Quantity Surveyor Job at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The main documents outlining the mandate of the organization are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and Resolution 56/206. Its activities contribute to the overall objective of the United Nations to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development within the context and the challenges of a rapidly urbanising world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Quantity Surveyor

Job Location: Aba City, Abia
Department/Office: UN-Habitat Programme Support Office, Abuja
Duration: Four Work Months over 10 months
Starting Date: September 2023
Full/Part Time: Part-Time

Description 

• The Quantity Surveyor will work under the overall guidance of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa (ROAf), Nairobi, Kenya, the overall supervision of the Human Settlements Officer responsible for Nigeria, the immediate supervision of the Project Technical Adviser and the Coordination of the Habitat Programme Support Office (HAPSO), Abuja.
• The duty station shall be in Aba, Abia State and the incumbent, as a member of the Technical Team, will support the Abia State Government in implementation of this project working closely with relevant state ministries especially the Ministry of Lands and Survey, in collaboration with relevant UN-Habitat branches: Urban and Regional Planning Branch (Metropolitan Planning Unit, Urban Planning and Design Lab), Global Urban Observatory/Data and Statistics Unit, Urban Basic Services, and Urban Economy.

Responsibilities

• Within delegated authority and working in close collaboration with other thematic area Consultants, the project team, appropriate government institutions and other stakeholders, the Quantity Surveyor (QS) will be primarily responsible for managing the contracts and costs of construction projects, particularly Quick Win Projects (QWPs). He/she will work very closely with all other consultants and report to the Team Leader and Project Coordinator.

In close collaboration with appropriate government institutions and other stakeholders, the Quantity Surveyor will be expected to take primary responsibility for and undertake the following activities:

• Assist in managing and ensuring sound project planning and timely business continuity in all construction work related activities including through constructive technical advice and project management to the team to implement activities in line with project work plans and budgets.
• Develop and implement effective processes and procedures to regularly oversee and ensure timely trouble shooting of infrastructure development and QWPs service providers i.e., design consultants and construction companies hired by the UN-Habitat amongst others.
• Assist and support in the development and overall quality assurance of infrastructure development projects related documents and reports including BoQs, quantity surveys, third party structural evaluations, infrastructure development progress reports and related documents in close collaboration with local partners and stakeholders.
• Carry out regular budget and activity monitoring, quality assurance and oversight of direct and third-party service providers, regular tracking of cost and resource variations, regular site supervisions involving both in- person and remote modalities, risk management and timely trouble shooting.
• Assist in managing daily oversight and quality assurance of all construction projects (particularly QWPs) in close coordination with other technical experts including supporting the Project Advisory Committee to evaluate and assess infrastructure bid proposal, conducting regular progress meetings with service providers, project partners, and undertaking site/field visits.
• Additional duties of Team Leader (This applies only to the one consultant of each team that is most experienced and therefore will be appointed as Team Leader).

He/ she will have the following additional responsibilities:

• Regular reporting to and meeting with the Project Coordinator as part of overall responsibility for organization of city consultations, introducing the study approach to and liaise with focal person in key departments in all local governments comprising the city; introducing the study to other relevant local partners and stakeholders including civil society; monitoring progress of team members, timely delivery of defined outputs; attend steering committee meetings; provide information for steering committee for evaluation and monitoring purposes;
• The Team Leader will coordinate the preparation of consultation report to Project Coordinator including consultation package (Outline, Activity Structure, Talking Points, Invitations, Evaluation form, presentation outlines, notes and slides) and upon request provide regular status reports to the Project Coordinator.
• Undertake a city consultation, reach agreement on priority issues and development of visions and strategies for the Strategic Plan in collaboration with the city team.
• Oversee the preparation of the Consultation report (applies only to Team Leader);
• Oversee the preparation of the Final Structure/Spatial Plan, ensuring that inputs of stakeholders' review prepared by the city team are adopted and published.
• Ensure that the Report produced includes all documentation: completed interview questionnaires, photos and data, inter alias, overall and thematic analysis, recommendations for strategic interventions, city profiles and consultation material as well as Projected Land Use and Transportation proposals (applies only to Team Leader).

Competencies:

• Professionalism: Demonstrable understanding theories and concepts related to urbanization including social and economic development, urban economics, spatial development, local economic development and planning, urban, and regional and territorial planning. Strong research and writing skills. Ability to carry out research on the social, economic, political, spatial and planning dimensions of cities and human settlements at local levels. Ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources using standard methodologies and analytical techniques and draw conclusions and assess impacts at different levels.
• Experience in preparing structure plans and write technical reports.
• Ability to review, edit and summarize the work of others. Strong analytical capacity and the ability to identify, analyze and articulate difficult issues/problems.
• Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Qualifications
The Consultant will be a specialist with expert knowledge in estimating costs and maintaining budgets for projects at national level. He/she must also have strong conceptual, analytical, technical skills and experience, including:

• Substantive and relevant experience in developing countries, especially in Nigeria.
• Bachelor degree in related fields (e.g. Quantity surveying, Building economics, Civil engineering, Construction management).
• Ability to drive consultative process with clear understanding of needs and emerging issues in the urban sectors.
• Experience in dealing with various stakeholders (national and local governments, civil society organizations, grassroots, practitioners).

Work Experience:

• At least five years of progressive experience in research and policy analysis at the local, national and international levels is required.
• Experience of networking; experience of project and programme management; experience of conducting policy reviews and preparation of policy recommendations for decision-makers; demonstrable analytical, drafting, reporting and presentation experience; experience of analyzing, summarizing and presenting large quantities of statistics on urban issues using relevant computer software; experience in the coordination of multiple contributors to major reports is desirable; and experience in coordinating trainings, technical, fundraising and capacity building workshops.

Languages:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Special Notice:

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station or environs.

Method of Application
Interested consultants should send soft copies of their cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV) to: hapso.nigeria@undp.org using 'Aba Structure Plan Project' as the subject of the mail