Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer

Job Descriptions

Job Title: Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer

Location: Purnima’s Field Office at Dhading District HQ, with 75% of time expected to be in the field away from the office in Dhading, Gorkha and Nuwakot  district

Contract Type: Fixed Term 1 year (With possibility of extension)

Reporting to: School Programme Manager

About PURNIMA: UK Support to Post-Earthquake Recovery in Nepal

PURNIMA is a five-year programme funded by UK Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by Mott MacDonald which will run until September 2022. The objective is long-term positive change in the lives of people in earthquake-affected regions of Nepal. 

The programme is working in four of the worst-affected districts (Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, and Rasuwa) and includes five Output Areas: 

1. Support and capacity building to Government agencies at federal, provincial and local level in reconstruction planning and implementation. 
2. Reconstruction of rural infrastructure, including water supply, foot trails, bridges, and schools
3. Interventions to address constraints to the private sector in relation to construction, including access to finance, innovation and skills.
4. A Challenge Fund to ‘leave no-one behind’ in the reconstruction effort, and to restore and improve livelihoods, food security and access to services (including housing grants and related support services) for the most vulnerable.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.

School Construction Component of output 2

School construction component is under output 2 of Purnima. There will be approximately 30 schools in four programme districts (5-10 in each district) for school construction.  The main objective of this component under Output 2 is to build back a safer learning environment to the Children and teachers and a safe refuge in times of natural disaster for the whole community. The interventions include new construction of school class rooms, land stabilization works, school compounds, WASH facilities and classroom furniture of the selected Basic Schools as per the need and demand from the schools.   The construction of schools is planned in various lots, with 5 schools in lot 1 and eventually 30 schools in total.  

GEOCE is the design and supervision consultant for the school support programme. While construction responsibilities are trusted to a NGO, GEOCE will be responsible for overall supervision of the construction activities and ensures quality assurance and construction milestones met by the NGO. The QA engineer forms the team of design and supervision in GEOCE. 

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

The Quality Assurance Engineer is responsible for quality assurance and ensuring construction milestones of schools under the scope of GEOCE. This is a roving role and hence the incumbent is required to make construction site visits of the assigned schools. S/he will also supervise the works of Civil Engineer and Sub-Engineers of the assigned NGO

Specific duties and responsibilities:

Construction materials

• Make spot checks of construction materials at the sites or before the procurement in accordance with the approved standards and specifications
• Supervise the NGOs for any technical test required for quality control of construction at project site when necessary

Workmanship

• Oversight of NGOs Civil Engineers and sub engineers to ensure that schools are constructed in compliance with designs, drawings, specifications, regulatory requirements, and in accordance with timeline programmes, implementation plan, operational procedures, and cash control and cash recording requirements

Critical milestones and reporting in mWater

• Develop School monitoring tools and quality control checklist for each critical construction milestones 
• Regular visits to each school construction site for all the critical milestones for quality monitoring and reporting construction progress and issues in mWater where relevant
• Ensure the use of tools effective in each project site. If necessary, suggest for any update based on the field experience
• Develop and implement the timeline programme, implementation plan and operational procedures, 
• Review the monthly report submitted by the implementing NGO (s) and provide feedback and comments to the School Programme Manager

Recommendations for payment with evidences of meeting critical milestones

• Visit the construction site for each critical construction milestones and against each invoice submitted and make recommendation for payment to the NGO 

Training to Partners technical team

• Training and mentoring of NGO (s) Civil Engineers and Sub-Engineers, including a focus on construction quality control, health and safety management at each construction site

Health and safety monitoring

• Make sure the NGO does the assessment of health and safety risks at the construction site and mitigation measures are applied
• Ensure that Health and safety equipment’s are adequate, relevant and appropriately used in the construction site. 

Coordination 

• Support NGO Civil Engineers to work collaboratively with School Construction Committees (SCCs), School Management Committees (SMCs), school and community stakeholders
• Liaise with the DLPIU-Education, Gaunpalikas, and other stakeholders at district level

Skill and competencies:

Essentials

• Bachelor of Civil Engineering qualification with at least 7years’building construction industry experience and minimum 3 years of experience in school building construction sector.
• Master in Earthquake Engineering is preferable
• Experience supervising building construction works in remote areas 
• Experience in working consultatively and collaboratively with local stakeholders, such as NGOs, community-based organisations, local government authorities, district authorities
• Good written and verbal communication skillsin English and Nepali
• Experience in delivering vocational training programme for construction skills, including stone masonry and carpentry
• Competent in the use of computer software including mobile apps, Auto CAD, Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point
• Able to spend extended periods in the field (75% plus)
• A good level of fitness at altitude, where the primary mode of travel will be trekking on foot over mountainous and hilly terrain

Desirable

• Building design experience, including an understanding of seismic-resistant design and construction principles and practices
• Sensitive to quality issues of construction project sites 
• Understanding of gender equity and social inclusion concepts and practices
• Having two wheelers license is advantageous 

Application Procedure: Interested candidates can submit their CV/RESUME at geoce.recquirement@gmail.com

Note: CV with a cover letter is mandatory for the Application.