Overview

Type of Contract: Short fixed-term consultant contract (Americares Tanzania, Kibondo HWS Project)

Reporting Lines: Americares Tanzania Program Manager

Primary Location: Kibondo District Hospital, Kibondo, Kigoma, Tanzania

Position Type: Full-Time Consultant

Duration of Assignment: Four Months

Experience Level: 5 - 10 Years

Qualifications Required: Environmental, Water or Civil Engineering Degree

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 90 countries on average, including the United States with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is the world’s leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

General Description of the Program:

Kibondo District Hospital, in the Kigoma region of Tanzania, is the referral hospital for more than 290,000 Tanzanians, as well as nearly 100,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees currently being hosted at the nearby Nduta refugee camp. In 2017, Americares participated in an IOM rapid assessment of the health needs among refugee and other migrant populations and their host communities in Kigoma and along Lake Tanganyika. Discussions with the RHMT and Kibondo District Hospital (KDH) leadership highlighted the need for increased support to improve infection prevention and control (IPC) measures at Kibondo Hospital.

To address the challenge, Americares Tanzania is working with the Kibondo District Council through the District Medical Officer and Kibondo District Hospital Management Team to improve WASH-related infrastructure at KDH, so that it can function better and serve the health needs of the surrounding communities.

In 2020, Americares commissioned an assessment of the above-mentioned healthcare facility with the aim of identifying priority areas of intervention. Several water and sanitation infrastructure interventions were selected, including the drilling of a new borehole within the hospital campus. The ultimate goal is to produce enough water to meet the needs of the hospital. As part of this initiative, an existing masonry tank was repaired to function as main storage reservoir, and new distribution lines will be laid to replace the worn out piping originally installed.

Purpose of the Assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to oversee the execution of all drilling and construction works planned for this intervention, and to ensure the timely delivery of the final piece of infrastructure as per relevant project documents, ensuring respect of national standards and guidelines.

This will include the supervision of the selected contractor to carry out drilling operations (i.e. exploratory and productive boreholes), and the rehabilitation of the existing water supply system (i.e. distribution network and fixtures repairs/installation).

The WASH Engineer will be based in Kibondo town fulltime. S/He will collaborate with and report to the Americares Tanzania Program Manager. S/He will also coordinate with the District Medical Officer and the District Water Engineer, Medical Officer in charge, and other stakeholders to ensure the quality of work and sustainability.

The WASH Engineer will be required to ensure clear communication and coordination with Americares Tanzania staff, local authorities and counterparts, providing technical oversight and guidance, as well as supporting the development of technical best practices, processes, and reports; with regular field visits to the project site, and frequent meetings with all actors involved.

Responsibilities and competencies

Under the terms of this assignment, the WASH Engineer will be responsible for the delivery of Americares Tanzania WASH project activities at KDH, as follows:

• Review Tender documents for drilling of a borehole at KDH
• Survey and assess existing water distribution system and produce necessary technical plans to repair/upgrade the existing network throughout the hospital campus.
• Develop agreed work plans, including construction designs, bill of quantities (BoQs), technical drawings, timelines, etc. to ensure adequate execution of works.
• Provide technical support to the selection and procurement of equipment/materials/labor/etc.
• Prepare complete Tender documents for repair/upgrade of the water distribution system, including installation of appropriate fixtures
• Provide guidance and technical advice to Americares Tanzania team during bid advertisement, collection, opening, analysis and selection of successful bidder, and help document the bidding process for each of the following project components:
  • Drilling of a new borehole at KDH, including exploratory boreholes, the installation of a submersible water pump, and the connection to the newly rehabilitated water tank;
  • Upgrading of the water distribution system and fixtures in all functional building at KDH, including installation of appropriate IPC compliant sinks/taps.
• Liaise with the District Water Engineer to ensure all documentation is complete and appropriate, and include his inputs before seeking approvals from relevant authorities
• Be a strong link between the project site and the Americares Tanzania team on the issues related to the project, and make sure that the project is completed within scope, cost, quality, legal frame and time.
• Be a highly communicative and responsive member of the Americares team and contribute to regular reporting requirements. More specific reporting and communication requirements are as follows:
  • Provide brief updates to the Program Manager at least every two working days via email, text, phone call, or WhatsApp detailing the progress made on the works covered by this ToR
  • During construction phases, provide at least one photograph of the on-site conditions and progress to the Program Manager at least once per week to accompany the updates provided
  • Participate in weekly and other as-needed phone and Zoom meetings that may include the Program Manager, HQ staff, and Kibondo District Hospital staff
  • Provide at least one page-long narrative reports at the end of each month that consolidate and detail the progress made on the works covered by this ToR (due by the 5^th of the following month)
  • Respond to emails, phone calls, and other forms of communication from the Program Manager, Kibondo District Hospital staff, and other collaborating staff and stakeholders within 24 hours (during the work week) of receiving the communication. If more than 24 hours is needed to respond to such a communication, an email acknowledging your receipt of the initial email is needed, including an estimated timeline for when a more detailed and complete response will be made available
• Supervise contractors at the construction site, ensuring technical and operational problems are appropriately addressed and solutions suggested.
• Inform all responsible officials of any delays/challenges that may arise, and work with the District Water Engineer and Program Manager to develop appropriate solutions to the same.
• Ensure that policies and guidelines as laid down in Americares manuals and policies are always adhered and respected, and that major technical decisions are made in consultation with Americares HQ WASH Technical Advisor.
• Ensure adherence to Americares Code of Conduct and other relevant policy documents, standards of integrity, and whistleblowing mechanisms.
• Perform other tasks related to the scope of the assignment at the request of the Program Manager.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Degree in Environmental Engineering, Water Engineering, Civil Engineering or similar education background and level (i.e either Master’s degree or Bachelor’s degree plus additional experience in the WASH sector).
• Appropriate legal requirements, licenses, and authorizations to practice as an engineer (e.g. register of engineers), and to work in healthcare settings and/or other public institutions.
• Proven experience in design and construction of water and sanitation systems.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in WASH or related field.
• Experience of project / program implementation, particularly hardware/infrastructure components, and oversight of construction activities and work sites. Prepared to work in resource-limited environments with significant time spent in the field.
• Commitment to project site/organization accountability and humanitarian principles.
• Computer literacy, especially MS Office and engineering designing software (AutoCAD, Water CAD, EPANET, etc.).
• Working knowledge of English (spoken and written) and Kiswahili
• Proven ability to build the capacity of partner/ local organizations an advantage.
• Previous experience working with NGOs (WASH field) or public water authorities is a distinct advantage.

Submission Deadline:

Completed application should be submitted electronically before 24 March 2021 to infotanzania@americares.org.