Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) Engineer



BACKGROUND

The USAID- Nepal Karnali Water Activity will create healthy, resilient, and water secure communities at the watershed level through strengthened water and sanitation governance that improves water resource management (including water for more resilient and biodiverse ecosystems), enhances sustainable access to drinking water, improves agriculture water management, and reduces the fecal pathogen burden in the environment from poorly managed non-sewered sanitation through fecal sludge management. The program team will methodically integrate WRM, watershed biodiversity conservation, and water and sanitation service delivery by mapping and strengthening the roles, connections, and capacities of key actors and stakeholders’ system wide.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The QA/QC Engineer will work closely with the Senior Engineer for the quality assurance and control of engineering functions required for the construction of water supply schemes, Multiple Use System (MUS), water source protection works, fecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) and related infrastructure in the USAID Karnali Water Activity. The QA/QC Engineer will be responsible for ensuring engineering and construction are in accordance with Activity deadlines, quality standards and prescribed controls. S/he will put in place policies and procedures to ensure that all infrastructural actions are compliant with national and USAID engineering and building norms and regulations. S/he will oversee and manage quality assessment of materials, construction, and workmanship through regular visits and structured testing. The QA/QC Engineer will provide independent quality assurance oversight support for both design quality assurance, construction material quality assurance and construction quality management as needed for all construction activities under USAID Karnal Water Activity as mentioned above. The position is based in USAID Karnali Water Activity field office Surkhet.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting directly to Chief of Party (COP), the QA/QC Engineer is expected to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Establish quality assurance and control procedures, timely inspection, sampling, and testing of construction material and work, as well as other QA/QC requirements. 
• Create QA/QC plans for surveying, designing, estimating, and building water supply schemes, MUS, water source protection works, and FSTPs. 
• Monitor scheme design, construction, and commissioning activities. Monitor contracts with approved quality control plans for design, construction and commissioning activities including coordination with and monitoring all scheme construction team and sub-contractors’ team. Casually participate in day-to-day inspection / testing activities and perform independent surveillance inspections, to ensure project quality compliance. 
• Provide necessary guidance to the field engineers/site staff to ensure that sub-contractors/suppliers quality systems as per the approved QA/QC plans are implemented and effective.
• Communicate with design and construction subcontractors, as well as construction personnel and team members, to address and resolve any design and day-to-day construction site issues / deficiencies. 
• Review and ensure that QC plans submitted by sub-contractors are acceptable as per the contract or assist construction sub-contractors to develop effective QC plans for infrastructure projects, if deemed necessary and disseminate relevant QA/QC documents to construction sub-contractors.
• Facilitate organization of third-party inspection as deemed necessary, in coordination with design sub-contractor/field engineers
• In consultation with the project staff, review the design, drawings, technical specifications and DPR reports and recommend standard construction procedures for all item of works for their effective use in projects’ works.
• Oversee and manage quality assessment of materials and workmanship through regular tests. Ensure specific quality standards are constantly met at all levels of construction projects.
• Review contractor practices and conventional methodologies and make recommendations where remedial action is required.
• Capacitate and work with field engineers and construction supervisors for establishing procedures for the inspection, sampling and testing of works and all other QA/QC requirements to improve QA/QC at the project level.
• Establish system and track quality assurance activities and provide regular QA/QC report to the COP on project QA/QC activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8 years experience with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or 4 years experience with a Master’s degree of progressively responsible experience in construction work with prominent experience on design and construction, quality assurance and control. (Subtract one year of relevant experience—7 years with a Bachelor’s degree or 3 years with a Master’s degree for applicants from excluded groups)
• Demonstrable track record in the design and construction of water supply schemes, MUS, water source protection works, and FSTPs encompassing civil/structural works under different condition of construction procedures.
• Capable of reviewing existing operations within an organization through all the project phases (processes and procedures in both office and site), assessing both the strengths and weaknesses and assisting in compiling a bespoke set of processes and procedures of all of the activities including but not limited to quality, progress, design and construction.
• Experience in construction work with emphasis on materials testing, quality control, and assurance and a firm understanding of requirements and specifications of testing and materials.
• Knowledge of procurement practices will be an asset
• Experience in applying and overseeing workplace health and safety requirements.
• Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations will be highly advantageous.
• Hands on experience of Auto CAD, Microsoft Office package and other relevant designing software.
• Good communication skills in English and Nepali

Application Link:  https://fs23.formsite.com/OLJTgx/i0jivtyxid/index.html

Application instructions:

Select the position in which you are interested in applying for, fill out the required information and upload CV. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be conducted soon. Please note, due to the volume of applications that we receive and the urgency to fill-up positions only shortlisted applicants will receive notifications on next steps. 

Interested candidates should submit their application no later than December 18, 2022

DAI promotes workforce diversity and considers excluded groups to include women, Dalits, indigenous ethnic groups, Madhesi, Muslim, persons with disabilities, people living in remote areas, and sexual and gender minorities.