Technical Coordinator – Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Technical Coordinator – Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (Nature-Based Solutions/NBS)/Bio-engineering, Green Infrastructure, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Position: Technical Coordinator – Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Working Days: 5 days a week (as per Government regulations)

Contract: Up to 18 months with the possibility for extension and institutionalization of the position with long-term employment prospects)

Probation Period: 2 months

Duty Station: Pratibaddha-III project office at Surkhet, Karnali Province with frequent field visits to six project municipalities at Karnali, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschhim Provinces and four municipalities in Bagmati Province.

Kathmandu Central Office Location: Panipokhari, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu. See www.swnepal.com.np for the location.

Reporting to: Senior Program Manager (Green Infrastructure, NbS, DRR)

Purpose:

The purpose of this position is to lead Pratibaddha-III project field activities and engage with the SWN, consortium teams, Local and Provincial Government entities, and other development projects and partners working in the sector to assess landslides risk communities, develop nature-based solutions as well as green skills and capacities for disaster resilient local road building process. Key activities include, among others, imparting at the local and Provincial government levels the awareness and skills to their engineering teams on how these tools can help to adapt and mitigate the risks of landslides using nature-based solutions (e.g. bio-engineering works, water ponds, and other Indigenous local technologies, etc.). Additionally, the Technical Coordinator will:

• Plan, coordinate, implement and report the P-III field activities

• Motivate and support P-III project and municipal infrastructure development teams to apply nature-based solutions in municipal landslide mitigation or roadside bio-engineering slope stabilization applications

• Support SWN team in research and development of good practices on landslides hazards and risks; assess the risks to formulate the appropriate plans, and strategies and adopt necessary mitigation measures at the local government level,

• Facilitate the visit of short-term consultants to Project areas, and engage with them to ensure the quality of their deliverables, and

• Support SWN in its NbS and bioengineering projects in Nepal and other countries.

The specific activities to be carried out by the Technical Coordinator are to lead or facilitate:

• Coordinate with consortium partners teams and local and Provincial government focal persons to carry geo-hazard assessments of landslides in project municipalities

• Coordinate with technical experts and support the SWN Project Manager with the skills in landslide risk assessment and adoption of mitigation measures on ECHO funded Pratibaddha-III project

• Provide technical skills to develop SOPs for sub-categorization of CAT-II households, sub-categorize the landslides, and the implementation of mitigation measures

• Prepare and/or support the SWN team in developing necessary documents for capacity development of the municipal engineering team to subcategorize landslide risk and adopt appropriate bio-engineering mitigation measures

• Work with project and LG teams to provide technical support to prepare the DPR and/or assess the existing DPR of provincial and local government for CAT-II landslide mitigation to advocate for PG/FG fund unlocking

• Engage with the LG team to plan and deliver the capacity development training and/or workshop to the municipal technical team on surveying, designing, implementing, and maintaining local roads. This includes session planning, preparing the training materials, delivery of the training and/or workshops with field and classroom-based exercises

• Provide technical support to the SWN Senior Program Manager to conduct a Policy Gap Analysis of relevant provincial policies and plans, offering specific recommendations for improvement, and organizing workshops related to the policy review findings

• Act as an interface between technical experts and the SWN Senior Program Manager as necessary; and share period reporting to the SWN Office in Kathmandu with information on the progress, learnings, and plans

• Plan and/or undertake regular backstopping on project-related activities, research, and carrying out training workshops, and field visits

• Support the SWN project team in project-related data collection and documentation and

• Technically support four municipalities in Bagmati province to sustain the best practices of Pratibaddha-II and help implement some key activities

• Master’s degree in geotechnical, engineering geology, civil engineering, or relevant academic field with bioengineering as the optional subject or thesis/project work
• At least three years of professional experience after a Master’s degree

• Good understanding of Nepal’s DRRM Governance, local road design, construction and maintenance issues and technical remedies, bio-engineering tools, and other Nature-based Solutions
• Excellent communicator, with strong report-writing skills in Nepali and English
• Competency in Microsoft applications including Arc-GIS, Word, Excel, and computer-aided designing
• Ability to undertake field visits in remote locations of Karnali, Sudurpaschhim, Lumbini, and Bagmati provinces

Interested candidates are invited to apply by sending their CVs to info@swnepal.com.np, clearly mentioning their current address in Kathmandu. Please ensure the subject line reads: “Technical Coordinator – Disaster Resilient Infrastructure”. Applications must be submitted no later than 23rd November 2024.

The shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview commencing on 19th November 2024. We encourage candidates of diverse backgrounds, including women and those who are differently abled, to apply.

The potential applicants are encouraged to visit www.swnepal.com.np for more details on our team, location, and services.