge of the works operations within the Maintenance and Spot Improvement component of RAAMP. 

Description of Duties

Each incumbent will be given the responsibility of a specific state and working closely with SPIU category of infrastructure works for which they will be the key resource person, including initial feasibility studies, preliminary and detailed designs, quantity surveying, contract documents, supervision and inspection of works, use of appropriate technology, conditions of employment of labour, OSH, gender, environment and other crosscutting issues related to the works.

The Senior Project Assistants shall be based in the States Project Implementation Unit (SPIUs) and will be responsible for providing technical support to SPIUs in overall achievements of the rural road’s routine maintenance and Spot Improvements activities under the project. He /She shall report day to day to the Chief of SPIUs on activities and ILO’s Chief Technical Advisor in the FPMU and shall be technically supported by the Training Roads Maintenance Technical Officer and Senior Roads Maintenance Engineer and Senior Specialist, Employment Intensive Investments in the ILO’s Decent Work Technical Team in Dakar.

His /her key responsibilities shall be to support the PMU and the project team in the following areas:

1. Collaborate with the SPIUs in data collection, road condition surveys and updating of rural roads inventory in the states for formulation of their annual and multiyear road maintenance plans.
2. Assist SPIUs in pilot testing of various innovative routine road maintenance models including group based / community contracting and physical and financial tracking of the road maintenance activities as per their annual routine maintenance plans.
3. Participate as a resource person in technical trainings, assist in building a system wide capacity for training and development of Road Maintenance Groups and Spot Improvement maintenance contractors, on-site and off-site training modules for States level maintenance events and provide technical support to local contractors and communities involved in the infrastructure works.
4. Integrate Decent Work Elements into Maintenance and Operation Manuals suggesting policies in scaling up sustainable routine road maintenance.
5.  Apply appropriate technical design standards, work methods and organisation, standard   bill of quantities, work norms and appropriate unit rates for the planning and design of transport infrastructure works including quantity surveys, prepare designs and cost estimates, project DPR for Routine and Spot maintenance infrastructure works, prepare bidding documents and civil works contracts and review tenders.
6. Advise and provide guidance to counterpart agencies, contractors and local communities on local resource-based work approaches including the use of employment-intensive work methods in the rehabilitation and maintenance of transport infrastructure.
7. Organise community consultations as part of securing adequate local involvement in the planning and implementation of works.
8. Review contractors’ work programmes, methods statements, material sources, testing of gravel, aggregate and other building materials.  Assist in conducting regular inspection and measurement of works, specification, quality of materials and as-built drawings; support the certification and approval of completed works for payment.
9. Process payments of work, maintain expenditure plans and update works budgets.

.

10. Inspect working conditions at construction sites, ensuring that occupational health and safety practices are following prevailing standards and recommend remedial action during events or circumstances that significantly impact works in terms of quality and time. 

11. Assist in the development and maintenance of computerized information systems for use in monitoring and reporting on activities and performance by reviewing, verifying and analysing work-plans, progress reports, final reports and other data for clarity, consistency and completeness.

12. Provide capacity building inputs, implementation support and technical advice regarding the maintenance of rural road works including identification, prioritization, selection and implementation of road works, with quality control and quality assurance.

13. Assist in the organization of conferences, seminars, workshops, training sessions and meetings. progress reports, inception report, monthly progress reports, project quarterly reports and final reports.

14. Perform other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Education

Completion of secondary school education, plus relevant trainings/education in the civil engineering, highway engineering Field.

Experience

• At least 6 years’ experience with demonstrated experience in the field of employment intensive rural road rehabilitation/construction/ maintenance. 
  
• Extensive experience in the development and implementation of employment-intensive (labour-based) public works and a solid understanding of the ILO decent work agenda,
  
• Experience in Rural Roads Maintenance, training of and working with local contractors,
  
• Good knowledge of community and project stakeholder consultations and mobilisation,
  
• Skills development and institutional strengthening.

Languages

Excellent command of English and Nigerian local language

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to manage and evaluate rural roads maintenance. 
  
• Demonstrated technical expertise in formulating new concepts and methodologies, training materials, alternative courses of action and project proposals. 
  
• Ability to prepare technical publications, reports and recommendations. 
  
• Managerial capacities to implement projects and organize meetings. 
  
• Ability to work in teams, cultural awareness and networking skills. 
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to succinctly explain technical issues to various stakeholders including local level non-technical functionaries and Computer literacy.
  
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.