Details of Water Engineer

Job description

Federal Republic of Somalia

Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation

Rural Livelihoods Resilience Program (RLRP)

 Terms of reference

Post Title: Water Engineer

Type of Appointment: Individual Consultant

Duration: 12 months with a six-month probation period

Duty Station: Mogadishu, Somalia

1.    Background:

The Rural Livelihoods Resilience Program (RLRP) is an 8-year project and the lead agency for the Program is the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MA&I), Federal Government of Somalia. The project’s goal is “improved and resilient livelihoods of rural smallholders in Somalia”. The Program Development Objective (PDO) is” to sustainably increase productivity, incomes and nutrition security and enhance the resilience of rural smallholder families in Somalia. The RLRP has 3 components: component 1 Support to community resilience; component 2 support to smallholder livelihoods; component 3 Programme coordination and capacity building.

The RLRP’s primary target groups will be 30,000 poor small-scale agro-pastoral households (HHs. RLRP will further include proportions for vulnerable groups including IDPs (15 percent), women headed HHs (30 percent) and persons with disabilities based on prevalence.

The RLRP is a nationwide programme. It will focus its comprehensive efforts on the five Federal Member States (FMS) of Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, Hirshabelle and South West. Implementation will be sequenced, starting with the initial two FMS of Jubaland and South West, and a total of five regions in the two states: Jubaland: Gedo and Lower Juba; and South West: Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation implements the Rural Livelihood and Resilience Program (RLRP). The program aims to enhance the livelihoods and resilience of rural communities. It focuses on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, diversifying income sources, and improving market access for farmers. Additionally, the RLRP works to build resilience by implementing measures such as water conservation, climate-smart agricultural techniques, and disaster preparedness. Community participation and empowerment are key program elements, fostering social cohesion and ownership of development initiatives. The Ministry strengthens institutional capacity to ensure effective implementation and long-term program sustainability.

The National Programme Coordination Unit (NPCU), reporting to the MoAI, will be responsible for day to day management of the Programme and will be in charge of planning, coordination, monitoring nd evaluation, financial management and procurement fuctions. The NPCU includes the position of Water Engineer that will be filled through a competitive recruitment process.

2.     Scope of Work and Responsibilities

The Water Engineer will ensure that all water infrastructure activities under the component 1 of RLRP are technically sound, environmentally sustainable, and implemented in compliance with IFAD and MoAI standards.

The objective of the position is to provide professional engineering support in the planning, design, construction supervision, monitoring, and maintenance of water infrastructure while building the technical capacity of local institutions and project teams.

Job Description

Under the supervision of the National Program Coordinator, the responsibilities/duties of the Water Engineer will cover the following duties.

Lead the planning, design, and supervision of all water infrastructure works under the Rural Livelihood and Resilience Program (RLRP)

Provide technical oversight and quality assurance for construction and rehabilitation of irrigation and water infrastructure activities.

Participate in the preparation and review of annual work plans and budgets for component 1 infrastructure-related activities.

Conduct or supervise technical assessments, feasibility studies, and detailed designs for water supply and small-scale irrigation infrastructure, as well as for other infrastructure identified under component 1 of RLRP.

Review and validate design drawings, technical specifications, and Bills of Quantities (BoQs).

Supervise field implementation to ensure adherence to design standards, environmental and social safeguards, and quality control measures.

Support the introduction of climate-resilient and energy-efficient water technologies, including solar pumping systems.

Develop technical manuals and training materials for operation and maintenance (O&M) of water and other infrastructure under component 1 of RLRP.

Organize training for government staff on operation and maintenance of water and other infrastructure under component 1 of RLRP.

Strengthen community-level management of water facilities through training of water user committees.

Integrate gender and social inclusion principles in all stages of the planning and implementation of the water and other infrastructure under component 1 of RLRP in line with the project’s gender action plan.

Prioritize investments that benefit women, youth, and vulnerable groups, particularly in communities affected by water scarcity in line with the gender action plan of RLRP.

Ensure that women, youth and vulnerable groups targeted by RLRP are fully participating in community consultations, training, and O&M arrangements.

Conduct regular site visits and technical inspections to monitor progress, quality, and compliance of the infrastructure constructed or rehabilitated by RLRP.

Supervise the timely submission of technical progress reports, site inspection notes, and completion certificates.

Document lessons learned and best practices that would contribute to better project performance and delivery of benefits to the community.

Maintain effective communication with the contractors, and community stakeholders.

Represent the project at national and state water sector meetings and coordination forums.

Perform other technical duties as may be assigned by the national Program Coordinator or the MoAI.

3. Key Deliverables

Feasibility and design reports for all water infrastructure and other investments under component 1 of RLRP.

Approved BoQs, design drawings, and tender documents.

Monthly and quarterly progress and supervision reports.

Final completion reports and as-built documentation for completed works.

Monitoring reports about RLRP component 1 outputs and indicators, as per RLRP M&E Plan.

Skills and qualifications

4.     Qualifications and experience

This is a senior management position requiring a results-oriented professional committed to engage in the project focused on being demand-driven, equitable, gender-aware, and following participatory approaches to empower communities to realize their development goals and to facilitate strong collaboration across participating ministries.

Advanced degree from a recognized university in one of the following disciplines: water engineering, irrigation engineering, hydrology, hydro-geology, rural or civil engineering.

A professional qualification in irrigation scheme management will be an advantage.

A minimum of at least 8 years of work experience in planning and supervision of water infrastructure construction, and installation works and engineering services.

At least five years of experience in irrigation engineering and irrigation development work in Somalia.”.

Work experience in projects funded by an international donor would be considered as an advantage 

Fluency in speaking and writing English and Somali languages.

Demonstrated ability to effectively use computer and programs and other electronic sources, such AutoCAD for design, GIS for spatial analysis, and hydraulic/hydrological modeling software such as EPANET, HEC-RAS, and MODFLOW for network and watershed analysis. Additionally, proficiency in Microsoft Excel for data analysis and project management tools like Microsoft Project is required.

Duration: The initial contract will be for one year with a six-month probation period, renewable every year on continued satisfactory performance.

How to apply

If your qualifications and experience meet this job requirement, please submit a written application letter and C.V and copy of academic qualification in one document, not three separate attachments, quoting your name, the job title including daytime contact phone numbers, as well as the names and contact information of three references to reach the below-mentioned by 17:00 on 29/11/2025  to aabyan@rlrp.gov.so

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Apply to: aabyan@rlrp.gov.so