Infrastructure Specialist

The UNOPS Middle East Region (MR) provides strategic leadership, performance oversight, and support to UNOPS operations across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and the State of Palestine. MR is responsible for positioning UNOPS as a key development partner in the region through high-level engagement with regional bodies, UN coordination mechanisms, development banks, donors, and intergovernmental organisations. By fostering strategic partnerships and promoting operational excellence, the region supports country teams in delivering sustainable solutions to complex development, peace, and humanitarian challenges

Established in 2004, the UNOPS Amman Multi-Country Office (MCO) provides strategic and operational support to partners across Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf countries. The MCO delivers solutions that address development, peace, and humanitarian challenges through infrastructure, procurement, project management, and human resources services. Working in close collaboration with national governments, UN agencies, and donors, the office supports efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Its portfolio includes large-scale operations focused on improving essential services, strengthening national systems, and enhancing resilience in complex and fragile settings.

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development and technical management, and provides financial, human resources and infrastructure-related services. UNOPS has a corporate framework for gender mainstreaming that calls for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women as a crosscutting objective in all projects and services.

The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations, Health and Safety and Environmental Management System of UNOPS, to achieve the outcomes sought by the clients.

The Infrastructure Specialist will ensure that all infrastructure projects in the Hub adhere to UNOPS standards, governance frameworks, and performance objectives, while enabling effective coordination and knowledge sharing. The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, occupational health and safety (OHS) procedures, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a fully diverse workforce.

This position operates within a dynamic humanitarian and development environment supporting critical infrastructure projects across the Hub. The role is essential to providing technical expertise and oversight to ensure projects are delivered to UNOPS standards, quality requirements, and performance objectives. The Infrastructure Specialist will play a key role in supporting Project Managers across the full project lifecycle, from feasibility and design to construction and handover

The Infrastructure Specialist provides strategic technical advisory and coordination support to infrastructure Project Managers (PMs) across the full project lifecycle, ensuring compliance with corporate rules, procedures and standards; and provides technical advice and support to all infrastructure projects across the Hub

1. Infrastructure Project Technical Support

• Provide strategic technical advisory and coordination support to infrastructure Project Managers (PMs) across the full project lifecycle, from feasibility and design to construction and handover, ensuring compliance with UNOPS standards, quality requirements, and performance objectives.
• Advise PMs on planning, coordination, and monitoring of infrastructure activities to ensure timely, cost-effective, and high-quality project delivery.
• Support PMs in the implementation of their infrastructure projects with a focus on quality assurance and quality control.
• Provide guidance on the development, implementation, and oversight of infrastructure-related plans, ensuring alignment with UNOPS policies and international standards.
• Advise PMss in conducting feasibility studies, needs assessments, and preliminary investigations, including supervision of external consultants, and review recommendations to inform strategic decisions on project scope and prioritization.
• Provide technical oversight and guidance in the preparation of tender dossiers, ensuring the completeness and quality of technical documentation including drawings, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), specifications, and applicable standards.
• Provide strategic technical input to procurement and project teams during tender preparation and bid evaluation, ensuring alignment with project objectives, technical standards, and UNOPS best practices.

2. Design Management

• Support the PMs to outline design requirements for procurement of design services, including concept, preliminary and final stages, where applicable.
• Support the PMs in managing the design plan so that all associated deliverables are available on time, and to the required quality.
• Review designs for all infrastructure projects prior to submission to the HQ Design Review when needed.
• Liaise and coordinate with the Regional Infrastructure Advisor on any technical matters in relation to design management, as well as with other relevant stakeholders within the Amman Hub as needed.

3. Construction Supervision

• Provide strategic oversight and technical assurance for construction activities across infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with approved scope, quality standards, cost parameters, and delivery schedules.
• Guide PMs to ensure that all infrastructure projects have effective quality control systems in place.
• Support PMs to ensure that the overall management of works implementation is completed on time, within budget and to quality standards.
• Support PM in reviewing needs assessment, organize preliminary studies/ assessments.
• Provide expertise and support in terms  of the implementation of standards and frameworks - including gender mainstreaming standards - procurement and contract modality selection and management, Quality Control, Health and Safety and Environmental Management System.
• Conduct regular spot checks/ field visits to infrastructure projects’ sites to follow up on the progress of works implementation and quality for on time delivery, and identify possible areas/issues of concern, including with regard to the gender-sensitivity of the work environment.
• Support PMs in reviewing variation orders and contractors’ invoices/claims in all phases of projects’ implementation and provide advice and guidance as needed.
• Seek advice from the Regional Infrastructure Advisor on any technical matters as well as with other stakeholders within the Amman Hub as needed.

4. Knowledge Management

• Provide infrastructure-related training to PMs, project teams and contractors’ personnel, and advise on engineering best practices, good environmental management practices, and appropriate health, safety, social and environmental (HSSE) standards, including gender-sensitive practices.
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for development planning and knowledge building within the area of infrastructure project management in coordination with the Regional Infrastructure Advisor and other stakeholders within and outside the Amman Hub.
• Provide recommendations on policy and tools to the Infrastructure Practice and contribute to the development of guidance material and tools in coordination with the Regional Infrastructure Advisor.

5. Compliance to Corporate Policies and Procedures

• Coordinate with the Programme Management Office in ensuring that all infrastructure projects are complying with relevant infrastructure-related Organisational Directives and Administrative Instructions, including those related to gender mainstreaming in infrastructure.
• Undertake regular visits to all projects in agreement with the Head of Programme and the relevant PMs.
• Based on field visits and/ or spot checks, report any issues of non-compliance and/ or critical deviations to the Head of Programme and/or the Hub Director, and provide necessary advice and guidance for undertaking corrective measures.
• Support the Head of Programme during the quarterly assurance, and any other reviews of  infrastructure projects.

6. Partnerships Support

• Review all proposals for infrastructure projects at UNOPS Amman Hub and provide technical input to proposals, including proposal writing and project planning (time, cost, scope and quality).
• Represent UNOPS in negotiations, meetings and conferences, as and when infrastructure expertise is required.
• Represent UNOPS at technical forums organised at national, regional or international levels, as and when requested.

Required

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or related field is required

Desired

• First-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or related field in combination with 2 additional years of relevant professional experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

• Certification in a recognised project management methodology, preferably in Prince2 or PMP, LEAD, AutoCAD, and a knowledge of programme management methodology (e.g. MSP)

• Professional certification in engineering or similar (CEng, PE, or equivalent)

Required

• At least 6 years progressively responsible experience in infrastructure design, project management and implementation including at least 3 years of experience as a Project Manager in infrastructure projects is required.

Desired

• Demonstrated experience in implementing and supporting infrastructure-related projects in developing or conflict/post-conflict countries

• Knowledge and/or experience with gender mainstreaming in infrastructure.

• Prior experience with the UN and/or international organisations in the development/ humanitarian sector is desired

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here [link removed]. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here. [link removed]
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.